About
A cleaner planet. A better life. 4 every bottle.
To ensure that those who do not have access to proper medical care gain that access. We will raise funds to provide the necessary services that will ensure communities in need can receive proper medical care. We will enlist communities around the world to recycle and help save the planet from plastic pollution. It is our intention to enlist the community to collect and donate bottles to be recycled, and the funds received will contribute to helping save and/or improve a life.
The border.
Thailand and Myanmar share an approximate 2,400-kilometre border, of which only around 60 kilometres is demarcated. That boundary has a long history of revolts, which resulted in the deaths of civilians, Burmese and Thai soldiers. Harmonious political relations have had limited impact on the territorial dispute, as major issues related to cross-border activities remain unaddressed. Drug trafficking is also a serious problem for Mae Sot, now one of the major distribution hubs, and methamphetamines are considered the main security risk in Thailand.
The present volume of refugees is composed mainly of persons belonging to the Karen and Karenni ethnic minorities from Myanmar. They sought asylum in Thailand as a result of the human rights abuses associated with civil conflict. These refugees arrived gradually over time — some 10 per cent of them as early as 1984, with the majority arriving after 1994. New arrivals are still reported monthly.
Thailand furnishes a temporary sanctuary and has accommodated them in camps spread along the border, where they receive basic care and assistance from NGOs under the Royal Thai Government. However, if caught outside the camp premises, refugees are subject to deportation as illegal immigrants under Thailand's immigration laws.
These undocumented migrants make very little for their day-to-day living, and the cost of getting to a hospital or clinic is relatively high. Some live in remote places, which makes them hesitant to seek medical attention; the checkpoints in town frighten others away from getting the help they need. This is where B4L makes a difference. The task of transporting patients who lack the necessary documents is risky, and there were times we were stopped by police officers. With the Lord's guidance the matter was settled, and now, whenever they see us on the road, they let us get patients to the healthcare facilities and back to their homes safely.
What we hold to.
Integrity
The organisation pursues honourable initiatives and believes in conducting business in a way that is honest, transparent and ethical.
Empowerment
Help people in helping themselves.
Community
Collaborate and build partnerships with other agencies and villages. B4L can accomplish more by complementing the existing resources in the community rather than duplicating them.
Stewardship
Demonstrate accountability in the resources bequeathed to the organisation, making a good return on every project — in health, transportation, education, personal necessity and the environment.
Dedication to diversity
Diversity should not divide, but be an opportunity to understand differences, to endeavour to respect them, and to deliver services without bias.
Extra mile
To seek to do more than what is expected, to give it all, to strive to be better than yesterday.
“A Cleaner Planet Earth and Better Life 4 every Bottle.”
It began with an earthquake — and a bottle.
When Haitians started their day about a decade ago, they could not have imagined the devastation that was going to befall their country. As the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, more than 220,000 lives were claimed. The quake — one of the deadliest natural disasters on record — ruined much of the country’s delicate infrastructure and left many Haitians in dire need of help.
That tragedy brought Fedly Bonneau and Austin Gideon Adobasom-Anane a deep sense to stand with the needy, and they strived to see how they could contribute to making the world a better place for others. When they met in Tamale, Ghana in 2012, they formed a partnership to achieve what has become Sustainable Development Goal #3 on the UN's humanitarian list — ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages.
Seeing so many people languishing in illness without access to proper healthcare, they thought of a way to be part of the solution, which resulted in the formation of Bottles 4 Life, Inc. (B4L), a non-profit organisation, in 2013. Even before its conception they were involved in health teaching in Ghana, speaking on radio programmes, and conducting health screenings in small villages.
B4L also established a plan for sustainability. They realised that if people recycled plastic bottles in the US, they could in turn save the planet and donate towards the organisation. Recycling is also a tool used in the communities they work in. In Mae Sot, blue recycle bins were placed in various restaurants and other places; when the bins were full, we received calls to collect them. The communities who are the beneficiaries of B4L services participate too, collecting recyclable materials and bringing them to the recycling centre. This platform inspires locals who were already recipients of compassion not just to say thank you, but to help carry the agenda forward.
Since 2018, B4L has been working along the Thai–Myanmar border to facilitate access to medical treatment. We achieved this by converting a donated 1997 Toyota van into an ambulance, providing free transportation to and from medical facilities for anyone in need. The bulk of patients transported by B4L are undocumented Burmese migrants. The price of a taxi is almost half a day’s wages for some. Others are afraid they will be caught at a checkpoint. By partnering with local clinics and villages, B4L is just a call away whenever someone needs a drive to the medical centre.
Although transportation is the focus in Mae Sot, the team has also provided packed vegetarian meals to parents in the general hospital whose children were admitted to intensive care. Praying for the sick on their beds with their families was received with gladness, and to say they were grateful would be an understatement.
Best of all, to furnish education is one of our noblest aims. Those blessed by this pursuit were the 44 preschoolers in Myawaddy, Myanmar, taught reading, writing, proper hygiene and a healthy diet. Instilling health guidelines at a young age gives a fair chance of embracing principles that can stay with them for a lifetime.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2
Three continents, through our own lens.
Stand with the needy, wherever they are found.