Burma (MNN) — A peace accord between Burma’s government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) didn’t last long.
Ask the Lord to protect His followers among the Kachin. (Image courtesy VBB)
Authorities killed at least two people from the mostly-Christian Kachin people group over the weekend. The Kachin are one of Burma’s largest Christian minorities and while no exact figures are known, experts think that between two-thirds and 90-percent of Kachin are Christ-followers.
According to a report issued by the Associated Press in late June, Burma’s forces have clashed with Kachin rebels at least 21 times since the signing of a May 30 peace agreement.
While most of Burma’s armed ethnic rebels have signed cease-fire agreements with the government, the KIO had held out on peace talks. That changed when Burma’s government and the KIO vowed to stop hostilities at the end of May.
But any hope in these tentative talks was soon dashed. Vision Beyond Borders (VBB) says they received reports of violence and persecution regularly from their Kachin contacts, even after the peace accord was signed.
VBB supports several children’s homes located throughout Burma, from the southern tip of the country to the nation’s mid-section. Many of the kids cared for by VBB and their partners are orphans, left to face life alone by either the nation’s ongoing unrest or 2008’s Cyclone Nargis. This storm left between 2 and 3 million people homeless and orphaned over 60,000 children.
Two of the children’s homes helped by VBB need regular support. One is located in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp for the Karen in Burma.
The IDP camp holds over 4,000 displaced Karen, and the VBB children’s home cares for 40 kids who’ve been orphaned, abandoned or taken in because a single parent was unable to care for them. Another VBB home is located deep within a Thai jungle, and cares for 50 refugee children.
These homes need as little as $10USD monthly support per child to provide a safe, Christian home. See how you can help here.
In recent weeks, a team headed to some of the VBB homes to deliver supplies and check on the children. They were able to share Christ’s love with over 400 children, and will share more details of their trip in the coming days.
Ask the Lord to protect His followers among the Kachin. Pray violence against this people group will stop.
