Dear Fellow Students,

We are a group of students from universities across the United States and we’re writing to ask you – our fellow students – for help.  We are working to stop crimes against humanity and horrific human rights abuses committed by Burma’s military regime. The ruling regime has locked up thousands of students, Buddhist monks, and human rights activists simply because these people have called for human rights and an end to dictatorship in their country.    Continue reading…

Let’s raise $32,000 this semester while increasing awareness of more than 3.200 ethnic minority villages that have been destroyed by the Burmese military regime’s ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sign up here to join the Challenge!

We’re preparing to launch powerful new campaigns aimed at securing the release of all political prisoners and finally bringing an end to mass atrocities in Burma. But first, we need your help to get these campaigns off the ground.

To reach our goal, student and community groups across the country will compete in our first-ever Student Fundraising Challenge to raise the most money for USCB while also increasing awareness of Burma’s struggle within their own communities. Prizes, including For the Lady CDs signed by Michael Stipe of REM and USCB t-shirts will be awarded to the top 5 groups. The winning group will receive the photo of dictator Than Shwe that Ellen Page drew on in her Burma: It Can’t Wait video spot and week-long recognition on our homepage.

This effort is really important - we need your help to make it possible to implement our new campaigns. 

The Challenge runs from October 1st, 2008 through December 10th, 2008, which also happens to be the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Click here for suggested fundraising activities and events.

In Burma, students have historically been at the forefront of advocating for change and democracy.  This is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with your peers from Burma - on campuses across the United States and throughout the world, we can all work together to fundraise for USCB, make our new campaigns a reality, and contribute to real change in Burma. 

Why $32,000? We have set our goal for the Challenge at $32,000 for two reasons.  The first is that $32,000 would create the capacity we need to implement the new campaigns we have planned in order to turn our ideas into concerete action.  Secondly, 3,200 villages have already been destroyed by the Burmese military regime’s scorched earth campaigns in Eastern Burma and it is important that we continue to recognize and call attention to the humanitarian emergency this has caused for millions of people in and around Eastern Burma.

Where does your money go?  Donations will go toward stopping crimes against humanity and war crimes from being committed in Burma’s ethnic minority areas. Your contributions will enable USCB to redouble our advocacy efforts in 2009 and launch powerful new campaigns, but this will only be possible with your support.

USCB is a grassroots fueled human-rights advocacy organization. We believe in addressing the root cause of Burma’s problems - the intransigence of Burma’s ruling military regime. We advocate for more informed, effective U.S. foreign policy and UN action, and we achieve results! Donations such as yours are used to pay for the materials, communications tools, and staff members who turn our campaign ideas into real global policy changes.  Click here for a snapshot of our recent successes.

Brown University students rally for Burma

Get Creative…Get Energized…Raise Some Money to Stop War Crimes in Burma! 

Once you’ve signed up, please:

1. Print out USCB Sign-up Sheets for your participants and return these to our office after each event.
2. Send photos and a brief write-up about your event (or your plans) to info@uscampaignforburma.org so that we can spotlight your efforts on our website.
3. Send donations throughout the semester so we can track our progress. You can mail checks or money orders made out to the US Campaign for Burma to 1444 N St. NW, Suite A2, Washington, DC 20005.  Please put “Fundraising Challenge” in the memo line.  Challenge donations must be received by December 10, 2008.
4. Keep us updated and let us know if we can help in any way. 

Student Fundraising Challenge Info Sheet