While the faith and the spirits of the people I met in Mae La were strong, their current physical conditions are matters of concern. Registration froze two years ago. People who come to the camp--four or five new families everyday--are not given food rations or materials to build huts because they are not registered. They must move in with other refugees and those who open their huts must share what they have with the new-comers. Already, cuts have been made in the amount of food they receive twice a month. They are supposed to receive rice, oil, chili powder, and fish paste. With the destruction of crops/resources brought on by Cyclone Nargis and the sky-rocketing prices of rice and basic foods all over the world, Mae La and the other Thai-Burma border refugee camps are in trouble. Refugees in these camps are already living on much less than is needed and these newest strains on their food situation have potential to send more people spiralling into malnutrition, which makes them much more susceptible to diseases.
Children are the ones who are suffering the most. And especially the ones who don't have advocates and live in orphanages. Like her.
Read
this article put out by Irrawaddy News for more information on the calorie cuts for refugees.
And please pray with me.
And for those of you who are interested in doing something else, please check out what some people, who are praying and responding with us, are already doing:
Food for the Hungry and
MCC.
