Malibu may seem a world away from Burma but next week two students will try to connect Pepperdine students to the country with the most child soldiers in the world where genocide is familiar but personal freedoms are not and where the military junta guns down peaceful protesters and Buddhist monks without provocation.
Pepperdine’s Burma Week which starts Monday is an awareness campaign sponsored by IJM and the Christian ministry Project Burma. It includes a 24-hour fast and prayer chain which seeks to encourage students to take action against the human rights crisis that has plagued Burma since 1988.
For senior Allison Moomey and junior Rachel Ryon who have witnessed the injustices in Burma firsthand the popular cry “Free Burma holds a personal mission.
We as Americans and college students do a fantastic job of putting up thick walls between us and the rest of the world said Moomey, who is a senior and the president of IJM. We don’t realize that not only are there millions of people hurting on the other side of that wall but that there are things we can do to help.”
For Moomey this upcoming week comes after two years of passionate advocacy for the Burmese cause.
When Moomey studied in Thailand her sophomore year she became close friends with some of the monks at the university one of whom was Burmese. Their conversations about the plight of Burma though brief planted a seed in Moomey.
When Moomey returned to Pepperdine the following year she could not forget the stories she heard or the people she met. Moomey joined “UM Cares a social justice division of University Ministries, where she met others who were passionate about the Burmese people, namely Ryon.
Ryon also studied in Thailand her sophomore year. She extended her time in Thailand to work in a Burmese refugee camp. The month she spent at the refugee camp brought her up-close to the suffering of the Burmese people.
In the little time that I was at the refugee camp I was very affected Ryon said. It changed the course of my life. I want to see change there. To me this problem has a face.”
Change will not be easy in Burma. Military junta has ruled since 1962 and squelched all forms of political and personal freedoms – the government even controls cell phone and Internet usage.
“You look at Darfur and it’s pretty black and white – it’s genocide Ryon said. But with Burma you have countries like China and Russia who continue to support the government through exports and other business. It’s definitely a more confusing situation.”
But Ryon and Moomey along with the rest of IJM are confident Pepperdine students can make a difference.
“We don’t have the solution – no one does Moomey said. The more people who know the facts the more creative solutions we can produce. Easy answers don’t exist here; we’re looking for people to get invested.”
Burma Week offers students diverse opportunities to get involved.
On Monday the week commences with an Experiential Event convocation in Stauffer Chapel at 7 p.m. On Wednesday IJM will host another convocation in Stauffer at 6 p.m. Also on Wednesday at 6 p.m. a 24-hour fast will begin in the HAWC along with a 24-hour prayer chain. The fast and prayer chain will end Thursday with a celebratory feast in the cafeteria.
But the fight to free Burma does not end Friday. Project Burma is organizing a five-mile demonstration march Wednesday Feb. 25 through Los Angeles ending at the Chinese consulate.
After graduation Moomey intends to spend a year in Thailand working at a Burmese refugee camp. She hopes to start a small business where refugees can earn an income and adjust to their new life.