Refugee Circus Fundraising

Dearest friends and family,

On our travels through SE Asia, we have encountered an opportunity to do some inspiring volunteer work. We are joining the CIRCUS! Here's the story:

The Karen tribe, and other hill tribes of eastern Myanmar (formerly Burma) live far up in the mountains and don't identify with the dictatorship government of Myanmar. They would prefer to keep to themselves...but the Myanmar government has been going into the eastern hills and slaughtering the tribes people and destroying their villages. Those who escape cross the border into Thailand, in hopes of better chances. This has resulted in large refugee camps filled with Karen orphans and refugees, many of them children. Because they are not Thai citizens, they can't attend Thai schools, they can't get medical care, and it is difficult for them to find work. Unfortunately, this leads many into the sex trade, drug addictions, and other sad stories..

Many humanitarian organizations have come to the area and set up impromptu schools and medical clinics to care for the refugees. For the last few years, performers have flown in from all over the world to spend over a week performing and teaching circus arts to the children. This year, we will be a part of a group of 17 circus folks heading to Mae Sot, Thailand from Feb 2 - Feb 10, 2009. We'll spend afternoons traveling to different refugee schools and teaching 3 hours of a variety of skills, including acrobalance, poi, juggling, hula hooping, stilting, etc. Each evening, we will have a circus and fire performance for the community, bringing smiles, entertainment, and inspiration to people in a desperate situation.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF THE CIRCUS TOO! Well, if you're a performer, then you can look into heading to Thailand next year to teach and perform. If you're not, you can help by contributing funds to pay for class materials (hula hoops, poi, stilts, etc..)- which stay in the schools after we leave. Also, there are several Thai performers who need sponsorship in order to be able to participate in the circus. I can't stress enough how significant it can be for young children to see someoone who looks like them doing something incredible..(it may be a little harder for a young Karen refugee to identify with a 6 foot tall white man doing something cool). It takes about 10,000 Baht to send a Thai performer along with the circus for about 10 days, which is only $300 USD. This year's Thai performers include a breakdancer and a traditional Thai dancer.

So, if you would like to contribute to this festive and creative way of bringing happiness and smiles to the hard life of the Burmese refugees, you can sponsor us through the PayPal account setup for this purpose. Just "send money" to circusfunding@thespinsterz.com or click on the link below.

Even as few as $5 helps- that's a big meal in this part of the world!

Keep an eye on our blog for photos and stories, as I'm sure there will be many! Thank you all for your loving support in all that we do, and we wish you all a wonderful winter!

Much love,

Amy Burtelow and Brandon Huston