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Who we are

About

OUR MISSION

To ensure that those who do not have access to proper medical care gain that access. We will raise funds to provide the necessary services that will ensure communities in need can receive proper medical care. We will enlist communities around the world to recycle and help save the planet from plastic pollution. It is our intention to enlist the community to collect and donate bottles to be recycled and the funds received will contribute to help saving and/or improving a life.

Where we work

Thailand and Myanmar share an approximate 2400 kilometer border, out of which, only around 60 kilometers is demarcated. The said boundary as well had a long history of revolts, which resulted in the deaths of civilians, Burmese, and Thai soldiers. Surprisingly, harmonious political relations have had a limited impact on the question of a territorial dispute as major issues related to cross border activities remain unaddressed. Such clashes between two nations are amplified by thousands of illegal Burmese migrants in Thailand and the accompanying social issues of health, crime, and unemployment. Drug trafficking is also a serious problem for Mae Sot, and is now one of the major drug distribution hubs, while the Methamphetamines is considered the main security risk in Thailand. On Myanmar’s side, there are similar grievances towards Thailand on illegal logging across the dividing points and poor response to the insurgency problem.

The present volume of refugees is composed mainly of persons belonging to the Karen and Karenni ethnic minorities (from Myanmar). They looked for asylum in Thailand as a result of the human rights abuses associated with civil conflict. These refugees arrived gradually over time, some 10 percent of them as early as 1984, with the majority arriving after 1994. New arrivals are still being reported on a monthly basis.

With this in mind, Thailand furnishes a temporary sanctuary and has accommodated them in camps, spread along a 2,400-kilometre border, where they receive basic care and assistance from NGOs, under the Royal Thai Government. However, if caught outside the camp premises, the refugees are subject to deportation as illegal immigrants according to Thailand’s immigration laws.

Moreover, these undocumented migrants make the little amount for their day-to-day living and the cost to get to a hospital or clinic is relatively high. Some live in remote places which made them hesitant to seek medical attention or the checkpoints in town scare them to go get the help they need. This is where B4L helps make a difference. The task is quite risky to transport patients who lack the necessary documents, and there were times that we were caught by the police officers. With the Lord’s guidance, the matter was being settled, and whenever they saw us on the road, they simply let us go and get the patients to the healthcare facilities and their homes safely.

OUR CORE VALUES

Integrity —the organization pursue honorable initiatives and believes in conducting business in a way that is honest, transparent and ethical.

Empowerment— help people in helping themselves.

Community —collaborate and build partnership with other agencies and villages. B4L can accomplish more if it pursues in complementing the existing resources in the community rather than duplicating them.

Stewardship – demonstrate accountability in the resources being bequeathed in the organization, making a good return on every project, be it in health, transportation, education, personal necessity and in the environment.

Dedication to Diversity — diversity should not divide, but an opportunity to understand differences; to endeavor to respect them and deliver services without bias.

Extra Mile —to seek to do more than what is expected, to give it all, to strive to be better than yesterdays.

 “A Cleaner Planet Earth and Better Life 4 every Bottle”.

OUR STORY

When Haitians started their day about a decade ago, they could not have imagined the devastation that was going to befall their country. As the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, more than 220,000 lives were claimed. The quake, (one of the deadliest natural disasters on record), ruined much of the country’s delicate infrastructure and left many Haitians in dire need of help.

The said tragedy, however, brought Fedly Bonneau and Austin Gideon Adobasome- Anne, a deep sense to stand with the needy, and they strived to see how they could contribute to make the world a better place for others. When they met in Tamale, Ghana in 2012, they formed a partnership to achieve what has become Sustainability Developmental Goal #3, based on the UN’s humanitarian list, —ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages.

With this in mind, seeing so many people languishing in illnesses and not having access to proper healthcare, they thought of a way to be part of the solution, which resulted in the formation of Bottles 4 Life, Inc. (B4L) – a non-profit organization in 2013. Even before its conception, they were already involved in doing health teachings in Ghana, speaking on radio programs (with the topic –is what you’re eating, eating you), and conducting health screenings in small villages.

Also, B4L established a plan to have sustainability. They realized that if people recycled plastic bottles in the US, they could, in turn, save the planet and donate towards the organization. Recycling is also a tool used in the communities they work in. This initiative allows support to people who want to recycle instead of throwing everything away. In Mae sot, for instance, blue recycle bins were put in various restaurants and other places. When the bins were full of recyclable items, they then received calls to pick them. The communities, as well, who are the beneficiaries of B4L services, participated in this endeavor by collecting these recyclable materials, then bring them to the recycling center. Indeed! This platform inspires the locals who were already the recipient of compassion, to not just leave and say thank you, but help carry the agenda forward in making even just a corner of the earth cleaner than it should.

In addition to that, since 2018, B4L has been working along the Thai-Myanmar border to facilitate access to medical treatment. They were able to achieve this by converting a donated 1997 Toyota van into an ambulance, which provides free transportation (to and from medical facilities), to anyone in need. The bulk of patients transported by B4L are undocumented Burmese migrants. There’s a big need for this means as that is the main reason why most migrant workers do not seek medical attention. The price of a taxi is almost half a day’s wages for some. Others are afraid they will be caught at a checkpoint by police officers (because they don’t have proper documentation to be in Thailand), while a number of them are living in remote areas, that’s why they don’t bother trying to have their health checked. By partnering with local clinics and villages, B4L is just a call away whenever one needs a drive to the medical center.

Although transportation is the focus for B4L here in Mae sot, the team had all been able to provide packed vegetarian meals to parents in the general hospital whose children were admitted to the intensive care unit. Such provision did not only alleviate the want for food but also, it gave awareness on embracing a nutritious practice. Afterward, praying for the sick on their beds with their families was received with bliss, and to say that they were grateful would be an understatement.

Best of all, to furnish education is one of its noblest aims. Knowledge is power, so to speak, and those who were blessed by this pursuit were the 44 preschoolers in Myawaddy, Myanmar. They were taught about reading, writing, proper hygiene, and a healthy diet. Inculcating health guidelines at a young age will give a fair chance of embracing the said principles, which can stay with them for a lifetime. This learning medium, as well, bridged B4L to the children’s families and communities, which was an opportunity to widen the influence about a lifestyle that brings vigor and satisfaction.

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2

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