Jesuits escalate support for Myanmar hidden emergency

There’s a hidden emergency in Myanmar, where a military dictatorship has violently re-assumed power through a coup in early 2021.

Hear an update from our Jesuit Partner on the ground in the video below.

Since February last year to September this year, the United Nations documented over 260 attacks by the military on schools in Myanmar.

Teachers and students, especially from ethnic minorities, have become the targets. 

“We recently received footage showing young boys and girls in a make-shift refugee camp classroom, have become subjects for aerial attacks. The video shows the children’s faces are filled with fear, and many are crying and clinging to each other as they then run from the classroom into the jungle to hide,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission.

Despite the risks, the Jesuits are standing right beside the Burmese people, feeding the hungry, providing shelter and medicine, teaching people new skills to earn an income and of course, offering children education. 

“Since war was unleashed on the population, the people have known no relief. In the townships and communities where we work, hunger is only too evident,” said a Jesuit on the ground.

The need is significant, with over 1.3 million people now displaced and foreign investors having fled the country, Myanmar is experiencing massive economic collapse. Today, more than half the population is living below the poverty line, with no end to the violence and deprivation in sight.

This Christmas your support of our Emergency Action Fund can enable our Jesuit partners to provide emergency support to communities in Myanmar that need it most. If you’d like to contribute to the Emergency Action Fund please click here.

Your compassionate generosity is helping bring light to our sisters and brothers living in darkness around the world.

Gifts for Change:

This Christmas, instead of a traditional gift, why not give a gift that can change someone’s life? For $50 you can buy a bicycle for a rural student in Cambodia and help them receive a quality education.

You can choose from an e-card or postal card to share with your loved one this Christmas.

Click here to browse our Gifts for Change Program