1. You can make a quick, secure, online contribution using the GoFundMe website. Please click here: http://www.gofundme.com/a2aek. With your generous donation, we can give directly funds directly to the organizations in Burma and Thailand that we will be working with. The rest will go to alleviating trip expenses for student volunteers.
2. A personal message from us:
In an effort to engage with pressing social issues of our times, students at American University
have joined forces with a program known as Alternative Breaks. We are excited to have been
accepted to an Alternative Winter Break trip to the Thai-Burma Border, which will serve as
a deep learning experience, provide volunteer service in a community, encourage my global
awareness, and prepare me for a lifelong commitment to social action.
We will be travelling to Thailand from December 27, 2011 to January 9, 2012 with a group of 10
AU students, where will travel to Thailand’s border with Burma. This trip will focus on promoting
Burmese democracy and freedom through grassroots empowerment. Since Burma is controlled
by a military regime known for draconian laws and human rights abuses, we will be primarily
working with exiles and refugees from Burma who are working to promote democratic change
from the Thailand border. We will have the opportunity to engage with local NGOs and CBOs,
participate in service-learning projects, visit the famous Doi Sutep Temple, and learn about the
country of Thailand as we travel to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Mae Sot.
This life changing experience, however, can only happen with your help. We are reaching out to
you for financial assistance. The cost of the program, which includes food, travel, and lodging, is
estimated to reach $2,700.
A donation of $15 will fund one student's day’s worth of meals in Thailand.
A donation of $70 will fund one student's week of hostel stays in Thailand.
A donation of $150 to $1,000 will fund a portion of an airline ticket.
If you would like to donate, you can:
1) Make a tax-deductible donation to our groups’ fundraising as a whole and mail a
check made out to AU in the enclosed envelope. (Please write the trip name in the
comments).
2) Make an online tax-deductible donation to our groups’ fundraising as a whole.
Online donations can be made via credit card through the American University Make
A Gift website at www.american.edu/anewau :
• Click on Make a Gift Now on the far right side of the screen.
• Please select the Campus Life Area, followed by the Alternative Break
fund.
• Enter a specific amount, and in the special instructions box indicate
the name of our trip, Thai-Burma Winter Break 2011.
In return for your contribution, we look forward to sharing my experience with you through pictures,
letters, and stories available on this blog. Thank you in advance for your help, we are truly grateful for the opportunity to
engage in service.
Best Regards,
American University's Thai-Burma Border Alternative Break volunteers (Winter 2011-12)
