944

How A Philanthropic Group of Surfer Boys Are Changing The World

In 2003, five surfer kids from San Diego banded together and set forth on a journey to uncover the horrible truth about the genocide in Burma, the war-ravaged country between Thailand and India. Nearly five years of repeat visits and gripping film footage later, their documentary, The Road, captures a journey filled with heartbreak, devastation and hope. 944 got the first look.

THE FIRST STEPS
David Schulz, Dustin Kinney, Brett Thornton, Bryan Monzon and Ryan Sisson are the founding brains behind Eleho, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope to afflicted people. "Some nonprofit organizations are mainly focused on political aid, but we want to bring issues to the mainstream and pass on responsibility," Sisson says. "We wanted to do something bigger than ourselves," Monzon adds.

This feat began in 2003, when the group, then in their early 20s, left San Diego to travel the world and help others along the way. After visiting Hong Kong, they were given an address to an orphanage in Thailand, which borders Burma to the northwest. When they arrived at the orphanage, they were asked to stay for two months and teach English. During their stay, Kinney learned of the Karen people, who comprise one of the largest ethnic groups and one of the seven states in Burma - and who have been persecuted regularly by the Burmese government in a race war going on for 60 years. The Burmese government is ruled by a military junta, called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which runs the country with an iron fist using appalling military tactics.

"They have a reward system," Schulz says. "They get a raise for raping a Karen woman. They will burn an entire village to the ground and tie the remaining children together in the middle so when the survivors return for the children they will all be killed."

RETURN TO THAILAND
After regrouping back in San Diego, Kinney, Schulz, Thornton, Monzon and Sisson were compelled to head back to Thailand to continue to help the Karen people. They arrived at the orphanage in Thailand, where they were greeted with open arms and hopeful hearts.
"We immediately fell in love with these people," Sisson says.

The orphanage is run by Karen people and serves as a refugee camp with nearly 125 children living there. Six years ago, Thailand closed the border, ceasing to allow refugees in. As a result, refugees fleeing from Burma must now sneak across the Thai/Burma border to reach the camps in Thailand.

"One commander had tears of hope in his eyes when he asked us if we would call our president and tell him what is going on," Sisson says. "The desperation there is overwhelming and the hope we bring them by showing up and taking an interest in their story gives them the drive to continue on with their struggle. I left there not only feeling bad about the situation that these people are in, but I felt the responsibility to do something."

Members of Eleho agreed that to effectively raise awareness they must go back into Burma and film a documentary to capture the atrocities of the civil race-war. "There is very little media coverage of this war since the Burmese government does not usually allow media in," Sisson says. "They only have one news station and one newspaper, which are government run and predominately full of anti-Karen propaganda."

A DOCUMENTARY TAKES SHAPE
The Road, Eleho's recent project, is a film depicting the persecution of the Karen people. The title refers to the main road that leads to the Karen land called Kawthoolei, or "land without evil." The SPDC wants to gain control of this road to transport their weapons and supplies. The Karen people have attempted to protect themselves by placing land mines along the road. However, if they are caught by the SPDC then they may be forced to walk the road as human minesweepers.

In 2006, with help from Invisible Children and Restore International, Eleho's founding members packed their video equipment and trekked across the world to the Thai/Burma border once again. Only this time they had to sneak across a river and over the border. "I was never scared until we had to take a long van ride to the northern part of Thailand," Schulz says. "All the way there I heard stories of people getting killed and I thought, ‘What am I doing here?'"

Once the van arrived safely at the meeting grounds, the Eleho members attended a secret meeting with six influential Karen leaders. Here, they were told that the Karen people would not help them cross the border into Burma. "But then they told us to turn off our cameras and said that they would help us get in," says Schulz. "They just wanted to document that they weren't taking part in it."

The Eleho group and their guides crossed the border in the dark without headlamps or flashlights for fear of being noticed by the SPDC. "I had never even been outside of the U.S. and there I was running through the jungle, freaking out," Monzon says. They eventually made their way to a medical training camp, and even went so far as to make continued trips back and forth across the Thai/Burma border to provide assistance and record their experiences on camera.

"For one of the trips we left at 3 a.m. dressed in full camouflage running in the dark though these secret paths that weren't even paths," Schulz says. "Then we came to a river and saw a Burmese patrol boat passing by so we had to hide because they would probably kill us if we were caught."

From there, they took a 45-minute boat ride up the river where they met a group of
Free Burma Rangers who took them to the IDP (disability) camp. Eleho members brought not only malaria medicine and supplies, but they brought hope to the refugees by engaging them in lighthearted activities, such as playing soccer, and by teaching them English.

And, of course, they continued to film material for The Road. "We asked many of the Karen people what is one thing that they want back that the Burmese government had taken from them," Schulz says. "They all had the same answer: ‘I want my brother, my mother, son or best friend back.' They would say it with hardly any emotion because they were numb to it at this point. One man told us how the SPDC captured his brother and poured boiling water on his face. That was the breaking point when we all got really emotional. We knew that we needed to get back and share these stories."

MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
Eleho has been vital in creating a voice for the Karen people and victims of the war in Burma. Their documentary, The Road, depicts their journey into the loving hearts and devastating world of the afflicted.

"This film needs to be finished," Sisson says. "We have all put our own money into it but now we are at a point where we need help to complete the project."

The group focuses on leveraging their audience via media outlets and networking to provide support and aid to the situation in Burma. "This generation and the next one wants to make a difference," Sisson says. "The chance that we have to impact the youth is a huge responsibility and a great opportunity."

Eleho has taken the lead by ensuring funds and supplies will go where they are most needed. "We will have different missions set up for restricted and non-restricted income," Sisson says. "This way, we can make sure the money goes where you want it to go, whether it is for
educational supplies, medicine, etc."

Monzon adds, "People over there need rice, clean water, educational supplies and malaria medicine." Eleho has direct contacts in Burma and Thailand, giving them the ability to send supplies and funding first-hand. "I talk to contacts and friends that I've made over there on a weekly basis," says Schulz, "and there is always something to be done."

Learn more at www.theroadfilm.com

  Add to Faves