By Tim Nickles

You’ve no doubt heard of the damage and death wrought by cyclone Nargis in Burma. Did you know the military dictatorship there is dragging its feet on aid because the dead and dying in the Irawaddy delta are ethnic minorities who’ve been the target of military suppression for more than a decade?

In January, I left our epic winter here in Jackson Hole to travel to Burma - I went in on foot, illegally, with a group of aid workers from a Thailand-based NGO called Partners Relief and Development. It’s run by a friend of mine. We were bringing medical supplies and teaching materials to a refugee camp near the Thai-Burma border. The camp includes an orphanage with over 180 children — the focus of our work. While there, we met with ethnic military and civilian leaders to learn about their situation. We interviewed Burmese aid workers who trek into the steep jungles of eastern Burma to catalog human rights abuses and help victims of the military’s program of violence. I learned a great deal about the situation in Burma, which was lamentable even before the cyclone hit.

Burma’s leadership will not allow the international community to make contact with the people in the delta because they fear it will affect their hold on power. So aid is jamming up outside Burma’s borders. Aid workers from the UN and several countries are not being granted visas, not being allowed to help direct aid efforts. A few days ago a nurse from Partners was finally granted a visa and is now in Burma coordinating efforts of the Burmese volunteers working closely with Partners. They are funneling all their current income into the delta where the risks of starvation and disease become greater by the day. If you’d like to help their efforts, I can tell you that your donation will go immediately to work in Burma. Your cash will likely mean the difference between life and death. Donate here.

Images from Partners Relief and Burma News.