About CAM
The Chin Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAM) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization based in Ellicott City, Maryland with an office in Washington, D.C. CAM empowers the Chin communities in Maryland to be successfully integrated into American society. CAM also advocates for durable solutions for Chin and other refugees and internally displaced persons, and religious freedom and human rights in Burma.
Chins, virtually all of whom are Christians, are an ethnic nationality from Burma. They became Christians primarily due to the missionary efforts of the American Baptist Churches USA. They are a major recent U.S. refugee group that fled from Burma to neighboring countries to escape ethnic, political and religious persecution by the Burmese military since 1962. In 2001, about 1000 Chin asylees came to the U.S through Guam, resettling largely in Maryland, Indiana, Florida, and Texas. Since 2002, the U.S. has resettled many more Chin refugees coming through Malaysia and India. Chins now number 70,000 across the United States, with about 5,000 making Maryland their home.
Our Vision
All Chin are successful and contributing members of a broader community that is welcoming and supportive.
Our Mission
To enable the Chin community in Maryland to successfully integrate into American society while preserving Chin literature and culture, and to also pursue durable solutions for Chin and other refugees around the globe.
Our Values
- Respecting the rights and worth of all people.
- Becoming self-sufficient, contributing members of society.
- Building strong relationships with Chin and other faith-based and community groups.
- Preserving our literature and culture.
- Giving back to the community that welcomed us as refugees.
- Re-uniting families forcibly displaced by man-made or environmental disasters.