This is the historic first assessment trip to ShoKlo refugee camp in 1994.

Rose Mu, pictured here, was the first one who proposed the idea of helping children who were lost, unaccompanied, or porhaned by thre war in Myanmar. Steve and Oddny Gumaer said yes and that has impacted millions of children. Rose passed away but her legacy of love lives on.

Rose Mu was famous in the refugee camp for her annual Christmas pageant, performed by the unaccompanied children brought to her from villages attacked by the Myanmar regime throughout the 90's.

Steve and Oddny Started working with refugee children in 1994 and their daughters were born and raised in Thailand making frequent visits to the refugee camps and locations their work was based in In this picture they pose with a beautiful child in Shan State, Myanmar.

Oddny Gumaer co-founder of Novi is shown here crossing the Moi river to visit a settlement of displaced Karen people on the Thai Myanmar border in 1995.

A large group fo Karen people fled the attacks of the Myanmar army across the Moi river into Thailand in 1995. Steve Gumaer and the small team from Partners Relief & Development responded to their needs for food, provisions, and shelter. This response turned into a major program of material relief for displaced people who have to flee the violence of war.

Oddny Gumaer in the middle and Steve top right, this is one of a thousand photos from community events where ideas for sustainable solutions for the refugees and displaced people were hatched.

Making a delivery to a remote camp of displaced Mon and Karen people, a river crossing resulted in a broken down truck. There was no shortage of hands to carry the food supplies the rest of the way.

Steve and Oddny Gumaer were captivated by the Karen people and the children who were living in refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border in 1994.Their displacement from their villages, lack of material support, and struggle to survive the trauma that put them in a refugee camp all motivated the Gumaer's to organize help for them.

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started working with refugees in 1994 and started Partners Relief & Development. After 28 years they resigned to start Novi. Their 3 children, Elise, Kristin, and Naomi, grew up participating in the growing activities to help children living in war-torn communities.