Update from the Jungle School of Medicine-Kawthoolei

5 June 2020

Karen State, Burma

The Eubank family with JSMK staff, students, and volunteers

Dear friends,

Thank you for all your support of the Jungle School of Medicine-Kawthoolei (JSMK) in Karen State, Burma. This is a place of healing and learning nestled at our main FBR training site, Tha U Wah Camp, in a jungled valley by a beautiful, swift stream.

Four days ago I told the Karen leader who found this site for us, “Thank you, sir, that you gave us such a wonderful place for our training camp, clinic, and medical school.”

“It is not the place that is so important. It is the people and you have wonderful people who have made it what it is,” he replied.

This is true and as you read this story, you will meet some of these people.

Thank you for praying for them and all you do for us.

God bless you,

Dave Eubank

Update from Toh, Medical Director for the Jungle School of Medicine-Kawthoolei

Toh, JSMK's Medical Director with Kid the Monkey — Toh, JSMK’s Medical Director with Kid the Monkey

This year, we saw a lot of patients. We treated many patients suffering from diarrhea, malaria, dysentery, malnutrition, and pneumonia. Recently, we treated patients who got into a motorbike accident and also helped deliver a baby.

Because of the spread of COVID-19 across the world, most of the borders are closed. Currently, it is not easy for us to travel and get supplies or for patients to come to us for treatment. The district leaders worry about this disease coming to the area. We have a plan for the virus if it spreads to here. We cannot do a lot, but we can do something.

So far, we have not seen any cases at JSMK and we thank God for that. We hope that we will not see any cases, but we still have prepared ourselves by having community health program trainings at nearby villages so the treatment can take there. We have also prepared for quarantining patients and taking care of the sick in place.

We want our friends to pray for us.

Informative signs, in Karen, about COVID-19

Pray that the corona virus will stop spreading and will not come here, that we can continue running our clinic very well, and for the border to be open so that we can move our supplies easily again. Not only medical supplies, but also food supplies and anything we need in our clinic.

We also need prayer for the situation in Karen State. During the ceasefire, the Burma Army still moves and brings problems to villagers, forcing our Karen people to run and become displaced people. Please pray that the situation does not become worse.

Our clinic still needs help from other people. We need more doctors and nurses to help take care of the patients, especially with surgery. Some patients that come to us need surgery and we need to refer them immediately. We cannot wait. If we can do manual surgery that would be helpful. Please pray that God can open the way for us to solve some of our problems.

New life at JSMK

On May 17, Nah Thay Paw walked an hour from her village to JSMK where she gave birth to a baby boy. This is the third pregnancy she has had at JSMK. She says she came to JSMK because the medics are very good and work hard to give patients the best treatment possible. In her own village there is no midwife so she is happy that she can come to JSMK to deliver her baby.

Prayer requests from JSMK medics

Naw Plo Soe Paw:

Please pray that all of the staff remains loving and united. Pray for Dave, JSMK students, patients, instructors, and doctors. Pray that the road will be open so that medicine can arrive here.

Ta Eh Doh:

Please pray that all of the medics stay united. I thank God for sending Dave and his family to come and help us. Please pray that God can continue using us in the future. Pray for protection around the camp and JSMK Clinic and thank God that Dave is alive. Pray for our Karen people, that we all can follow God and that all staff here can work together and understand each other. Pray that all of the equipment here at JSMK is maintained and I myself need prayer a lot.

Main Kyaw:

Pray for more doctors to help us at JSMK, if we could have a doctor stay with us for a month, every month of the year this would be very beneficial. Pray for me and my family to remain healthy. Thank you Dave and FBR for helping us.

Additional prayer requests from JSMK instructors, medics, and students:

That all of the students pass their exams at JSMK
Dental equipment such as a drill and filing supplies
New supply room
Repairing student dormitories
Soccer shirts and uniforms for JSMK students and staff