Please get involved!
Dear Friends,
We are writing to ask for your help.
The Mae Tao Clinic is struggling with a major funding crisis. This year, attacks on ethnic areas in Burma added even more patients to our ever growing caseload and forced a stream of displaced people, including orphans and unaccompanied children, over the border in search of food, shelter and education.
Feeding and caring for these children is our greatest challenge, especially as food prices rise. The clinic school (CDC) enrolled nearly 1,000 students this year. More than 450 of the children live in the five CDC school boarding houses or under staff guardianship, a 60 percent increase over the last 2 years. The clinic also feeds 2,143 students every day through the Emergency Dry Food program in boarding houses.
The Mae Tao Clinic has lost major funding even as our patient caseload swells past 141,000, an almost 25 percent increase in a year. A government donor, one of our longtime and largest supporters, can no longer fund us because of change to government policy, ending funding for Burma. Another has reduced its funding by 75 percent this year and may discontinue funds next year. A three-year project which covers a significant portion of MTC's running costs stops in 2010. Another major donor, reeling the financial crisis, is reducing funds by 20 percent.
We estimate a shortfall of about US$350,000 in 2009 and US$750,000 in 2010. That's a quarter of our operating budget.
We need your help--and donations!--to get through the end of this year. We also seek your ideas and connections to organizations and foundation to help us secure funding for 2010 and beyond.
Those who have visited know the clinic welcomes everyone as part of our community: orphaned children, physicians, wounded soldiers, lawyers and teachers, factory workers, physical therapists, malaria patients, countless volunteers--all of us wanting to heal and be healed.
With your help, we can get through this together. The challenging economy calls for creative solutions! We've created a menu of different options so everyone can be involved.
• We need large donations to cover the 2009 shortfall. If you're in good financial health, please consider a donation of $10,000 or more and invite others in your financial circle to learn about the clinic's meaningful work. If a major donation is not possible, please consider connecting us with friends, relatives or other community members who might help.
• Individuals can donate via www.maetaoclinic.org/donate (tax deductible)-- and multiply your impact by circulating this request to friends, family and professional organizations.
• Make a contribution of any amount and consider challenging friends to match it. Consider reconnecting with friends you met at the clinic and honor that experience by donating.
• Consider Mae Tao Clinic donations for birthday, Christmas, anniversary and holiday wish lists, wedding registries and as part of your social networking.
• If you aren't in a position to donate but can assist with fund raising, contact michellekatics@gmail.com We will send you an idea kit for fundraising activities in your community.
• Referrals and connections to foundations, organizations and institutional donors can be sent to Lisa at win7@loxinfo.co.th who will take forward proposals for funding.
We know this is extremely short notice, and we appreciate that you may be facing your own challenges resulting from the economic downturn. We welcome whatever resources you can share--referrals, time, ideas, good spirit. We are grateful for whatever you are able to give.
Peace and warm wishes to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Dr Cynthia Maung, Director of Mae Tao Clinic
Eileen Kilgour, Cause Admin
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