I help a group of about 150 political refugees from Burma who now live here in Austin.  They have all arrived within the last several months.  It is a mixed group:  babies, children, adults, and elderly;  Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian. They are all here legally.  They have their Social Security cards.  They are part of the Austin community.  They fled Burma, not knowing Austin, or Texas, or even The United States would be their final destination, but now that they've gotten placed here, they're glad. 
    I want to tell you a little about what has been happening in Burma, what is about to happen, and how you can help these new refugees if you wish to do so.  All of the refugees I help in Austin are political refugees and dare not go back home. Their friends and relatives back home are still suffering under the collective thumb of the military dictatorship which seized power two decades ago.  All of the refugees are here legally, have I-94's, Social Security numbers, and are otherwise legal in every way.
     Last September (2007), the situation in Burma was very bad.  The citizens wanted democracy in Burma, as they have for decades.  There were non-violent street demonstrations and marches by the people.  The Buddhist monks, who are very much revered in this country which is about 90% Buddhist, became visibly involved by quietly walking through the streets in groups on behalf of the cause.  Well, those of you who heard or saw at the time how the government was shooting its own citizens in the streets may also have heard about how they were killing the monks.  Maybe you saw the photo of the foreign journalist shot down and left in the street.  (If not, then just Google “Burma,” “monk,” and “kill,”and you'll have plenty to read.)  Other protesters were arrested by thousands, jailed, interrogated, etc.  Many were chased into the jungles, hunted down, and caught there, or dragged out of their houses in the night by the military. 
  It was hoped that this situation would improve, with the vote to approve the new Constitution. And here is what is hoped to be some more good news.  But just before this referundum vote was held, Cyclone Nargis hit Burma. The whole world was stunned to find the Burma Military Regime going ahead with this vote, when over 100,000 of its people were washed away, dead, and/or presumed dead.  But then, since the citizens want Democracy, what better time to hold the vote than when they are scrambling for food and shelter, and trying to find out how many of their friends and family have survived?  After all, dead men can't vote, and people scrambling for their lives can't vote -- so the Military regime insisted in holding the vote right then -- instead of securing food, shelter, and aid for its people.  In fact, the government was so happy to have this natural disaster come along, relieving it of a large number of democracy-loving citizens, that it even exacerbated the effects of the hurricane not only by delaying the inadequate help it offered for its people, but also by not accepting the many offers of help from a wide variety of concerned countries and agencies throughout the world.  Since the government of Burma has refused to help its own citizens adequately, or even to let others do so, the monks of Burma are doing what they can to funnel private aid to those affected by the cyclone -- and the government is even incensed by that!  If you have never truly met evil before, you have seen it now.

What do they need "the most?"  They need:

* English tutors, especially for the ones who can't get to every class 
* computers (kids know how to use them, but can't use the school ones before or after school because they ride the bus)
* calculators for the older kids
* telephones & phone cards (MOST DO NOT HAVE PHONES)
* shoes -- tennis shoes & sturdy work shoes
* diapers 
* non-perishable foods
* Wal-Mart, H-E-B, etc. gift cards

WANT TO HELP???