An example of our work is with the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), which provides essential services to more than 140,000 Burmese refugees. Because of the strict rule of the military in Burma, forced labour, human trafficking and the frequent human rights abuses; refugees are flooding across the border joining many others that have spent the last twenty years living in refugee camps.

act for peace has worked closely with the TBBC for 21 years. During this time food has become more expensive and the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis has thrown the area into economic and political turmoil. The region is currently experiencing a rice crisis which has made the future uncertain for many refugees living in camps. It costs $74 to provide food for a month to a family of four living in a refugee camp.

Jack Dunford, the director of the TBBC said, "I am amazed at how much can happen within a few months and how rapidly the challenges facing us can change. We were completely taken by surprise by the global food crisis earlier this year. It caused the most serious funding situation in the history of TBBC, with the health and well being of 140,000 refugees at stake."

The refugee diet is traditionally rice, salt, and fishpaste, supplemented with leaves and roots gathered from the forest, plus any vegetables or livestock that can be cultivated, raised or hunted. This basic diet has become more expensive due to the rice crisis in Burma and the families living in refugee camps have had to endure these hard times among the many other limitations of their daily lives.

Jack said, "when prospects were looking grim we launched a Staff, Family and Friends appeal to try to help solve the problem. The result was that we reached our target of baht 1.6 million (AUS 50,000) in just over a month. This is enough to feed more than 1000 refugees for 6 months. This has been tremendously encouraging for us and the refugees we work with."

The challenge of feeding Burma’s refugees will continue well into 2009 and food prices are set to increase. These people, who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict or extreme poverty, require support so they can look toward a more stable and assured future.