Thanks for your interest in Burma. We have been working in this region since 2004, and formally as a non-profit organization since 2006.
The military dictatorship of Burma / Myanmar has for decades waged a campaign driving non-Burman ethnic groups from ancestral lands owned for over two thousand years. This is a massive land grab for natural resources. These ethnic groups are unfortunately in the way.
To date over 3000 villages have been burned down or mined and over 500,000 internally displaced people are on the run on any given day inside Burma. With the present natural disaster in the Irrawaddy River delta region, that number is in the millions. It is also important to note that over 800,000 forced laborers unwillingly support the regime under brutal conditions so that leaders may profit from a land rich in natural gas, oil, precious gems, teak wood and hydro power potential. Refer to www.tbbc.org.
Most of the world is unaware of the true cost of a gallon of Chevron or Total gasoline coming from this region. The UK Burma Campaign publishes a Dirty List annually to identify businesses that contribute to the regime’s wealth.
As you watch the present crisis unfold, it is important to consider events in the above context or one can be mislead as to what is really going on “in the shadows”. Unfortunately what we are witnessing is a regime that uses weather and time in ways that suit its strategy of driving non-Burman ethnics from their lands. The Irrawaddy River region is the richest agricultural region in Southeast Asia and is largely populated by the Karen ethnic group.
Following blogs will provide you updates on the current crisis response, as well as background information on Worldwide Impact Now.
Sincerely, Tim
Tim Heinemann
Worldwide Impact Now
Forward-based in the region
WIN’s objective is to free oppressed peoples worldwide through human development, empowerment and enablement initiatives. We have adopted a “Burma First” imperative. Thanks for your interest.
We invest in what we call “rainmakers”… servant leaders of character respected by their people. We feel this is the key to taking care of oppressed people “in the shadows”. We work with these grassroots leaders as catalysts in building strong communities, security, stability and prosperity from the ground up. We rely on them all now in crisis and they are performing as expected with courage. We also support other non-profit organizations in initiative where they clearly are innovating and making critical differences. Our aim is for these “rainmakers” to also succeed.
By providing training and financial contribution to these “agents of change”, we hope to create collaboration and cooperation among all of them. This is one way of accomplishing results greater than any single organization or person is capable of. Our role here is one of facilitation and coordination within a like-minded “community of purpose”.
The critical factor now in the Irrawaddy River region is in hastening aid to refugees at greatest risk in remote areas. We are succeeeding at this now by relying on old friendships established over the past four years. This is leadership worth investing in.
We appreciate your care for the diverse peoples of Burma and hope to be able to tell their compelling story in new ways in coming months, as we work together with many friends from locations across Southeast Asia.
Thank you,
Tim Heinemann
Worldwide Impact Now
