Children of Hope Inspired by a Chin Medical Student

November 5, 2007—Yerevan-London-Kuala Lumpur: A Chin Medical Student Sasa, currently studying the sixth year of Doctor of Medicine at the State Medical University in Armenia and his friends in the United Kingdom have launched a project called “Children of Hope: Burma Project”.

The project is aimed at helping helpless children in Burma. “When we take care of our children, we inevitably build a brighter future for our world”, the program says.

The Friends Club World website stated that the project is inspired by a brave-hearted Burmese scholar, Sasa, whose passion for his country’s freedom and desire to help his fellow citizens has been contagiously captured by the hearts of those who met him. The Club also claims Sasa to be a representative of the many Burmese people who fight tirelessly for freedom.

“The uncontrolled spreading infections HIV, AIDS, TB, Malaria and many others had separated millions of children of Burma from their parents permanently and their beloved children were left behind forever in the dark without hope, at the same time the worsening economical, political crisis and the conflicts have been destroying the children’s future with mega scale”, said Sasa.

“It is heart breaking when you think of our country Burma where hundreds of children are dying everyday due to starvation, malnutrition, and the waterborne disease still remains the worse killer for millions of people. We should not forget that once we were the top exporter of rice and food to the world, the time has come for us all to do whatever we can do to save the millions of children in Burma”, he continued.

For over a decade, political conflict in Burma has impacted children more severely than ever. Not only humanitarian situation is deteriorating, but also the use of children as soldiers in Burma is ongoing. In a report released on 31st October, Human Rights Watch said the Burmese government is forcibly recruiting many children, some as young as age 10, into its armed forces.

The previous UN case study estimated that some 50,000 children under the age of eighteen were forcibly recruited to the Burmese military service.

“This entire worsening situation is a direct result of the Burma junta mismanagement of the country. Thousands of innocent children continue to suffer mentally and physically”, said Sasa.

The Children of Hope is organizing a formal Cocktail Party on 9th November 2007 to aid the project. It says the proceeds will go to Child Care Project in Burma.

Sasa is from a small Mara village of Chin State, Burma. He is well known and well regarded by his villagers and the nearby who have sacrificed all they had for his studying in Armenia. But his humble desire to serve his people has been inspiring to many people whom he met.

By Salai Laini