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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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Students effect international change

T.J. Thomson
Kellie Aye, 21, senior of Burma, rests in thought while sitting in the lobby of Edna Work Hall. – Photo by T.J. Thomson
Kellie Aye, 21, senior of Burma, rests in thought while sitting in the lobby of Edna Work Hall. – Photo by T.J. Thomson

About 50 CSC Students met in the Ballroom for one purpose on the night of April 2, to raise awareness for Burma, a small country in southeast Asia.

A student group organized the evening to advertise “CSC Bike for Burma” which will take place from 8 a.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. “CSC Bike for Burma” is spearheaded by Chi Alpha with the support of Venture Expeditions, a nonprofit group that raises awareness and support by using outdoor activities like biking and hiking. Those participating in “CSC Bike for Burma” will ride stationary bicycles in the NPAC and the basement of High Rise to raise awareness. If volunteers are successful in cycling for 24 consecutive hours, Venture Expeditions will donate 10,000 meals for refugees in Burma, Shawn Banzaf, Chi Alpha sponsor, said April 2.

“A private donor has agreed to cover the cost of shipping 10,000 meals, if volunteers meet the goal of cycling for 24 hours straight,” Banzaf said.

The 10,000 meals are only a small part of a 272,000-meal shipment Venture Expeditions is sending to Burma, George Carr, Venture Expeditions logistics manager, said.

“The meal container has already been donated by an organization called Feed My Starving Children, and we are responsible for shipping them [sic] to Burma,” Carr said. “The total cost of one container is $65,000, and the total shipping cost is $18,000.”

Banzaf organized the event to bring relevance of global problems to a local audience.

“I felt putting a face and story on the event would help all of us to realize that it’s not just a story, but real lives that are being affected,” Banzaf said.

Attendees watched a video that claimed Burma’s history of violence caused the displacement and persecution of certain people groups. The video focused on one group, the Karen people, who have long been dominated by the largest ethnic group in Burma, the Burmese. Speakers in the video likened the atrocities committed to a form of genocide. The persecution portrayed has forced many Karen people into refugee camps.

“I was blown away when I found out where we were sending the meals,” Banzaf said. “We have people in our own community that are from Burma.”

CSC student Kellie Aye, 21, a senior of Burma, shared experiences from her homeland with a presentation. In an interview, she confirmed that there had been violence in the past towards the Karen people, but she said that recently the violence had lessened. Regardless, she expressed a great need for aid in Burma.

“There are so many ways to help out, and this is one of the effective ways,” Aye said. “You have to start somewhere.”

Several Job Corp students also from Burma attended the event. Banzaf invited them to share their stories from Burma. Many of the students related to the poor conditions of Burma shown in the video. One of the students, a Karen refugee, even mentioned that he saw his school in the video documentary.