Dear Friend,

We started Partners in 1995 in response to the plea of Rose Mu, a widow living in Sho Klo Refugee camp in Thailand. She asked us to please, “Tell your friends in the west what is happening to Burma’s children.” Rose was a wonderful Christian woman who insisted on doing something with her faith, not just talking about it.

Sitting on her bamboo floor drinking weak tea from a dirty tin cup, Rose told us about the four year old orphan child that was brought to her the night before.  She described how resistance soldiers found her hiding in bushes outside of her home village. Her village was vacated and attacked by Burma Army soldiers.

She went on to say that, “Her parents were probably running with their child, being pursued by soldiers.” And that before the soldiers caught up to them, they likely, “hid her in some bushes and ran in a different direction, luring the enemy troops away from their child.”

When we calculated the cost for comprehensive care for this little girl, living with Rose and her own two children, the total was $30 for an entire year.

That’s right…about 8 cents a day. We did what you would do: We dove into our pocketbooks and gave the $30.

We’ve been busy ever since. Thanks to people like you, we've been able to help thousands of children. Partners facilitates comprehensive child care for almost 1,000 orphans and unaccompanied children in 8 refugee camps. We provide education opportunity to more than 66,000 kids. And Partners supports relief missions that deliver life-saving supplies, like food and medicine, to tens of thousands of people annually.

We have taken the challenge and example of Rose Mu seriously. We also listen carefully to the words of John the beloved. He said that you and I should lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If you or I have material possessions and we see a person in need but do not help them, how can God's love be in us? He implores you and I to not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.

In this website, we at Partners have drawn on our experiences and resources to bring you commentary, information, and first hand accounts of how the children of Burma are treated. We are committed to change the course of history for them. My prayer is that their treatment by their government will outrage you and move you to action. I hope you are inspired to offer healing and provide for their needs.

If you support Partners, I am grateful for your help, generosity and love. Thank you and God bless you. If you are just learning about Partners, you can start helping today with a prayer that the abuse, displacement and destruction of people and communities in Burma would cease. If you are ready to go deeper, start providing the resources to save lives today.

We hope that Burma's future, her children, would thrive in peace and provision once again.

For the Children,

Steve and Oddny Gumaer

Steve and Oddny have been married since 1991. They are cofounders of Partners Relief and Development. They have three daughters, and live in Oddny’s home country, Norway, where they share the stories of Burma's people with everyday people and world leaders.