From Eugene to Myanmar: A local couple is at the center of an international crisis
SOUTHWEST EUGENE - Panic, violence, and fear that line the streets of Myanmar aren't as far from Eugene as you'd think.
Local residents Curt and Cathy Bradner have been in the region since August. They are running "Thirst-Aid" which is a program aiming to increase access to clean drinking water around the world. "They're not there to start a revolution," says their daughter Bree Ervin. "They're there to bring people water."
The pair's program is partnered with UNICEF and they have been to Myanmar on several occasions. This time, it's different.
Their daughter, Bree, waits in Eugene. She says her parents witnessed the first day of the shootings and since then, phones, emails, even camera's have been heavily monitored by the government. She says, "It took about 2 days before I heard from them. Since then there's been the crackdown and the curfew and the disappearing of people."
The same government accused of Human Rights violations actually supports Thirst-Aid and allows the Bradner's access to email. This opens a window back home to what's going on at the center of this violent revolution. Bree reads part of an email she received Sunday morning. "No one really got that the rest of the world would let this continue into the night. No one would dare talk. No one would dare move. Orange robes against guns. It was never a fair fight."
Although they are placed in the center of conflict they remain commited to peace. In a photo, the couple is seen walking alongside the Monks.
The couple funds Thirst-Aid by selling art they brought back from Burmese refugees. Some of the art now captures a piece of history. "These are actually the steps of the Pagoda," says Bree. Some paintings are hard to look at. "It kind of makes me want to cry because people that calm and that innocent not only have they been denied that life, but violently.
Many foreigners are fleeing the country but Bree says she isn't surprised her parents refuse to walk away when so many need their help. "My parents are the most amazing people I know," she says. "And I know they're going to do whatever they can do to keep their project going."
Local residents Curt and Cathy Bradner have been in the region since August. They are running "Thirst-Aid" which is a program aiming to increase access to clean drinking water around the world. "They're not there to start a revolution," says their daughter Bree Ervin. "They're there to bring people water."
The pair's program is partnered with UNICEF and they have been to Myanmar on several occasions. This time, it's different.
Their daughter, Bree, waits in Eugene. She says her parents witnessed the first day of the shootings and since then, phones, emails, even camera's have been heavily monitored by the government. She says, "It took about 2 days before I heard from them. Since then there's been the crackdown and the curfew and the disappearing of people."
The same government accused of Human Rights violations actually supports Thirst-Aid and allows the Bradner's access to email. This opens a window back home to what's going on at the center of this violent revolution. Bree reads part of an email she received Sunday morning. "No one really got that the rest of the world would let this continue into the night. No one would dare talk. No one would dare move. Orange robes against guns. It was never a fair fight."
Although they are placed in the center of conflict they remain commited to peace. In a photo, the couple is seen walking alongside the Monks.
The couple funds Thirst-Aid by selling art they brought back from Burmese refugees. Some of the art now captures a piece of history. "These are actually the steps of the Pagoda," says Bree. Some paintings are hard to look at. "It kind of makes me want to cry because people that calm and that innocent not only have they been denied that life, but violently.
Many foreigners are fleeing the country but Bree says she isn't surprised her parents refuse to walk away when so many need their help. "My parents are the most amazing people I know," she says. "And I know they're going to do whatever they can do to keep their project going."
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