Karen Emergency Relief Fund Provides Much Needed Help to The Karen in Eastern Burma

Group, founded and based in the area, thanks all those who have helped and continues to seek further donations

Submitted by Joseph Legg, Ph. D.

A visit to Bangkok, Thailand by an East Lyme resident in 1987. A chance meeting with an official from the World Food Organization in a Bangkok cafe. An appeal for help by that official for aid to refugees from Burma (Myanmar). A promise to enlist the help of people back in the United States.

Reverend Steven Hulme, who made that visit in 1987, recently recalled that chain of events as the beginning of what is now the Karen Emergency Relief Fund (KERF). KERF is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization founded and based in East Lyme and its purpose is to provide humanitarian assistance to Karen refugees and internally displaced Karen people, an ethnic minority in Eastern Burma.  

He has met the Karen leaders and has made four trips to the refugee camps in Thailand, where an estimated 120,000 people live. Another 400,000 internally displaced people survive in the mountain and jungles of Burma without adequate food or medical care.

Father Hulme spoke of the generous support of countless people and organizations, many from East Lyme and Waterford, to fulfill that initial promise of aid. He announced that the fund has recently received a grant of $7,500 from the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and a grant of $1,000 from the nine parishes of the Seabury Deanery.

He estimated that area churches and the Fund have sent $200,000 in assistance to Karen refugees in Thailand and Burma over the past 14 years. The help is crucial since the Karen receive no direct assistance from the United States or the Red Cross due largely to the internal policies of the Royal Thai government.

KERF itself was formally established in 1997 by a group of southeastern Connecticut residents. Father Hulme is the unpaid executive director. It has been his major interest since he retired from his position as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Niantic in 1998.

From its base in East Lyme the organization has continued to grow. It now has support from people in 26 states, Canada, England and Germany. Board member Robert Jennings of Waterford describes Father Hulme as the driving force because of his enthusiasm and love for the Karen. Jennings mentioned that organization has a new therapeutic program for victims of rape and torture. He explained that rape and torture have become tactics of war and "ethnic cleansing" being waged against the Karen. Countless victims now live in refugee camps.

Dr. Sabine Roper, an experienced German psychologist, has met with Father Hulme and agreed to direct the innovative program. Dr. Roper has volunteered in the area and is deeply committed to the Karen people. Her plan includes art, music, dance and writing therapies.

Father Hulme noted, "History has not been fair to the Karen. They fought bravely on the side of the Allies in World War II. They were instrumental in forcing the Japanese invaders out of Southeast Asia. Now the world seems to have forgotten them. They are being victimized by a regime with one of the world's worse human rights records, including extra-judicial killings, forced labor, rape and the forced relocation of entire villages. The 'relocation camps' in Burma are really concentration camps. Children are dying of malaria, malnutrition and ordinary childhood diseases."

The United States has imposed economic sanctions against the Burmese military regime. He urged people to aid the Karen people by supporting the sanctions and refusing to spend tourist dollars in that country.

While the most recent grant comes from the Episcopal diocese and churches, and many of the Karen are Christian, the executive director emphasized the non-sectarian Fund distributed almost $50,000 toward food, medical supplies and scholarships. The new therapy program is the first under the direct auspices of KERF. Father Hulme said he is proud of the fact that administrative expenses are very low, with more than 95 percent of the money going directly to aid the refugees. Board member Richard Goode of East Lyme attributes the Fund's efficiency directly to Father Hulme's devotion and effort. "Steve does an extraordinary job of getting the most out of the Fund's resources," he said.

In addition to the grant, Father Hulme recently gained approval for KERF to be part of the Community Connections Program of Southern New England Telephone Co. Now SNET customers can designate a portion of their long-distance phone bill payment to a charity. He hopes this will increase contributions from area residents.

Tax, deductible contributions to assist the Karen with food, medical supplies, scholarships or the new "Therapy for Victims of Rape and Torture" program may be made to KERF, P.O. Box 111, East Lyme, CT. 06333.

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