Buy Protective Gear for Protestors in Myanmar
Donation protected
Myanmar Agents of Shield
On February 1st, the military in Myanmar staged a coup. They imprisoned the elected leaders and swiftly took control over the entire country. They justified the move through claims of voter fraud, although no evidence has ever been provided. In reality, it was a selfish power grab that put the safety and prosperity of Myanmar’s 55 million people at risk.
A few days afterward, large segments of the country started to oppose the military take-over through peaceful protests and a nation-wide Civil Disobedience Campaign (CDM). The protests were met with violent and deadly responses from the military, using stun grenades, water cannons, tear gas, and a mixture of rubber bullets and live ammunition. At the time of writing, more than 55 people have been killed although the real number is likely to be multiples higher.[1]
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken the streets in protest against the military regime. However, the military and police clampdowns continue to get more brutal. In response, our group of volunteers decided to organize the purchase and distribution of protective gear to frontline demonstrators being targeted by security forces.
Our fundraiser has the following target:
Every single dollar donated will be spent on buying gear directly from suppliers. If for example, you donate $75, that will directly sponsor five steel shields for frontline protestors in urban wards that are under siege by the security forces.
Our coalition is made up of the Myanmar diaspora and foreigners who have lived in Myanmar as well as local organizers on the ground. We are not a registered charity. We are simply a group who is trying their best to help. We are trying to make a difference by leveraging our connections to get protective gear into the hands of protest groups who need it most urgently. As such, we are manufacturing the steel shields locally, at cost, and purchasing as much of the other supplies locally as possible.
We have already managed to produce and distribute 150 steel shields with money we raised outside of this campaign and will be updating with photos in the coming days. We are also setting up distribution networks for other protective gear.
Notes:
1 - Inter-bank and international bank transfers in Myanmar are only working intermittently. We will be moving the funds into the country via remittance channels that we have used before.
2 - The situation on the ground is extremely fluid and the needs of different protest groups change each day. Therefore, the final shopping list is likely to change but we guarantee that every single dollar donated will be used for protective gear.
3 - For security reasons, we cannot disclose the names of recipients nor the people organizing the supplies. This military historically goes after families when they cannot get to the people they want, so disclosing the Myanmar diaspora may not be possible either but if you contact us we can introduce the identity of the foreign citizens involved and provide anonymized documentation of our fundraising impacts.
4 - In the unlikely event that we become unable to invest funds in basic gear like steel shields and gas masks at some point, we will donate the remainder to CDM groups.
To check up on the latest news about Myanmar:
Reuters Myanmar
Myanmar Now
Myanmar Coup Translated News
Myanmar Minute
To volunteer:
Global Movement for Myanmar Democracy
Source:
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086352
On February 1st, the military in Myanmar staged a coup. They imprisoned the elected leaders and swiftly took control over the entire country. They justified the move through claims of voter fraud, although no evidence has ever been provided. In reality, it was a selfish power grab that put the safety and prosperity of Myanmar’s 55 million people at risk.
A few days afterward, large segments of the country started to oppose the military take-over through peaceful protests and a nation-wide Civil Disobedience Campaign (CDM). The protests were met with violent and deadly responses from the military, using stun grenades, water cannons, tear gas, and a mixture of rubber bullets and live ammunition. At the time of writing, more than 55 people have been killed although the real number is likely to be multiples higher.[1]
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken the streets in protest against the military regime. However, the military and police clampdowns continue to get more brutal. In response, our group of volunteers decided to organize the purchase and distribution of protective gear to frontline demonstrators being targeted by security forces.
Our fundraiser has the following target:
Every single dollar donated will be spent on buying gear directly from suppliers. If for example, you donate $75, that will directly sponsor five steel shields for frontline protestors in urban wards that are under siege by the security forces. Our coalition is made up of the Myanmar diaspora and foreigners who have lived in Myanmar as well as local organizers on the ground. We are not a registered charity. We are simply a group who is trying their best to help. We are trying to make a difference by leveraging our connections to get protective gear into the hands of protest groups who need it most urgently. As such, we are manufacturing the steel shields locally, at cost, and purchasing as much of the other supplies locally as possible.
We have already managed to produce and distribute 150 steel shields with money we raised outside of this campaign and will be updating with photos in the coming days. We are also setting up distribution networks for other protective gear.
Notes:
1 - Inter-bank and international bank transfers in Myanmar are only working intermittently. We will be moving the funds into the country via remittance channels that we have used before.
2 - The situation on the ground is extremely fluid and the needs of different protest groups change each day. Therefore, the final shopping list is likely to change but we guarantee that every single dollar donated will be used for protective gear.
3 - For security reasons, we cannot disclose the names of recipients nor the people organizing the supplies. This military historically goes after families when they cannot get to the people they want, so disclosing the Myanmar diaspora may not be possible either but if you contact us we can introduce the identity of the foreign citizens involved and provide anonymized documentation of our fundraising impacts.
4 - In the unlikely event that we become unable to invest funds in basic gear like steel shields and gas masks at some point, we will donate the remainder to CDM groups.
To check up on the latest news about Myanmar:
Reuters Myanmar
Myanmar Now
Myanmar Coup Translated News
Myanmar Minute
To volunteer:
Global Movement for Myanmar Democracy
Source:
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086352
Organizer
Myanmar Agents of Shield
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC