Dear Friends and Supporters of TBBHI,
There is so much to be Thankful for this year for TBBHI: the ongoing support of you, our friends and funders, the successful purchase of our new truck, the transformational gift from Sharon Shuteran, the enthusiasm of our newest graduating class of medics just last week, and of course the amazing dedication of our core staff of skilled and experienced health care providers.
Drs. Larry Crook, Joyanna Wendt and I all returned just a few days ago from our annual training trip to Sangkhlaburi and the timing could not have been better. We provided capstone teaching and then presided over the graduation ceremony of a while new class of Level 1 and Level 2 medics. We also provided critical updates on topics for more than 30 medics who had traveled from far and wide across Burma.
Just prior to our trip there had been some minor skirmishes between local border forces. Keep in mind that a “minor skirmish” in this region means live bullets, villages evacuated, houses looted and personal property destroyed. Our visit coincided with a period of calm. But on Wednesday the storm broke as the Burmese Army overran two of the local villages that are a focus of our efforts – and where I had just been doing “bedside” teaching the week prior.
Reliable reports are hard to come by but it appears there were many wounded and at least one killed in the military operation. The villages are largely abandoned and the more than 700 residents fled in the middle of the day to makeshift camps across the border in Thailand. The TBBHI team was the first in the field bringing water, shelter and food into the danger zone within hours.
Our ability to respond so rapidly and appropriately is due to our staff’s local experience and reputation – and to your ongoing support. TBBHI’s financial flexibility one of the things that makes us different than so many other local organizations and that is due to the way you support us.
Now more than ever we are grateful for your support and for the bravery and skill of our amazing medics. This year, unfortunately, they spent Thanksgiving back in a conflict zone. We will all be working for a return to a more peaceful situation.
As always, thank you.
Sam
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Sam MacBride, Vice-President
Thai Burma Border Health Initiative
