NEW YORK—A steady flow of Burmese refugees moves daily across the Moei River into the Thai border town of Mae Sot—many in search of a better life. A packed fund raising event held Wednesday evening at the Friar’s Club in midtown Manhattan hopes to help them along in their quest.
“It’s for the orphaned Burmese children, actually the ones lucky enough to make it across the border into safety into Thailand,” said event host Jeremy Taylor, a coordinator with the Free Burma Alliance (FBA), which coorganized the event with the women’s NGO, Network 355.
The fundraiser seeks to benefit the Mae Tao clinic, one of the very few sources of medical services that the refugees, being paid a tiny fraction of what a Thai worker would earn, have access to.
There are over 2500 children living at Mae Tao, says Elena V. Tchainikova, President of Network 355, a new association of professional women who volunteer to raise awareness of cultural and humanitarian causes. This is the organization’s first cause, says Tchainikova, adding that raising awareness about the tragic state of human rights in Burma is just as important as raising the funds.
Yet the fundraising didn’t go poorly, says Tchainikova. A significant portion of the 250-odd guests paid the 100- to 250-dollar-a-head entrance fee. Some guests weren’t asked to part with their money, such as Burmese dissident Nay Tim Myint, who spent over 15 years in prison for promoting democracy, before gaining asylum in the United States.
“It’s for the orphaned Burmese children, actually the ones lucky enough to make it across the border into safety into Thailand,” said event host Jeremy Taylor, a coordinator with the Free Burma Alliance (FBA), which coorganized the event with the women’s NGO, Network 355.
The fundraiser seeks to benefit the Mae Tao clinic, one of the very few sources of medical services that the refugees, being paid a tiny fraction of what a Thai worker would earn, have access to.
There are over 2500 children living at Mae Tao, says Elena V. Tchainikova, President of Network 355, a new association of professional women who volunteer to raise awareness of cultural and humanitarian causes. This is the organization’s first cause, says Tchainikova, adding that raising awareness about the tragic state of human rights in Burma is just as important as raising the funds.
Yet the fundraising didn’t go poorly, says Tchainikova. A significant portion of the 250-odd guests paid the 100- to 250-dollar-a-head entrance fee. Some guests weren’t asked to part with their money, such as Burmese dissident Nay Tim Myint, who spent over 15 years in prison for promoting democracy, before gaining asylum in the United States.
