Suzanne and Ruth are joined by Tom Opdyke, founder of 5k for Myanmar. A former expat, Tom lived and worked in Myanmar and like many who called Myanmar home, he was utterly devastated when the coup broke out in February 2021. Unsure of what he could do to help, he decided to run. In March 2021, one month after the coup, he started 5k for Myanmar. He told family and friends that he was going to run everyday for a month to raise money for the Myanmar people. At the end of the month things in Myanmar had not changed and were in fact getting worse, so he decided to run for another month. As there was no let up in the situation, the initiative continued to grow to the point where Tom completed a 5k everyday for a year to raise money & awareness for Myanmar. Here Tom talks about the love he has for the Burmese people, his time in Myanmar, his inspiring 5k personal journey, and the next phase of 5k, where with the help of a network of supporters, someone somewhere in the world will run a 5k for Myanmar everyday.

The ah nah: Conversations with Myanmar podcast was born from a desire to bring into public consciousness the atrocities that are currently being committed in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Our goal is simply to keep the conversation going, and to let the people of Myanmar know that they have not been forgotten. You can continue to support the people of Myanmar by keeping this conversation going. You can subscribe to this podcast on all major podcasting apps, including Apple, Spotify and Acast. You can also follow us on all our social media pages, linked below. If you’d like to reach out, please email us or fill out this form to add your voice to the conversation (https://tinyurl.com/3ee7ssm9).

Credits:

Song: Kabar Makyay Bu (Until the End of the World), was written and recorded by Naing Myanmar, it became the revolutionary anthem of the 1988 pro-democracy movement and could be heard once again all over Myanmar during the 2021 Coup. Naing Myanmar maintains that the song is no longer his, since the '88 uprising “it belongs to everyone”.

Graphics: SelinaXin

Sound Effects: https://mixkit.co

*Special thanks to Tom Opdyke and all those who continue to find ways to raise awareness and generate financial support for the people of Myanmar. We are so grateful to Tom for adding his voice to the conversation. You can check out 5k for myanmar here: https://www.5kformyanmar.com

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