Desperation in Burma: children orphaned by Cyclone Nargis take refuge in the jungle from violence

Orphaned by a devastating cyclone in 2008, thousands of children in Burma are now engaged in a deadly game of hide and seek with Burmese soldiers.

Reports estimate that up to 3,000 Karen villagers have had to flee their mountain communities in recent weeks, due to renewed confrontations with the Burmese military. The army attacks the mountain villages, shooting the inhabitants as they run for their lives or capturing them and giving them extremely heavy labour, literally working them to death as ‘slaves’ and sometimes even using them as human land mine sweepers. They then set fire to the villages or plant landmines around the homes and the bodies to kill anyone who tries to return. Many of those who flee to the surrounding jungle die there from snake bites, disease or starvation.

The Karen tribe are mainly Christian and have faced extensive ethnic and religious discrimination from the military regime. Many cases have been reported of families being driven out of their homes and children losing their parents and wandering alone in the jungle. One report has spoken of 17 families hiding together in a bamboo thicket in a small ravine, and there are many more stories like this.

Temporary shelter used by some of the displaced Karen children

But this is not the only problem making life extremely difficult for the Karen people of Burma. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck, killing an estimated 100,000 people and leaving over a million homeless, without food and fresh water. The Burmese government were reluctant to accept much international help, leaving thousands of parentless children to fend for themselves. Aid workers have said:

“Delta children were the poorest of the poor to begin with. They had food shortages in the delta area before the cyclone ... Families are desperate now, and children are very vulnerable at this time.”

Christian orphanages have been set up to provide a safe haven for these children, giving them stability, security, daily nourishment and the opportunity for an education. But even these are not safe. Recently, a Christian orphanage for 90 children was attacked by Burmese soldiers, who destroyed or took everything they could lay their hands on, including blankets, mattresses, clothes, kitchen utensils and school supplies. By God’s grace, those who ran the orphanage managed to get the children out of the building before the soldiers arrived.

Some of the orphaned children who have received aid supplied by Barnabas Aid

Barnabas Aid is supporting the provision of food and shelter for Karen orphans, together with the running costs of a number of Christian orphanages set up in response to poverty and cyclone damage. We are supporting partners who are working in the jungle to care for the Karen orphans and providing funding for pans, water containers, medicines, notebooks, pencils, blankets, mosquito nets, towels, mats, pillows and warmer clothes.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Aid, says, “The Karen people have suffered for decades at the hands of the Burmese military junta, who persecute them for their ethnicity and for their Christian faith. Please help us to take this opportunity to help Karen children in desperate situations at this time.”

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