ELL: Akha Journal Aug 23, 2001

[Matthew McDaniel]

Dear Friends:

1. Swing Festival

We are once again come to the annual Akha Swing Festival, already
started in some villages.

Remember, this event only happens in traditional villages and is a major
tourist draw in Thailand for presenting traditional Akha culture.

2. Akha Prisoner, tortured with electricity, dies.
http://www.akha.org/torture.htm

3. Another Akha man dies in prison after being denied visits.
http://www.akha.org/torture.htm

4. Vaccinated Mothers giving birth to children without anuses.
Requires babies to wear a bag. Many cases.

5. You have maybe heard the cliche expression "What Would Jesus Do?"
Well we don't think he'd spend $450,000 to build a boarding school to
take children away fromt their parents instead of helping their parents.

Maesai Baptist Church Boarding school photo update and protest.
http://www.akha.org/boardingschool.htm


6. Web Log
Now the web page http://www.akha.org/akha2/index.htm has a web log with
regular news items, so please bookmark it and check back often.

7. Books, Art, Food, Jewelery

For those coming by Maesai again, we now have a small gallery started,
where you can also get a cup of coffee and look through a small
collection of books or even add to our collection. Painting,
silversmithing, embroidered works from the Akha. Quite small but a
start.  Getting Akha villagers started on projects of their own.

8. Volunteers from Ireland helping with Akha Project research.

Approach Chiangrai Governor with concerns about boarding school near
Maesai.
Assist with setting up the gallery workshop.
Contacting WHO about tetanus toxoid vaccine during pregnancy

9.  Many Mission signs are being put up by unknown individuals
surrounding Akha and other hilltribe villages.  We are gladly taking
them down.

10.  Pah Nmm Akha village experiences 10th miscarriage in 2 1/2 years,
Tetanus Toxoid Vaccine is the only factor we can identify in their
environment.

11.  Ampur Mae Faluang finished full Thai ID cards for Pah Nmm Akha this
week.
       We also discussed the construction of a road to the rice fields
to reduce the hour and a half walk one way and back again making a daily
walk of three hours.

10. Petition signatures climbing

11.  Items Needed, Donors Needed

Can you donate a PC computer, 300 mhz or faster with monitor?

We need your help!
Your donations are the only thing that support this work.
We have a considerable budget shortfall at this time and are doing our
best to catch up.
Please help us continue delivering our services  to the villages by
making a donation.

For more information about what your donation goes to:
http://www.akha.org/akha2/donorsection.htm

For making a donation:
http://www.akha.org/donate.htm

12.  In discussions with the Mae Faluang Ampur office they stated that
the reason that they are taking the fields away from the Akha is that
they don't want them to rotate their crops and then come back two years
later to the same field.

They want the Akha to farm the same and only fields every year.  I
explained that this was impossible on  hill farming and the man only
laughed stating that obviously I know nothing about agriculture.
Naturally he doesn't know what happens to rice production and the soil
when you do this.

But this does identify the thinking that is effecting the Akha.

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Please remember this work.  We are totally committed to what we do but
we must have your kind support.

Matthew McDaniel

--
Matthew McDaniel
The Akha Heritage Foundation
Maesai, Chiangrai, Thailand

Join The Growing International Effort To Protect The Akha
Sign The Petition To The Thai Government
On Line At:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/AkhaZauh/petition.html



http://www.akha.org

Donations:
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=akha%40loxinfo.co.th

Credit Card Donation Site:
http://www.drugwar.com/store/proddetail.cfm?ItemID=12&CategoryID=6

Your donation goes to infant care, vitamins, medical supplies, wells,
bread and fish for the villages.

Donations by check or money order may be sent to:
The Akha Heritage Foundation
PO BOX 6073
Salem OR 97304  USA

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