原文: An Appeal For Myanmar (Burma) Aid

I landed in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar, a very ignorant young woman.

I traveled there on a whim and, upon arrival, knew nothing about the country. So you can imagine my surprise to learn that the men wore skirts (called longyi), the women have yellow powdered circles on their cheeks (called thannaka), and that the country has no banks and, therefore, no ATM’s.

I only had $350 American dollars in my pocket to last me for three weeks.

Somehow, I survived on $10 a day and, three weeks later, I left Yangon a changed person, with a bigger heart and a desire to see this country’s people rise from their currently powerless situation.

That was one year ago. I departed from Yangon less than one month before the peaceful protest to Shwedagon Paya went wrong. And now this: a cyclone.

This beautiful country with generous (and helpless) people is suffering from one of the worst natural disasters in a decade and all their government closes their borders to aid? I just don’t get it.

Searching For Change

The more I travel, the more I have seen how beautiful this world is. The human spirit is an amazing and resilient thing.

Now in Colombia, I can’t help but think of Myanmar and try to make sense of how desperate a nation can be without proper leadership.

In Colombia, I see a people rising from the ashes of a horrific terrorist regime and finally beginning to reap great rewards (i.e. booming tourism and growing economic stability) thanks to their whole-hearted support of wise President Alvaro Uribe.

Yet in Myanmar, we are witnessing a country dealing with two very different but equally debilitating disasters.

Myanmar’s political crisis is rotting from the inside. Its neighbors — Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and even Laos — have Western amenities like throne-style toilets, cellular phones, and fairly organized streets.

Myanmar’s major cities of Mandalay and Yangon survive in the dark ages, with each apartment running on self-funded power generators. Toilets and phones are the least of this country’s concerns.

Its oppressive military government continues to suppress its people and their ability to join the wider technological world.

Recent Disaster

On May 3, Cyclone Nargis struck the area surrounding Yangon and has likely killed more than 50,000 people. The government has been reluctant to accept aid even from India and Thailand, who have a vested interest in continuing trade with the country.

This is a country that needs massive worldwide support and attention.

Regardless of whether the Myanmar government chooses to allow aid for this disaster, there are ways to help the helpless.

• Educate yourself on what is happening in these countries. Political news sources like The Economist and Wikipedia are good places to start.
• If you're feeling generous, donate to a non-profit organization that can go directly toward helping these countries gain a sense of national pride and identity — something Myanmar needs badly right now. The Network for Good blog has a great list of organizations that can help you do just that.
• Most importantly, try not to sit at home wondering why you should care or how you can help. A little seed of hope, a little prayer, or a conversation with someone who doesn't yet “get it” can go a long way.

译文: 为缅甸请求援助

      这一美丽的国度上慷慨好客而又孤立无援的人们现在正遭受着十年来最为严重的自然灾害。

      我来到了缅甸首都仰光，她真是个单纯而又年轻的姑娘。

      我因一时的兴致到这儿旅行，在来这儿之前，我对这个国家一无所知。所以，你完全可以想象当我得知这儿的男人穿裙子（叫做腰布），女人都在脸颊上涂上一圈黄色（叫做塔拿卡），这个国家既没有银行，也没有自动柜员机时是多么的惊讶。

      我那时口袋里只有350美金，要支撑3个星期。

      我设法每天靠10美金度日，三个星期后，我离开了仰光，我发生了一些改变。我渴望看看这个国家的人们如何摆脱现在无助的情形。

      在一年前，我在大金寺的和平抗议活动恶化前不到一个月的时候离开了仰光。而现在她正受遭受飓风的袭击。

      这一美丽的国度上慷慨好客而又孤立无援的人们现在正遭受着十年来最为严重的自然灾害。而他们的政府关闭了边境拒绝援助。我只是搞不明白。 

寻找改变

      随着我不断旅行，我愈发发现这个世界是如此的美丽。人类的精神真是不仅令人惊喜，而且刚柔兼济。

      现在，我在哥伦比亚，依然情不自禁地想着缅甸，想试着搞清楚一个缺乏适当领导的国家将变得多么的绝望。在哥伦比亚，我目睹了一个民族从可怕的恐怖主义政权下恢复过来，最终开始收获巨大成果(例如，蓬勃的旅游业和持续的稳定经济) ，这都是缘于他们一心支持明智的哥伦比亚总统阿尔瓦罗·乌里韦。

      但是在缅甸，我们目睹了一个国家正面临着两个性质大不相同，但破坏力相同的灾难。

      缅甸的政治危机正导致这个国家的内部产生腐化。她的邻国——新加坡、印度尼西亚、越南、泰国、柬埔寨、甚至是老挝——都拥有西化的设施, 例如：坐式厕所、手机及合理规划的街道。

      缅甸的主要城市曼德勒和仰光的每一间房屋都拥有自立的发电机帮助度过了黑暗的年代。这个国家一点也不关心有没有厕所和电话。

      缅甸的高压军政府正继续向他的人民施压，不让他们参与一个更加科技化的世界。 

最近的灾难   

      5月3号，飓风纳尔吉斯袭击了仰光附近地区，可能已导致超过5万人死亡。缅甸政府一直不愿接受援助，甚至连她现有的贸易伙伴印度、泰国的帮助也不接受。

      缅甸其实需要大量国际的援助和关心。

      无论缅甸政府是否选择允许对此次灾难的援助，我们还是有办法帮助那些无助的人们的。

•   让自己及时了解这些国家的情况。可以从经济学人和维奇百科这样的政治新闻来源开始着手。

•   如果你很慷慨，那么就捐款给非营利组织，他们能够直接帮助这些国家的获取民族自豪感和认同感——这是缅甸现在急需的。博客善良网络拥有一张大名单列举了可以帮你的机构。

      最重要的一点：试着不要坐在家里思考为什么你要提供帮助或是你如何才能帮忙。一小颗希望的种子、一次小小的祷告、抑或是与那些还搞不明白的人们进行一次小小的谈话都能够起大作用。

布伦达·昀

      布伦达·昀是在夏威夷檀香山的自由作家。当她不忙着宠爱她的八哥犬伊里丝时，她就正忙着想念伊里丝了，因为那时她正在全球旅游。到她的博客冲浪饮食睡眠来看看她现在身在何处。