Better Burma

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Better Burma

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Humanitarian Aid to the vulnerable communities and advocacy for democracy movement in Myanmar

Offering pilgrimages in Burma/Myanmar to vipassana meditators, Buddhists, Dhamma pilgrims, and anyone else wanting to explore the Golden Land.

20/10/2026

For mothers rebuilding their lives in Mae Sot, valid documents can help make it possible to work legally, access essential services, and move through the community with greater security.

Support has helped cover THB 31,600 in registration fees for four mothers and THB 74,820 in work permit and CI fees for seven mothers. As they are able, mothers have repaid THB 52,810, money being set aside to help other mothers with documentation in the future.

This model of support helps empower women by giving them practical help as they work toward greater independence, a better future, and more stability for their families. It also allows support to reach beyond the first group.

If you would like to help mothers who have fled abusive homes rebuild their lives, please consider supporting this work.

11/10/2026

🚨 URGENT APPEAL | AIRSTRIKE HITS HISTORIC MAHASI MONASTERY IN SAGAING

A place of peace and refuge has become another scene of tragedy.

On October 11, a military airstrike struck the historic Mahasi meditation monastery in Seikkhun Village, Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, killing at least two displaced civilians and injuring eight others, according to initial reports from BBC Burmese.

Seikkhun is the birthplace of the revered Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana, whose teachings have inspired generations of Buddhist practitioners around the world.

The monastery was not only a place of spiritual significance but also a shelter for families who had already fled violence. Even there, they could not find safety.

Better Burma appeals to the international Buddhist community, meditation practitioners, and compassionate supporters everywhere to stand with the people of Sagaing.

Your generosity can help support emergency humanitarian relief, including medical care, food, essential supplies, and assistance for displaced families.

If Mahasi Sayadaw’s teachings have touched your life, please consider extending that compassion to the people of his birthplace.

🔗 Support our emergency relief efforts through the link in our bio.

📸 Photos: BBC Burmese (original sources credited by BBC Burmese).

10/10/2026

The Hidden Cost of Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar

Electric vehicles, smartphones, and renewable energy technologies are driving global demand for rare earth minerals. But behind these technologies lies a troubling reality for communities in Myanmar.

In Kachin State, rare earth extraction has expanded through a process known as in-situ leaching, which involves injecting chemical solutions into the ground to extract valuable minerals. This practice raises serious concerns about water contamination, environmental destruction, and the long-term health and livelihoods of surrounding communities.

While the world benefits from advances in clean energy and technology, communities living near extraction sites are left facing many of the environmental and human costs.

EarthRights International’s video sheds light on how rare earth minerals are extracted in Myanmar and the consequences for local communities.

At Better Burma, we believe that Myanmar’s natural resources should never come at the expense of its people’s health, safety, and future. The global transition toward cleaner technologies must also be a just and responsible one.

Video Credit: EarthRights International

07/10/2026

85 books found new homes and helped support two meaningful causes. 💛

Our heartfelt thanks to Eileen Lui , Mahi Ramakrishnan, and everyone who joined the fundraising launch of Battling The Three Big Bad C's at NIJU Space.

Written in honor of Eileen’s late husband, Richard See, the memoir explores their journey through cancer, loss and grief, alongside their deep connection to Myanmar, where they lived for a decade and established a youth centre and the social enterprise SoyAi.

Thank you, Eileen, for turning such a personal story into an opportunity to help others, with 100% of the event’s book sales proceeds supporting Better Burma and Cancer Research Malaysia.

We’re grateful to Mahi for bringing attention to the challenges facing Myanmar’s refugees, to Ko Sithu Than Hlaing for sharing his personal experience, and to Dr Low Ley Hian for joining the conversation about caregiving and grief.

To everyone who bought a book, listened, asked questions or contributed: thank you. Your kindness helps us continue supporting communities in Myanmar.

Discover Eileen’s memoir, a heartfelt reflection on love, resilience and navigating loss through:
https://notionpress.com/my/read/battling-the-three-big-bad-cs

26/09/2026

What began as one person quietly helping another has now traveled across communities and borders, joining the generosity of so many others and reaching Buddhist nunneries in Myanmar.

This video captures the resulting dāna distribution, a beautiful reminder that generosity rarely ends with a single act. One kindness can inspire another, and another, until something that began between two people reaches lives they may never meet.

To everyone who contributed through our recent fundraisers, and to those who continue to find their own ways of giving: thank you.

May the merit of this dāna be shared with everyone who made it possible. 🙏

Kindness travels. Generosity multiplies. And sometimes, a small act reaches much farther than we will ever know.

24/09/2026

Our Dharma Talk Series with Venerable Jotika continues this Saturday.

Join us for Session 5 of “Learning from the Ledi Tradition of Vipassanā,” taking place on the Full Moon Day of Tawthalin.

📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM Myanmar Time (MMT)
💻 Online via Zoom

Whether you have joined us for the previous sessions or are attending for the first time, everyone is warmly welcome.

We hope you can join us for another evening of Dhamma, reflection, and learning together.

Same Zoom link as previous sessions.

See you!

21/09/2026

URGENT APPEAL ‼️

A Rohingya family we support in Mae Sot is facing an unexpected medical emergency and urgently needs help.

At 37 weeks pregnant, the mother experienced decreased fetal movement and was referred from Mae Tao Clinic to Mae Sot General Hospital, where doctors determined that she needed an emergency C-section. Because she does not have residence documents, she is required to cover the full cost of her treatment.

The family is currently facing 49,526 THB in hospital bills, 31,526 THB for the mother and 18,000 THB for the baby. The amount is still increasing because the newborn remains hospitalized and requires further care.

The family simply cannot afford these costs. The husband has already had to borrow money from neighbors to cover his wife’s hospital bill. Hospital Bill for Complicated Rohingya Birth in Mae Sot.docx

We are urgently asking our community to help.

Every contribution, large or small, can help this family meet their immediate medical expenses and allow them to focus on the health of the mother and their newborn.

❤️ Please donate if you can, and share this appeal with others who may be able to help.

The need is immediate, and the baby’s hospital expenses continue to grow each day.

17/09/2026

Food Dāna for 1,000 Sagaing Nuns 🙏

On September 26, Better Burma’s Monastic Support Team plans to offer Food Dāna to 1,000 nuns from different nunneries in the sacred Sagaing Hills, Myanmar.

Since the 2021 coup, these compassionate nunneries have opened their doors to vulnerable children from conflict- and disaster-affected families, providing them with food, shelter, education, and loving care. Even after the devastating 2025 Sagaing Earthquakes, the brave nuns rose again and continued serving the children despite their own immense difficulties.

Today, they face even greater challenges—including fuel shortages, economic hardship, restrictive policies, and burdensome education requirements that make caring for the children increasingly difficult and have disrupted their traditional alms rounds.

In response, we hope to provide essential food supplies, mainly rice and cooking oil, to 1,000 nuns.

This Dāna is offered in honor of Queen Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, the Buddha’s aunt, and the brave Sakyan women who first entered monastic life.

More than food, we hope this offering will carry a message of love, encouragement, and solidarity—reminding these resilient women and the children they care for that they are not forgotten, and that people around the world care about them.

We warmly invite you to join us in supporting this meaningful Dāna.

May our collective Dāna bring nourishment, strength, and hope to these courageous nuns and the children under their care.

13/09/2026

📢 Call for Expressions of Interest

Are you working on humanitarian mine action or Myanmar-related issues?

Insight Myanmar Podcast invites researchers, humanitarian practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and civil society actors to apply for our two-day Digital Storytelling and Audio Engagement Workshop.

📅 December 15–16, 2026
📍 Chiang Mai, Thailand
👥 Limited to 15 participants
🗓️ Application deadline: October 15, 2026

Participants will learn how to transform technical knowledge, research, and field experience into compelling audio stories that inform, connect, and inspire.

The workshop will also explore storytelling as a peacebuilding practice, using active listening to create space for different and sometimes conflicting experiences, perspectives, and subjective truths.

No previous podcasting or audio-production experience is required.

To apply, please submit:

1. A CV of no more than two pages, including your full name and affiliation
2. A 150–200-word description of your current research, work, or project related to Myanmar or humanitarian mine action
3. A 150–200-word statement explaining why you would like to join the workshop

📩 Send your application to [email protected] with the subject line:

EOI – HMA Digital Storytelling Workshop

Shortlisted applicants will receive further information about participation and pre-workshop preparation.

Learn more about Insight Myanmar Podcast and Better Burma.

Please share this opportunity with anyone in your network who may be interested.

Address

Mandalay

Website

http://linktr.ee/betterburma

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