"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:40
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"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40 |
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The horrifying effects of the current civil war in Burma - fear, destruction,poverty, and death - leave many IDPs fighting for survival as their only goal. For most, basic healthcare is unattainable or unaffordable for those who are struggling to provide food for their families or on the run in the jungle. However, proper hygiene and healthcare are essential to ensure basic survival and hope for the future. Therefore, Partners has developed two specific programs that work to ensure the healthy growth and development of refugee children, and IDP's.
Through CHECK (Child Healthcare: Educating Care-givers and Kids), all refugee children that we support receive initial checkups to determine their heath and nutritional status. Common treatable illnesses, such as fungal infections, dehydration, respiratory infections, and worm infestation, are immediately addressed and medications administered. Subsequent follow-up visits are then used to evaluate the success of treatments and track more difficult illnesses. As a part of this program dental checks have also been administered, and hopefully eye checks will soon be incorporated as well. In addtion to providing health care, this program also seeks to educate and equip the caregivers and children in the homes. Much of what we see could be eliminated through simply educating how to prevent certain diseases and illnesses in the first place.
While healthcare in the refugee camps is scare, medical support in IDP areas is virtually nonexistent and the consequences are evident. In 2006, a Backpack Health Worker Team reported that one-in-five children will die before their fifth birthday and one-in-twelve women die from delivery related complications. To combat these statistics Partners has implemented LAMB (Life Abundant for Mothers and Babies), a maternal heath training program that aims to put skills, education, and resources into the hands of IDPs in Burma. Specifically, the program targets medical staff such as Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), midwives, medics, and other healthcare workers. We also distribute basic birthing kits containing cotton gauze, gloves, soap, cord ties, a plastic sheet and a sterile scalpel which aim at reducting complications from infection during labor and delivery. In the future, Partners hopes to initiate womens health education for teenage girls and young women in conjunction with this program.
Additionally, Partners funds 9 medical clinics operating within Karen State, Burma that provide urgent medical care for those who do not otherwise have access to basic healthcare. Further, Partners supports dozens of relief teams working inside Burma who administer on-site medical care for IDPs entangled in the ongoing civil war.
When asked what their three most important concerns are, care-givers and village leaders almost always include health or medicine. Partners' healthcare programs are working to fulfill this need for the people it loves and supports.
Tsunami Interview with Greg Toews
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A Snapshot of Partners (1.2 MB)
A Campaign of Brutality,
the new report by FBR (3.1 MB)
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