Burma Children Medical Fund
burmachildren.com/
MISSION

Burma Children Medical Fund provides access to medical care for people on the Thai/Burma border through its partner.

Medical assistance is inaccessible for many people living in Burma because of the high cost of treatment and lack of free healthcare. There are also an estimated 2+ million Burmese people living in Thailand unable to access the Thai healthcare system.

BCMF is one of the few organizations that has a strong enough relationship with the relevant Thai authorities to facilitate the transportation to and treatment of Burmese people at Thai hospitals.

More information is available on the Burma Children Medical Fund website.

IMPACT
1,709
Patients
2
Countries
6,486
Donors
Patients at Burma Children Medical Fund

Meet Ku, a 21-year-old from Thailand. He lives with his parents, four younger brothers, and one younger sister. Two of his brothers are in school, while his parents and other siblings practice subsistence farming. Ku works as a day laborer, providing the sole income for his household. In his free time, Ku enjoys gardening, growing vegetables, and looking after his family's two cows. In March, Ku was in a driving accident that caused his motorcycle to fall onto his left leg, fracturing his left thigh. He was brought to a clinic before being referred to the local hospital. After an x-ray confirmed his diagnosis, he was referred to our medical partner's hospital for further treatment. Currently, Ku is experiencing a lot of pain and cannot move or lift his left leg, sit up, or leave the hospital bed. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ku will undergo surgery on March 13th to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. This procedure will help him walk again and live pain-free. He will also be able to go back to work and will no longer require a caregiver. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to fund Ku's surgery. Ku shared, "I feel so upset. I never thought I would become like this [bed-bound]. I want to get surgery soon so that I can recover and go back to work. If I'm not working, my family could have a problem. I had to borrow money from my friend [to pay for basic expenses while getting treatment]. I want to go back to work and pay back my debt."

$899raised
$600to go

15-year-old Min, whose parents passed away five years ago, lives with his uncle and his cousins in a village on the border of Burma and Thailand. He helps his uncle with his work as a farmer. On March 19, 2023, Min accidentally hit a stopped tractor-trailer with his motorcycle while driving at night. He was unable to move due to his pain, but people who were nearby brought him to the hospital. Currently, Min continues to live in pain and is unable to move his legs. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Min will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones, and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for March 19th at Mae Sot General Hospital and will cost $1,500. Now Min and his family need your help to raise the money for Min's surgery, which will enable him to walk again. Min said: "I feel sorry for the accident. I want to thank you [BCMF and the donor] for helping me get treatment. I hope for full recovery. After I get treated, I will try to help my uncle who has been raising me and taking care of me all the time.”

$832raised
$668to go

Aung, who is 25 years old, lives with his mother, brother and two sisters in Burma. His mother is retired, and his brother is a security guard. One of his sisters works at a bicycle factory, while the other one works for a local company. Aung is currently unemployed because of his poor health. In October 2022, Aung fell ill and developed a persistent cough. He went to a charity hospital, where he was told that he had a heart infection. After he was treated with injected antibiotics, the doctor told him that he needed an echocardiogram, because he might have a heart condition due to the infection. After the echo was completed, he was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, and he was referred to a cardiologist in Yangon. Aung went to see the cardiologist, who told him that he would need surgery, which he could not afford. On December 25, 2022, both of Aung's legs and his arms became swollen, and he was unable to sleep. He went to a private hospital, where it was determined that he would need surgery as soon as possible. Currently, Aung feels extremely fatigued, experiences chest pains, and has difficulty breathing. Sometimes, his legs and his arms become swollen, and he cannot sleep well at night. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for the mitral valve replacement surgery that Aung needs. The procedure is currently scheduled to take place on April 2nd, at Pun Hlaing Hospital. "In the future, I want to work as a taxi driver, because I believe that I could easily earn money doing this [in the city]," said Aung.

$847raised
$653to go

Win is a 50-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his extended family in a village in Karen State, which is an area under conflict and violence. He and his wife have four children, and three grandchildren. Win, his wife, two sons and one of his sons-in-law are farmers, while his two daughters are homemakers. Win lost vision in his right eye in the middle of 2022. Two months after this occurred, the vision in his left eye blurred, until he could only perceive light. He was diagnosed with glaucoma in his left eye, and as a result of his impaired sight, he had to stop working. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of eye surgery for Win. On April 3rd, doctors at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital will operate and, after recovery, Win will be able to see clearly again. Now, he needs your help to fund this $1,500 procedure. “I feel stressed and worried about my life," Win said. "I want to go back to work after my surgery.”

$861raised
$639to go

Ma Tin is a 41-year-old mother from Burma. She lives with her husband and three sons in Karen State - an area with conflict and lots of uncertainty and insecurity for the people who live there. Her husband is a day laborer and her three sons are students. Ma Tin is a homemaker but she also sells vegetables sometimes to earn extra money. Her husband's income is usually enough to cover their basic needs, but they sometimes rely on financial support of their adult children. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her children. She is currently expecting a baby and her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section because she started to leak amniotic fluid at 32 weeks. On April 3rd, she experienced pain and the doctor scheduled her to undergo an emergency c-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Ma Tin undergo a C-Section on April 4th at Taw Win Thu Kha Hospital. This procedure will cost $1328, and Ma Tin needs your support. Ma Tin said, "When I learned that I would need a c-section, I lost hope. I thought about giving birth at home and if I were lucky, I would be able to give birth like before [without complications]. If not, I would die. Now that I was told that there would be donors to help pay for my c-section, I felt so happy. You are a miracle that appeared in my life to help me when I needed it with the cost of my surgery. Thank you so much to all the staff and donors who are willing to help me."

$750raised
$578to go

Aye lives with her son and grandson in Thailand. She is a part-time volunteer with a local organization and only receives pocket money for her work. Her son and grandson are students. During her free time, she shared that she likes to read the Bible, help with church activities, or do household chores. Since 2021, Aye has been experiencing occasions of abdominal pain. The pain became constant in March, and Aye finds that she has a poor appetite, and difficulty sleeping and going about her day now. Aye was diagnosed with bile duct stones, and underwent an emergency procedure, during which a tube was inserted into the right side of her abdomen, to drain the bile. Doctors now want Aye to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles, are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan should help doctors better formulate an appropriate treatment plan to ensure she heals. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Aye's CT scan, which is scheduled for April 10th, at Mae Sot General Hospital. Aye said: "I was worried about my treatment cost because I cannot afford it. But now, I am happy. If I recover, I will go back and work again to support my family."

$170raised
$244to go

Phaw is a 38-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her friend on the Thai-Burma border while she receives treatment. Up until a month ago, she used to work in Bangkok and sent money to her father and stepmother every month to help support them. In her free time, Phaw enjoys playing mobile games, watching movies on her phone, and doing light exercise. Since 2021, Phaw has been experiencing slight pain between the right side of her back and her upper right thigh. She also feels tired and weak. Phaw cannot sleep on her right side because of the pain; if she does, she experiences shortness of breath. Phaw’s condition was diagnosed as a dermoid cyst. She needs to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy because, if left untreated, Phaw's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications. Fortunately, Phaw is scheduled to undergo a hysterectomy on April 11th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, Phaw will no longer be in pain and can work and support her family in Burma again. Phaw said: “Since I have this condition, my father has told me not to worry about supporting them financially. Instead, he told me to take care of my health [first] and seek treatment. I felt so relieved when he told me this.”

$1,181raised
$319to go

Meet Pati, a 16-year-old student from Burma. Pati helps his family on the farm and loves to listen to music in his free time. Pati was born with club foot in his left foot that impacts his mobility. Doctors want Pati to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will help doctors with diagnosis and formulating an appropriate treatment plan. Pati is scheduled to undergo a CT scan on April 11th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is requesting $469 to cover the cost of Pati's CT scan and care. Sharing about the challenges he has experienced, Pati said: "I always try to encourage myself, though. I feel happy to receive help from you. After I get treated, I want to study and work in Thailand. In the future, I dream about becoming a businessman.”

$75raised
$394to go

Zaw, who is 29 years old, lives with his wife and extended family members in Karen State, Burma. He and his wife are currently unemployed, although Zaw hopes to work as a second-hand motorbike seller. Zaw has had an irregular heartbeat since he was 10 years old. Although he visited a local clinic as a child, he was never provided a definitive diagnosis. By January 2022, he began to experience fatigue. His back and neck were stiff, and he lost his appetite. He also had difficulty sleeping, experienced a persistent cough and body aches, and his lips turned blue. After multiple hospital visits, Zaw was told he had a heart condition that required surgery. Unable to afford surgery in Burma, Zaw sought affordable care at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) in Thailand. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, he received a free echocardiogram, which revealed he had mitral valve regurgitation, atrial valve regurgitation, pulmonary valve regurgitation, and patent ductus arteriosus. He is now scheduled for a procedure at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital in Bangkok on April 18th to repair or replace three of his valves and address any other issues with his heart. Currently, Zaw continues to experience fatigue, thus he is unable to work. He experiences shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat, for which he requires oxygen therapy three times a day. He needs your help to raise the $1,500 to fund his life-changing surgery. Zaw said: “I want to be free from this disease as soon as possible. Thank you all for helping with my treatment cost.”

$942raised
$558to go

Paw, who is 50 years old, lives with her husband, two daughters, and four sons in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Karen State in Burma. They have no source of income and rely on the food support they receive from donors every month. In her free time, Paw enjoys weaving traditional Karen shirts and foraging for vegetables in the forest. In 2021, Paw started to experience pain in her lower abdomen and back. At first, she thought the pain would go away on its own; instead, it only intensified. Last year, she felt a mass in her lower abdomen, but she could not afford to seek treatment at a hospital. After Paw and her family fled to the IDP camp in December 2022, she went to the clinic in the camp, where she could access free, basic health care. Paw was referred to Mae Sariang Hospital for evaluation. At the hospital, she had an ultrasound and was diagnosed with bilateral ovarian tumors. The doctor told her that she needs surgery to remove her uterus and both of her ovaries. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Paw's surgery, which is scheduled to take place on April 23rd at Mae Sariang Hospital. After she has recovered from this procedure, Paw will no longer experience pain in her abdomen and back. "When the doctor told me I need to have the tumors removed, I felt happy that I will be free from this pain. I also feel very happy that your organization [BCMF] will help me pay for my treatment cost. I hope that I will recover soon, and that I will be able to work again. I want to say thank you so much to all the donors for their help. May they be blessed more and be prosperous,” said Paw.

$993raised
$507to go

A (Aye) is a 37-year-old homemaker who lives with her husband, father, and son in a village in Thailand. Her father cannot work as a result of having suffered a stroke and her son was born with a disability. A's husband works as an agricultural day laborer. Since April 2022, A has been experiencing back pain and difficulty sleeping. These symptoms are caused by a large mass on her ovary. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, which is the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, A's symptoms will continue to intensify, and she will be at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, A is now scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on April 23rd at Mae Sot General Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once she has recovered, A should be free from pain and able to comfortably sleep through the night. “I really want to be healthy again so that I can take care of my father and son. My husband had to stop working for the past week to look after our son, so now we have no income. But I am happy that I have a donor [to pay for my surgery], and I hope that I will get better soon. After I recover, my husband can go back to work and save money to pay back our debt,” said A.

$900raised
$600to go

Pai is a 57-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her daughter, son, and two granddaughters on the Thai-Burma border. Pai looks after her two granddaughters during their summer school break. Her daughter is a manager at an onion distribution center, while her son is a maintenance worker at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). In her free time, she enjoys helping with cooking and cleaning. She also enjoys playing with her granddaughters. Pai started to experience abdominal pain in September 2022. She would also vomit whenever she ate and she could not sleep well due to a feeling of tightness in her abdomen. Doctors want Pai to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Pai's CT scan and care, scheduled for May 11th. Pat said: “I am thankful to the organization [BCMF] for agreeing to pay for my further treatment. I am getting old, and my health is not as good as before".

$45raised
$369to go