Walk for Hope: 500km Walk from Bangkok - Mae Sot Fundraiser for Mae Tao Clinic 🚶[Closed]
Raising $150,000 SGD to fund the 36 year old free healthcare clinic along the Thai-Myanmar border post-USAID shutdown.
Update: On 28th March 2025, I arrived at Mae Tao Clinic, completing 505km of walking over 12.5 days. Fundraising has officially ended on 31st March 2025 but you are still welcome to contribute to the clinic directly. My 2-week walk is over but the decades long fight to make healthcare a basic human right in the border of Thailand-Myanmar continues for the Mae Tao Clinic.
Fundraising Progress: COMPLETE! $150,133/150,000 SGD from 400+ generous donors as of 4/4/2025, 2359 HRS. Full ledger report here and wrap posts here & here.
On 16th March 2025, I’ll embark on a 500km walking expedition to raise at least $150,000 SGD for the Mae Tao Clinic. Owing to USAID’s funding freeze, Mae Tao Clinic will have 15-20% less operating budget for the clinic as well as 15-20% higher caseloads as patients stream in from neighboring US-funded health facilities that have already ceased operations. I’ll be walking 50km per day for 10 consecutive days (bless my feet 🦶)- and I hope you’ll walk this journey together with me and donate to support me and the clinic.
Backstory:
🗓️ Last year, I was moved to start a fundraiser to raise $100,000 after hearing about the intense fighting in Myawaddy, on the Myanmar side of the Thai-Myanmar border neighbouring Mae Sot where the Mae Tao Clinic operates. 🚴 I cycled 2000km from Singapore to Bangkok and managed to surpass 70% of the funding goal thanks to over 300 generous donors. Little did I think that less than a year later, I’ll be doing my third fundraiser for Mae Tao Clinic (the first being during the covid19 pandemic outbreak).
📰 In February, I came across this CNN article which prompted me to reach out to the folks at Mae Tao clinic once again to learn more about the impact of the US government’s suspension of foreign aid. I learnt that as early as late January, certain organisations had already been given directives to halt any further spend, with some facilities along the Thai-Myanmar border already halted operations. While the Mae Tao Clinic doesn’t rely on the US for 100% of it’s funding, they were already starting to prioritize essential services that should be kept going 🏥 and put some on the chopping block should funds dry up.
Mae Tao Clinic is already run like a very lean ship- unlike many iNGO’s who have deep pockets, this clinic was founded by Dr Cynthia Maung some 36 years ago, a Karen Myanmar citizen herself and doctor 👩⚕️ who started serving those who were in desperate need and hasn’t stopped since. Staff stipends have already been reduced during previous episodes where funding was tight and their challenging legal status (as the clinic extends services even to undocumented individuals on the basis that healthcare ought to be a basic human right) makes it difficult to fundraise from traditional avenues 💰.
$150,000 Target BONUS:
I will paste up the name of every donor/corporate sponsor who has contributed at least $1000 cumulatively in the cycling expedition as well as this walking expedition. I’m also presently seeking approval to commission a mural painting as well within Mae Tao Clinic of the following photo I took in 2013 at U Bein Bridge, Amarapura.
💪 Stretch Goal: Every dollar raised above the $150k SGD target amount will go into an endowment fund which can fund the clinic in perpetuity. I’d love to talk to sponsors who may want to contribute at least $250k SGD to such a fund. If we reach $5M SGD, we can distribute at least $150k SGD on a yearly basis to the Mae Tao clinic assuming a 5-6% IRR and 50-60% of investment returns being distributed, with the remainder going back to grow the principle sum and defend against inflation 📈.
Previous Campaigns:
2020: Raised $10,000+ facebook.com/hear.mm/videos/mae-tao-clinic-fundraiser/198414754603325/).
2024: Raised $70,732
Straits Times media coverage of 2024 expedition (Myanmar news):
