Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Burma.
Was there a toy or another item that meant a lot to you as a child? Do you still have it?
We should not put too much value on material possessions, but there are still some things that matter a lot to us, and that it would hurt to lose. They may not be of any value to anybody else, but to us they mean a lot. Like our favorite toy, family photos, the first letter from your spouse, or a gift from somebody special.
I sat in a refugee camp with a brave, young woman named Nana while she wiped her tears. “We have nothing left,” she said. “We had so many books that we had collected over the years. There were all the photos my dad had taken of all of us. And our house was brand-new. It is all gone now.” Nana recalled how everybody in her village, many hundred in all, were forced to walk through the streets of the city that once was her home. The humiliation she felt could not be described in words. “Like criminals we were forced to walk for hours until we got to a place where we could settle. We did not get anything to drink all day. We were abused and tortured. Even animals have more worth than we have.” In spite of everything, Nana was lucky. None of her immediate family was killed. For many of her neighbors, this was not the case.
It is unlikely that you have seen any mention of the massacres, looting, destruction, arbitrary arrests and forced relocations of Rohingyas in the news recently. Perhaps news agencies don’t find it interesting enough. Perhaps the world is tired of sad stories of people suffering. Just yesterday we documented the story of a father who had to leave his home village in such haste, that he left behind his two year old daughter. If you want a broken heart, read the report.
I think that the 145,000 Rohingyas who have fled because their homes have been destroyed, the 40,000 who are still waiting to get food provisions and the relatives of the 48 women and children who were massacred last week would want the world to care.
Partners Relief and Development is one of the few organizations who are doing something to help the Rohingya right now. We are one of the smallest charities in the world, and I sure wish others would join us in the effort. Until they do, we will keep doing whatever we can to give aid, love and care to a people who are often referred to as the forgotten people. We want them to know that they are not forgotten; they are loved by God and His people.
Your support combined with our hands and feet on the ground are making a tremendous impact in Burma today. Our job would be impossible without you. Thank you for trusting us, and for believing in what we are doing. It matters. We need you, but even more important: The Rohingya people, and those children affected by war and oppression need you.
Sincerely,
Oddny Gumaer
PS. Why don’t you send us a couple of lines describing your most valuable possessions? We would love to hear from you! And if you want to send funds, know that for the people on the ground, the help they receive is a clear indicator that God loves them and that they are not forsaken.
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, you are doing right. James 2:8
Partners Relief and Development is a registered charity in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, working with communities impacted by war in Burma.
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