RICHMONDHI LLREFLECTIONSMAG.

COM 69
pursuits dedication and passion
RICHMONDHI LLREFLECTIONSMAG. COM 69
I M P A C T I N G L I V E S
Our communi t y reaches out t o Burmese women i n need.
By Lesley Francis Phot os cont r i but ed by Amelia Iderosa
My goal is to inspire others to live their lives
dedicated to social justice impacting lives not only
on the Thai/Burma border, but wherever people are in
need of compassion and peace.
-
Amelia Iderosa
Amelia and co-workers.The men
are friends of the organization. Amelia and others.
70 RICHMOND HI LL REFLECTIONS
W
pursuits dedication and passion
We are very blessed to enjoy the standard of living we do in the USA.
And the community which makes up Richmond Hill is especially sup-
portive and, compared to many places in the world, a very safe place
to live, says Amelia Iaderosa, a longtime resident of Richmond Hill
and a Richmond Hill High School graduate of 2002. As we Skype at
9 am one December morning, Im extremely impressed with both her
dedication and passion for her mission on the other side of the world.
It is 9 pm on the Tailand/Burmese border, where Amelia has lived
since January 2013.
Amelia has dedicated the past year to working as a full-time
volunteer with women in refugee camps inside Burma through the
Community Based Organization (CBO) known as Karen Womens
Organization (KWO). Te Karen people are one of the many eth-
nic groups that make up Burmas diverse population. Te Karen were
forced to fee their villages in Karen State, located on the Burma side
of the Tailand/Burmese border, to refugee camps along the Tai bor-
der because of extortion and forced labor by the Burmese military, as
well as because of a signifcant landmine problem which has become
worse in recent years. Amelia lives in Mae Sot, Tailand and works
with a group of other dedicated women, both in the refugee camps
and inside Karen State, Burma. KWO works in seven camps where
the majority of refugees are Karen: Mae La, Noe Poh, Umpiam, Mae
Ra Moe, Mae La Oon, Ban Dong Yan and Htam Hin. Amelias par-
ents, John and Jean Iaderosa, have lived in Richmond Hill since 1989
and although they miss her enormously, they are very proud of the
work their daughter is doing.
I ask Amelia to paint a picture for me of the women she interacts
with on a daily basis. What she describes is both vivid and moving.
Imagine you are a Karen woman a mother, a daughter, a wife liv-
ing in a village inside Karen State, Burma. You work hard to care for
your family, to provide for them and protect them. Ten one day, in
an instant, the Burmese military shows up with rifes, grenades and
angry fsts to force you and your family out of the home you have
spent your entire life creating. Te village where you have collected
memories, raised your family, built a community, shared meals and
laughter has to be lef behind, and you are forced to fee into the jun-
gle for months at a time not knowing how you will feed your family or
when the Burmese military will show up again. Eventually, you seek
safety and shelter in a refugee camp inside Tailand. Every one of the
women I work with at KWO has a unique yet similar story to this
one, she says with sympathy. [Men have ofen times been forced into
labor in Burma which is why KWO believes women are vital to the
peacemaking process and future.]
As most people are aware, Burma has had a troubled history. Since
their independence from the British in 1948, Burma has been in one of
the worlds longest running civil wars. Te country has been under vari-
ous types of military rule since 1962. Te uprising of 1988 caused par-
ticular distress and many thousands of civilians have been killed since
then and in the Burmese anti-government protests that began in 2007.
Burma has remained one of the least developed nations in the
world, and Cyclone Nargis of 2008 only worsened conditions. KWO
came into existence as women worked together to fll the gaps in ser-
vices in the camps and to increase the role of women in the communi-
ty. Amelia says that she believes that, Women are the glue that holds
families together, especially in times of crisis. Te same is true for the
Karen community: Karen women are asked to step up when others
will not. Tey are key to the well-being of the community, yet when
important decisions need to be made they are not consulted. KWO is
one of the only groups advocating on behalf of women as peace talks
in Burma progress and talks of refugee return become a reality.
Many people believe that the international situation is improving
in Burma since the political, economic and administrative reforms of
2011-12. We read in the newspapers and see on TV that pro-democ-
racy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest,
and both Hillary Clinton and President Obama have visited Burma.
Amelia explains, What is happening on the ground is very diferent
RICHMONDHI LLREFLECTIONSMAG. COM 71
Clockwise: World Refugee Day at Mae La camp, the
largest Karen Refugee camp on the border; Amelia with
co-workers; KWO works in seven of the nine camps on
the Thailand/Burma border: Mae La, Noe Poh, Umpiam,
Mae Ra Moe, Mae La Oon, Ban Dong Yan, Htam Hin.

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72 RICHMOND HI LL REFLECTIONS
from what you might see in the media. Te
real situation is one of lawlessness. Oppres-
sion continues and human rights violations
are still being committed by the Burmese
military. Despite all of this, there are talks of
refugee return as soon as 2015, when Burma
will elect a new president. Reality tells us
that this will be too soon.
When refugees arrived in the camps,
some of them more than 25 years ago, many
thought that they would return home in
a few months, at most a year, but this was
not the case. Many refugees were born in
the camps, under the protection of bamboo
roofs and barbed wire. Tose who were born
in the camps are now stateless, without a
birth certifcate or identity card for a coun-
try they can call home. Women are especially
vulnerable in their statelessness: vulnerable
to sex trafckers or to becoming migrant
workers, risking their lives to simply support
their families. KWO provides these women
with opportunities to gain employable skills
and to further their education, which is nec-
essary to creating a hopeful future.
Women must be involved in this pro-
cess. Te work that KWO does to support
women becoming leaders and decision-mak-
ers not only empowers women to stand up
and free themselves from inequality and op-
pression, but helps their families and whole
communities. It is difcult to understand
pursuits
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the sufering of others until you have walked
a mile in their shoes. I have only just begun
to understand the struggles and sacrifces
these women have had to face and contin-
ue to face. Te more time I spend working
with this group of exceptional woman, I get
a deeper view into the lives of women and
girls from Burma who have sufered great in-
justices, Amelia continues.
2014-2015 will be a crucial year for the
work of KWO and for all the refugees living
in camps on the Tai border. Unfortunately,
KWO does not have the funds to cover the
living expenses of volunteers like Amelia,
who over the past year has gained invaluable
skills to empower Karen women and their
families who are living on the Tai/Burmese
border. Trough her passion and dedication
to her work, she has developed a deep knowl-
edge of the political, social and economic
hardships facing women and refugees from
those whose lives are afected directly. She
has built relationships with her co-workers
and the community, creating an environment
of trust that aids in her making a genuine im-
pact on the lives she touches every day. Naw
Knyaw Paw, the secretary of KWO says, We
Above: 28th Annual KWO Day
74 RICHMOND HI LL REFLECTIONS
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have been very pleased with Amelias perfor-
mance and would be extremely happy if she
could continue working with us for another
year in 2014. If you can ofer her any kind of
assistance in helping her return to work with
us for one more year, we would greatly appre-
ciate it!
Amelia and her friends and family have
launched the Impacting Lives campaign to
fund her work with KWO for another year,
which will cost $10,000. Amelia has secured
a generous $3,000 challenge grant. Tat
means every dollar she raises up to $3,000
will be matched 100%. She has already raised
$625! Every cent raised will help to cover ba-
sic work-related travel within Tailand and
Burma and bare living expenses.
RICHMONDHI LLREFLECTIONSMAG. COM 75
HER EXPENSES INCLUDE
ITEMS SUCH AS:
- A planc tlckct. whlch costs approxlmatcly s:.uuu.
So every mile of the 9 thousand mile journey to
Thailand costs around a quarter. To sponsor 100
mllcs. plcasc consldcr donatlng s:. or sponsor
i.uuu mllcs lor s:u.
- Ccll phonc blll lor onc month to communlcatc wlth
rcglonal omccs and rclugcc camps ls s:u pcr month
or s:u lor thc ycar.
- Icnt ls siu pcr month or si.8uu lor thc ycar.
- Iood to lucl hcr work ls s:uu pcr month or s:.uu
for the year.
KWO is an important organization of women refugees, says
Amelia. It has humbled me to have been able to contribute my small
part. I have a strong belief that my work here is not done, and I am
fortunate that KWO has asked me to stay for another year; both my
heart and my head are telling me to stay. I hope that refugees will
be able to return to Burma safely and with dignity and that women
will have a voice in that return process and in the developing peace
in Burma. My goal is to inspire others to live their lives dedicated to
social justice impacting lives not only on the Tai/Burma border,
but wherever people are in need of compassion and peace. !

Editors Note:
To sponsor Amelia, visit her Impacting Lives campaign page:
www.indiegogo.com/projects/impacting-lives
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.karenwomen.org
pursuits dedication and passion
Top to Bottom: International Violence Against Women Du Thaw Htoo
a 16 day campaign to stop violence against women; Passing out white
ribbons to be worn throughout the campaign.
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