Friends of Burma grew out of a
very meaningful experience Neil and Diana Sowards had when they visited
Burma in 1985. Neil's parents had worked in Burma as missionaries for
over 30 years but he had never visited there. Friends of Burma is
dedicated to helping the Christians of Burma in whatever way they want
to be helped. About 80% of the Protestants are Baptists, so much of our
work is with the Baptists. Friends of Burma was first attached to First
Baptist Church of Fort Wayne, Indiana and then to South Wayne Baptist
Church. Christians number about 1.5 million in a country of about 50
million, most of whom are Buddhist. Evangelistic Christianity came to
Burma with Adoniram Judson in 1813. Since 1966 no foreign missionaries
have been allowed to reside in Burma, so all work is carried on by
nationals.
Burma (Myanmar) is in Southeast Asia, bounded by Thailand, Bangladesh,
India, China, and Laos. It is ruled by a military junta. The UN lists
Burma as one of the ten poorest countries in the world. The average
family earns between $150 and $250 per year.
The military junta changed the name from Burma to Myanmar in 1991 but our organization retains the old name which is more familiar to Americans.
In May, 2008 a hurricane called Cyclone Nargis swept the delta killing between 80,000 and 120,000 persons. Over 10,000 Baptists lost their lives as over 340 villages were destroyed.
Over the years Friends of Burma, Inc. has grown. It incorporated as a Non Profit Corporation with the state of Indiana in 2006. It was approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization in its own right November 2007. It is governed by a board called the Executive Committee of sixteen which has an Annual Meeting in the Phoenix area in February or March. In the U. S. all work is done by volunteers with one paid financial secretary overseas. There is also an administrative board to oversee the work in Burma which evaluates programs and makes recommendations.
Friends of Burma, Inc. continues to work with the Burmese in Burma, Thailand and the United States. (There are over 40,000 Burmese refugees in the U. S.)
Burma (Myanmar) is in Southeast Asia, bounded by Thailand, Bangladesh,
India, China, and Laos. It is ruled by a military junta. The UN lists
Burma as one of the ten poorest countries in the world. The average
family earns between $150 and $250 per year.The military junta changed the name from Burma to Myanmar in 1991 but our organization retains the old name which is more familiar to Americans.
In May, 2008 a hurricane called Cyclone Nargis swept the delta killing between 80,000 and 120,000 persons. Over 10,000 Baptists lost their lives as over 340 villages were destroyed.
Over the years Friends of Burma, Inc. has grown. It incorporated as a Non Profit Corporation with the state of Indiana in 2006. It was approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization in its own right November 2007. It is governed by a board called the Executive Committee of sixteen which has an Annual Meeting in the Phoenix area in February or March. In the U. S. all work is done by volunteers with one paid financial secretary overseas. There is also an administrative board to oversee the work in Burma which evaluates programs and makes recommendations.
Friends of Burma, Inc. continues to work with the Burmese in Burma, Thailand and the United States. (There are over 40,000 Burmese refugees in the U. S.)
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