Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic
Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic (JAM) is a non-governmental organization for the Mae Tao Clinic, which provides health services to Burmese migrants and refugees suffering from poverty and civil war.
Mae Tao Clinic History
The Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), founded by Dr. Cynthia Maung in 1989, provides free health care for Burmese refugees, migrant workers and individuals who cross the Thai-Burma border. It dates back to the student pro-democracy movement in Burma in 1988 and the brutal repression by the Burmese regime of that movement. The fleeing students who needed medical attention were attended in a small house in Mae Sot, Thailand, where is originated the Mae Tao Clinic.
Today the clinic provides a wide variety of health services including the internal medicine, surgery, reproductive health and child health so on. Additionally, school health program for migrant school children and preventive education for HIV/AIDS have been also carried out, and today it serves a target population of approximately 150,000 on the Thai-Burma border.
However, it is very difficult for the clinic to manage the increased patient number, influx of orphans and victim of cyclone Nargis that caused the worst natural devastation in Burma in 2008.
Dr. Cynthia has received many honors for the Clinic’s humanitarian work, including not only Raman Magsaysay Award in 2002 but also several awards from Europe, the United States and Japan. Dr. Cynthia was nominated Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 as well.
About Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic
Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic is a non- governmental organization, which was founded in March 2008 to help Burmese people who fled from their country to escape poverty and civil war. They are currently in Thailand, and are living under challenging circumstances. The increased orphan number, inferior working condition, unjust punishment of the employee, human trafficking of women and children make their accessibility to health service more difficult. Prior to 2008, there were no formal efforts from Japan to reach out to this Burmese community residing in Thailand.
Our activities are the following,
To advocate and respond to humanitarian needs on the Thai- Burma border
To dispatch JAM’s medical staff to the clinic from Japan
To enhance human resource development in infection prevention for the clinic and in school health for migrant schools
To provide health services for migrant schools
To organize study tours
To send monthly activities reports and emergency assistance reports including updated information of the clinic and the border situation to supporting members of JAM
Our purpose
Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic (JAM) was established to assist health services to Burmese refugees and migrants through the Mae Tao Clinic.
Our objective
JAM’s activities are based on the following objectives.
1 Non-discriminatory support
JAM does not discriminate based on nationality, race or religion.
2 To support vulnerable groups
JAM is concerned about the socially vulnerable such as orphans.
3 To enhance sustainability
JAM develops human resources in order to create sustainable development in the local community.
4 To strengthen relationships with other organizations
JAM provides a forum for discussion with migrant schools and other non-governmental organizations and shares accomplishments with them.