Earlier in October, Mark Rowland, an inspirational resident of Farncombe and Chair of Partners Relief and Development UK, invited me to an event he organised at the House of Lords hosted by Lord Alton of Liverpool with guest speaker, Steve Gumaer, President and founder of Partners Relief & Development worldwide. Steve spoke about Partners’ fast expanding and innovative work with children and families in the refugee camps and in conflict affected areas of Myanmar.
Please read more at www.partners.ngo/uk
It’s fair to say that the crisis that has unfolded in western Myanmar since August 2017 is overwhelming. With over 600,000 Rohingya forced to flee brutal attacks on their villages by the Myanmar Army and local vigilantes, this massive displacement of people in such a short space of time has created the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crisis.
These words are from a young father and businessman who just arrived in Bangladesh with his family. “Yesterday, I was a successful businessman. Today, I have to beg to feed my family. Last week, I was concerned about my employees showing up on time and having enough stock on hand to keep my customers satisfied. Today, I have no idea how I will care for my family. My family and I have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. We just arrived with only what we could carry.“