Dear John,

We recently launched our Going Further Appeal, alongside our sister charity Find Your Feet, addressing both the causes and symptoms of poverty and ill-health.

Together with community leaders, health workers and activists around the world, we are going to places that other international development organisations rarely do.

The 2,186-kilometre border between China and Myanmar is an isolated, mountainous region. Decades of internal conflict in Myanmar have left much of the population living in extreme poverty and the quality of healthcare remains one of the lowest in the world.

For over 20 years, Health Poverty Action has been working with communities in northeast Myanmar to bridge the gap between rural townships and health facilities. It can be up to 12 days’ walk from the closest roads and many people pay huge expenses to receive simple medical treatments.

It is equally difficult for health workers to travel to these remote areas. Many communities are completely inaccessible during the winter, with roads covered in heavy snow.

Khao Ze, a Health Poverty Action Community Mobilization Officer from Kachin State, tells us:

"It’s a huge challenge. The natural environment here is very difficult. The rain never stops during the rainy seasons and some areas have no access at all…But I want to do it…so I will take responsibility to reach every corner of our homeland."

Clashes with the government and ethnic minorities mean that tensions are high. We work with these communities to earn their trust and understand their challenges. Very few NGOs have the authorization, knowledge or ability to work here, meaning that our impact is absolutely vital.

In collaboration with local government, we’re training health workers with local knowledge of these communities and their dialects, providing mobile clinics that reach the remotest villages, and supplying equipment to regional clinics.

Tian Yanghui, the manager of our office in Pangwa, tells us: 

"I think people have faith that, in the near future, the health system will be able to function well."

Please give to our winter appeal and stand with people across the world as they build healthier and more prosperous lives for all.

• £22 could pay for one radio broadcast to raise awareness of community issues

• £75 could cover the cost for an expert from the Global South to participate in a workshop on key issues around poverty and health

• £188 could pay a month’s salary for a social worker who ensures the most vulnerable and marginalised community members get the support they need

Yours sincerely,

Siaffa Bunduka
Supporter Engagement Manager