Karen Womens Organization

2013 Organization Update

KWO
Message f o

KWOs Chai pe so , Na Dah Eh Kle

The past year has been historic for the Kare Wo e s Orga izatio KWO a d the e tire Kare o
u ity. We
have continued to manage projects under our four programs: heath, education, social welfare, and organizing
and information sharing, while addressing urgent advocacy and protection issues that arose throughout the year.
KWO has achieved many successes in 2013 and directly benefited the lives of thousands of Karen women. We
have also faced many challenges over the past year, one of the main challenges has been maintaining community
ownership as the situation on the border and inside Burma changes quickly. Despite these challenges, in 2013
KWO rolled out our Creating Peace Project, aimed at empowering women leaders and decision-makers and
keeping the community informed about the peace negotiations, ceasefire talks, and refugee return planning. The
political climate is changing in Burma, as a result, we see the international community focusing more of their aid
efforts in Karen State. It is up to KWO and other Karen Community Based Organizations to facilitate community
ownership and promote existing leadership structures. We see many development projects being proposed and
implemented in Karen State, as a community, it is our priority to advocate for the lives of the villagers affected by
these projects, especially as the future of Karen State will be directly impacted by outside development. It is our
hope that the ceasefire negotiations, refugee return preparedness and development inside Karen State will
progress with the full involvement of our people in order to achieve genuine community participation for a better
future of the Karen people, ethnic groups, and all of Burma.

2013: KWOs Successes

In January 2013, KWO held a successful Congress, where we elected a new Executive Committee bringing a new energy
and focus to the work of KWO.
Through networking, we have built strong ties to women groups inside Burma. In 2013 KWO representatives attended
the fi st e e o e s se i a i Bu a, o ga ized y the Wo e s League of Bu a.
KWOs Creati g Pea e Proje t ega i
. The Creati g Pea e Proje t works to trai wo e i side Kare tate a d
refugee camps on the current peace process, issues related to refugee return, and supports advocacy for the voices of
Karen women: internationally, to UNHCR and other international agencies, and to the Burmese and Thai governments.
The Automatic Response Mechanism (ARM) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for SGBV cases in the seven Karen
refugee camps on the Thailand/Burma border was finalized and printed.
KWO was asked to meet with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma. We spoke to him about the issues being
raised by our members in Burma and our views regarding the refugee situation and peace process.
Staff and position holders attended and actively participated in meetings about education, environment, policy, peace,
refugee return, youth, and other issues impacting the lives of Karen people.

KWOs Education Program

KWOs Edu atio P og a ai s to e su e that all se to s of the o

u ity a e gi e e ual a ess to edu atio , a d
addresses the needs primarily of women and girls, many of whom have not been able to access formal education
before. This provides them with opportunities for development and empowerment, leading to greater participation
in the decision-making and leadership areas of our community.

Nursery School Project

Nursery School Beneficiaries: Karen State
District

Schools

Children

Teachers

Mu Traw
Kler Lwee Htu

20
17

873
521

46
40

Do Pla Ya

31

1,514

Do Tha Htu
Ee Htu IDP Camp
Total

14
4
86

590
315
3,813

Nursery School Beneficiaries: Mae Ra Moe

and Mae La Oon
Camp
Schools Children Teachers
Mae Ra Moe

11

1,496

108

89

Mae La Oon

797

43

37
17
229

Total

18

2,293

151

Dormitory Project
Dormitory Beneficiaries
Location

Dormitories

Students

Carers

Mae La

73

Umphiem

57

Noe Poe

65

Mae La Oon

40

Mae Ra Moe

191

10

Doo Tha Htu

37

Mutraw

68

Total

11

531

22

"I am very happy to live in the dormitory

because the dormitory is very helpful to me
with my studies and schooling. The dormitory
helps me get an education and also get social
experience with my peers. I want to say thank
you to the dormitory leaders, KWO staff, and
the donors of my dormitory. When I finish my
post-secondary education I would like to work
for the dormitory project. If I become a rich
person, I will build a dormitory to help my
Karen people. Thank you very much!" -Dormitory Student

Karen Young Womens Leadership School (KYWLS)

KYWLS 2013
24 KYWLS
Students from 3
refugee camps
and 6 districts
inside Karen State,
Burma.

4 core teachers
and 2 part-time
teachers.

o e of the graduate stude ts a e a k a d work with KWO or to the a p a d show their apa ity of worki g with
community. They are outstanding and very confident to speak in front of people. They are also very enthusiastic to work
for their people.
- Tharamu Hsa Gay, Vice Camp Chairwoman Mae Ra Moe Camp

Special Education Project

Produced Karen
Sign Language
DVDs, volumes 1-8
and distributed
throughout the

463 children with

disabilities were
supported during the
2013 project year.

community.

SE Project Successes:
One mother in Mae La Oo camp, who has 2 children with serious Cerebral Palsy, got involved more this year with various activities.
We observe she is taking care of her children with more patience and gets involved in the Play Sessions. Another parent in Htam Hin
who has one child with brittle bone disease has also been much more active this year. She is more patient with her child and the
child is cleaner. This mother herself has brittle bone, the same as her child. They shared their experiences with the other parents
during Parents Education Workshops, which allowed a stronger feeling of solidarity to grow and for the parents to learn from each
other.

KWOs Health Program

Displaced women in conflict areas in Karen State are fleeing from violence around their homes, and cannot return.
Cut off from the towns, they have little to no access to health care. Within Karen State, KWO provides some health
care and material assistance to pregnant women and new mothers, supplying basic hygiene kits, birthing support,
and health education to women and the community.

Baby Kits Project

Ut Sed Est

I
, KWOs Ba y Kit P oje t
distributed 5,384 kits to mothers
and their newborn babies.

Ia

Project staff delivered 6,000 health

message leaflets, in Karen and
Burmese, to 8 regions in Karen State.

ot i good health a d it is e y diffi ult fo e to suppo t y fa ily. Whe I got the Ba y Kit, I felt
e ause I as a le to p o ide fo y fa ily a d keep y a y healthy. Baby Kit recipient

u h joy

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) Project

In 2013, KWO supported 94 TBAs in
Mae Ra Moe and Mae La Oon camps.

The 94 TBAs assisted with over 750

births in 2013.

Over 2,300 women participated in 13 health awareness sessions in the 2 camps in 2013. During
these sessio s, they e ei ed i fo atio a out o e s health, fa ily pla i g, p eg a y elated
issues, and overall community health.

KWOs Social Welfare Program

KWO provides direct assistance to community members and works towards solving social problems in the
community. Refugees and IDPs, continue to face difficult social problems that exist in many communities such as
sexual and gender based violence, unemployment, extreme poverty, caring for the elderly, the disabled, separated
children, families in trouble, support to widows, and dealing with increases in youth violence.

Safe House Project

In 2013, the Safe House Project supported 515 women and children staying in the safe houses or in their own homes,
in 7 camps. The project provided women and children protection, physical assistance, emotional assistance, case
management, SGBV related awareness, and access to out-of-camp services.

420 representatives of CBOs, Safe House staff, camp security, and Safe House Committee members participated in the
In-Camp Safe House Support Network Workshops. These workshops are the main forum for KWO to inform and
educate community leaders around the prevention and response to SGBV. We share new policies, explain procedures,
and raise awareness on SGBV issues.

as the fi st yea KWOs afe House P oje t a the 6 Days of A ti is a paig i side Ka e tate. A total of
12,952 community members participated in the campaign in 5 districts and 7 camps.

I did ot k o that the ay y hus a d t eated e as GBV, I thought it as o al. Afte I e t to the I -Camp
Safe House Support Network Workshop, I learned that I was suffering from domestic violence. Now I know that I can
ad o ate fo y ights a d ho to espo d to y hus a d he he physi ally atta ks e.
-- Workshop participant

KWOs Organizing and Information Sharing Program

As part of its community organizing function, KWO works to mobilize and empower the Karen community from
within. We run activities in order to develop the capacity, particularly of women and girls: to participate in decisionaki g p o esses, to o k i the o
u ity, to pa ti ipate i KWOs a ti ities, a d to i ple e t KWOs o k a d
projects. In Karen State, KWO workers document and record information related to human rights abuses
committed against members of their communities.

Capacity Building Project

30 women from 7 camps and 7
districts inside Karen State,
Burma participated in the
Capacity Building Training of
Trainers (TOT).

8 new KWO central staff

received financial training.

177 community members

participated in the in-field
capacity building training,
conducted by our trainers.

13 women from inside Karen

State, Burma received financial
management training.

Camp Support Project

KWOs Ca p uppo t P oje t p o ided 349 women working in KWO positions and community management
in the 7 refugee camps, with monthly stipends and with administration funds for 10 KWO camp-based
administrative offices.

.Nostrum
Suspendisse potenti. Aenean laoreet lorem a
lectus.
Sed libero tellus, posuere ac, imperdiet vel, pharetra egestas, nisi.
Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per
inceptos hymenaeos. Suspendisse ultrices. Vestibulum ornare luctus
risus. Nullam at sapien eget mauris egestas vestibulum. Nulla ligula
nisl, ultrices non, volutpat sit amet, molestie ut, magna. Donec vitae
pede. Phasellus sit amet mauris vitae ligula vulputate interdum. Ut
I
, KWOs Ca p uppo t P oje t ga e t ai i
eros odio, lobortis vitae, volutpat ut, interdum sit amet, leo.
Cojusto.
du t, KWOs Child P ote tio Poli y, a d fi a
Vestibulum non

Integer ante odio, fringilla quis, rhoncus quis,

iaculis eget, ligula. Curabitur non lacus ut ante
g to thesagittis
p ojeeuismod.
ts eVivamus
efi ianisl
iesleo,
o gravida
: KWOs Code of
ial a consectetuer,
age e t.mollis at, commodo et, arcu.

The stipe d I e ei e f o KWOs Ca p uppo t P oje t is of g eat e efit to y fa ily a d e. I a a le to pay

hild e s s hool fees, uy ut itious food, a d suppo t y o
u ity. Camp Support Project Beneficiary

Documentation and Publication

I

, KWOs Do u e tatio a d Pu li atio tea

3 Karen language magazines

KWO Constitution
2011/12 KWO Report
Project Pamphlets
KWO Calendar
Teaching Guidelines

p odu ed a ide a iety of

ate ials i ludi g:

Curabitur varius dapibus nulla. Sed dictum ultrices quam.

Sed sit amet neque in nisl fringilla pulvinar.

KWO finalized and printed the Automatic Response Mechanism (ARM) to SGBV cases in
the 7 Karen Camps.

Organizing Trips
During 2013, KWO conducted 12 Organizing Trips, to 7 camps and 5 districts, with over 5,000
community participants.

Pa ti ipa ts lea ed

o e a out KWOs a ti ities a d u e t issues i pa ti g efugee etu

and KWO also collected community opinions and concerns.

a d the pea e p o ess,

Creating Peace Project

6,500 community members participated in the 2013 World Refugee Day!
26 women leaders have received training in

2,100 pamphlets about the peace process and related issues

politics and peace issues.

have been distributed to community members.

Developed and distributed a Briefing Paper for community

members about KNU and Burmese government informal
negotiations.

295 community members joined community

consultations in Karen State and on the border.

KWO Budget 2013

KWO Central

KWO Mae Sot

PO BOX 19
Mae Sariang
Mae Hon Song Province
58110 Thailand
Tel: (66) 053-681-084
Fax: (66) 053-621-410
E-mail:
kwocentral@gmail.com

PO BOX 60
Mae Sot
Tak Province
63110 Thailand
Tel: 085-268-7542
E-mail:
kwomaesot@gmail.com