Background
“Response to the suffering of others is the singular balm to alleviate the suffering of ones own.”
Burma’s ongoing civil war has devastated an entire region, displacing over 1.2 million people, 47% of which are children.
A result of years of civil unrest, genocide, and forced migration, children are orphaned by war and stolen by traffickers into lifelong slavery. Starvation is common.
Surviving Burmese children remain unacceptably vulnerable.
HOW WILL YOU LOVE THE NOT YET MET?
little mercies SUPPORTS BURMESE REFUGEE CHILDREN THROUGH
Community
Disengaged from their families, children are given a home, stability, and sense of belonging in our communities.
education
Children are given clothing, materials, and transportation to access education and lift them out of poverty.
3 campuses
We have 3 campuses along the Thai-Burma border that provide food, shelter, and safety.
medical aid
We provide access to the gamut of basic medical care to hundreds of children and their parents every month.
How far does your gift go?
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Buys one case of milk
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Buys 100 lbs of high grade rice
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Buys fruit & vegetables to feed 60 children for a week
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Sponsors a child to attend school with clothes, materials, and tuition for 1 year
100% of donations go directly to THE CAUSE, outside costs are absorbed by the founders.
Make our work possible.
Will you join us?
FAQ
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From the 2022 US Dept of State Trafficking in Persons Report: Burma
“According to the 2014 census, approximately one quarter of Burma’s residents lacked access to citizenship or identity documents, significantly increasing their vulnerability to traffickers in Burma and in other countries.”
War, the pandemic, irregular immigration regulations, economic unrest, and lack of government infrastructure and compliance all contribute to the ongoing risk posed against Burma’s most vulnerable populations. Children especially are trafficked unless they find a home in safe havens like ours along the Burmese border in Thailand.
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Fortunately and unfortunately we have brought people back from traffickers.
One of our most devoted and successful students was bought back for the price he’d been sold for, $300 USD and a huge bag of rice. Examples are all anecdotal and heart wrenching.
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The name change from Burma to Myanmar occurred after a brutal uprising in 1989 but is still under debate.
According to the UK Foreign Office, "Burma's democracy movement prefers the form 'Burma' because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country. Internationally, both names are recognised."
At Little Mercies, we refer to it as Burma out of respect for the Burmese people and the ties to their homeland.
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This is a perplexing question. The civil war has gone on for a long time and many people do not understand all the trauma that has occurred for the people of Burma.
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It’s called “thanaka paste” and it’s a natural sunscreen applied by their mamas. The ones without mamas have caregivers to place it. Some families have special patterns they use. We are deeply moved by the beautiful hearts we see on children’s faces.
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Nicole and Rebecca are our two founders of Little Mercies! Read more about them on the Founders page.
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We employ very few individuals as contractors who have offered their time at a nonprofit rate in order to provide a seamless operational process for Little Mercies. All of these operational costs are absorbed by the founders, 100% of donations go to the children.
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By focusing on safety, community, education, and medical needs, we provide displaced children with the life-sustaining foundations to build a new life.
A report published by the United Nations Human Rights Office in June 2022 said, “7.8 million children in the country remain out of school, 250,000 are internally displaced, and children have reportedly been abducted and recruited for armed conflicts.”
Little Mercies has 3 campuses where thousands of displaced children have crossed the border into Thailand and found safety, community, food, shelter, education, and medical care.
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Absolutely. We are very proud of our youth that have gone on to higher education. We are so grateful for the donors who sponsor children and create a path to a new life.