Our mission is to provide medical care safety and hope to children and families in Myanmar

No child should face barriers to quality medical care, education and safety. Our non-profit organization funds orphanages and provides medical supplies, quality education and nutrition to clinics and schools in urban and remote regions

Myanmar Children and Family Medical Foundation

We have come a long way since we first traveled the remote regions of Myanmar and handed out "beanie babies" and pocket money to children along the way. Our trusted networks now enable us to deliver funds and supplies all over the nation, to those most in need.

Our ratio of expense to money for direct services to those we serve is 100%

Soe Mar, MD, MRCPH, FAAN, MBBS (Our Medical Director)

Soe is medical director of the foundation and chairman of the board of directors. She donates all of her foundation related time and expense so contributors outside the family can be assured that 100% of their donations go to direct services to those we serve. On service trips she pays her own way. We all do. We have no employees. We do not use funding platforms or fund raisers, which at best syphon between 15% and 35% from all donations. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance recommends a charity service to administration ratio of 65% or higher. That's not good enough. We're 100%. Dr. Mar is a professor of medicine and board certified pediatric neurologist and residency program director at Washington University School of Medicine - Saint Louis Children's Hospital.

The Myanmar Children and Family Medical Foundation is historically a family foundation funded by Dr. Soe Mar and Jonathan Isbell, but our compassion and concern, and our dreams of making a larger impact have grown beyond our ability to help the vulnerable without the help of others. The president of the foundation Jonathan Isbell, is a former Judge of the Circuit Court, 3rd Judicial Circuit, State of Illinois and a retired attorney, who feels a compelling need to expand his dedication to the greater good.

What we have done and what we do

HepB Vaccinations for Children the World has forgotten

Our Hepatitis B Vaccination Program for Children in Myanmar was a partnership with Mandalay Hepatitis Alliance, the only organization within Myanmar immunizing children in the northern regions of the country, who were not otherwise eligible for government vaccinations. We funded almost 10,000 vaccinations of children in areas of high risk exposure

Rohingya Crisis Medical and Nutrition Aid

We have partnered in providing medical assistance, medical supplies and nutrition to the more than a million Rohingya refugees forced from their villages and homes in Myanmar, now living in "temporary" camps across the border in Bangladesh, in partnership with Doctor's without Borders

Improving Health Care for Children

Our primary mission has been to strengthen pediatric medical education and research capacity for doctors and doctors in training within Myanmar. The medical infrastructure of Myanmar has been devastated by years of isolation from the international medical community and internal conflict. We have been instrumental in growing the pediatric neurology department at Yangon Children's Hospital as well as its laboratory capacity.

The need is great and there is no safety net for these children without your help. NGO donor organizations have largely pulled out of Myanmar citing safety concerns or new priorities. In times of prosperity, local individuals would stop by an orphanage and donate a bag of rice or a few extra chickens. No more. The children in some orphanages are now showing signs of malnutrition. Electricity and water is too expensive. We are nimble enough, through our trusted local partners to respond quickly and effectively.

Critical care fund at Yangon Children's Hospital

While medical care at government hospitals is free, some high end medications including life saving next generation medicines must be purchased by the patient's family. Our Foundation established a critical care medication fund for indigent patients

Nutrition and medical supplies for internally displaced people

With government permission we can help feed and provide medical care among more than 1.5 million internal refugees from political violence. Sometimes we just are called upon to donate tarps and dry rations.

We have literally built a school and the continued survival of this wonderful place of learning and love depends upon all of us, please give what you can (see FEC school under Missions)

We Continue to Support as Many Orphanages As We Can (See Orphanages Section on Missions Page)

Donate Any Way You Want, But We Suggest Reading This Before Pushing the Button

• Although we are linked to Paypal for your convenience, you can avoid reducing the impact of your donation by the 5% cost of using Paypal, if you make a donation, by Zelle or Venmo direct transfer to our Foundation bank account. Likewise you can use the old fashioned method of sending us a personal check to the foundation at our Saint Louis address. Here's how you can contribute by Zelle and Venmo:

  Zelle donation - establish our business contact in your phone "Myanmar Medical Foundation" phone number (618)558-8585, then go to Zelle on your bank's online app

  Venmo from your Venmo app account to @Jonathan-Isbell-12

  Both are direct deposited into our foundation charitable account. Please be sure to send us your email on the Contact Page or send a text message to Jon at 618-558-8585 so we can acknowledge your donation for tax deduction purposes.

  If you would prefer to give by PayPal, just use the Donate button link and it will take you to our PayPal Donation page.

Our Free Education Centre School

How you can help us

Learn more about our marvelous Free Education Centre School on our Missions Page, and see the photo story about how our moms and dads actually built their own school. A community energized by a collective desire for a better life for their children.