On March 20, Refugees International decided to hold an informal briefing on our recent mission to Burma for colleagues of fellow non-governmental organizations (NGOs). One of the main reasons we wanted to hold this briefing was because of the lack of information about the actual working conditions for non-governmental aid agencies and the UN inside the country. The briefing has reinforced the idea that more work needs to be done to share what’s going on inside the country.

The news from Kenya in the first few months of 2008 could arguably perpetuate a certain cynicism about Africa and the intractability of problems on the continent. It has deeply shaken the image of Kenya as a stable, prospering African success story.

Julia Taft, who spent more than 30 years protecting refugees and directing responses to humanitarian emergencies, died on March 15th. Her death is a huge loss, not only to her family and friends, but to all displaced people who needed a skilled, committed political operator on their side.

Julia was only 32 years old in 1975, when President Ford asked her to direct an interagency task force to resettle Indochinese refugees in the U.S. In just seven months her task force brought 131,000 Vietnamese to the U.S., protecting them from a wave of post-war persecution.

We set out to Burma amidst disturbing reports of increasing humanitarian need. In a country that spends less on health care and education for its people than almost any other country in the world, this cannot come as a surprise. But the increasing economic mismanagement inside the country is also producing great hunger and need. One study we read claims that over 70% of a family's income goes just towards feeding itself.

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, Refugees International is taking this week on our blog to focus on the stories of refugee women from around the world.