partnersrelief
Partners Relief & Development Blog
The latest stories, images and films from the places we're working to see children affected by conflict and oppression experience free, full lives.
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The 2023 Report Card: Middle East
Photo: Two students in the Phoenix Learning Center math class,
Domiz Camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
It's time for our 2023 Middle East report card!
:: DRUM - ROLL ::
372,473 people were helped, with an additional 132,613 reached in the earthquake response. Over half a million people in the Middle East were loved in tangible ways in 2023!!
1.
Community dialogue
sessions can change the future for generations.*Nara is from Nineveh and although she wanted to be an architectural engineer, the customs in her village led her to an arranged marriage at 16 years old. After attending a Sustainable Peace Foundation community dialogue session, she started encouraging her friends to complete their high school education and that further study can help strengthen their community.
*Name changed for privacy and security.
2.
The last seven
years of Sozan’s eleven years of life, she has lived in a tent. She had felt alone, but now, she attends activities run by our partner, Inhalation of Hope.
“Our teachers were always guiding us through how to be better and be successful in school, how not to let people use us, and how we can keep ourselves safe from harassment. I also participated in math and Arabic classes. During these months of activities, I learned how to plan for my future studies and how to prepare for my education. The sessions with my teachers helped me to think positively and get rid of negative thoughts about my days…now I can deal [interact] with my friends and enjoy my time in a safe space.”
~ Sozan, Iraq
3.
Life skills
training is an upwardly mobilizing piece of the EmpowerME program, and when your world has been thrown upside-down, sometimes it can mean all the world to have help to turn it rightside-up. When Rwaida’s husband was forced to join the military, and their once-quiet neighborhood started being patrolled by tanks, they fled to Domiz Camp, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. She attended Life Skills Training through EmpowerME and learned about money management. She purchased her own sewing machine and is now designing, mending, and sewing clothes for neighbors. She hopes to hire women in her community, to give them a way to support their families.
4.
Women tell
us how they feel about the Feminine Health Training and Feminine Hygiene kits distributed through Empower ME:
“I love the kits! They are comfortable and feel healthy to use.”
“I like that the pads are washable and can be used many times to save money.”
“I learned a lot about good hygiene and how to keep my body clean to protect against infections.”
“I really liked the section on self-defense. So good.”
“[I] learned how to be brave.”
“Made me realize how important females are in society.”
“Please, keep giving such training – it is so useful.”
5.
Snapshots
because there’s more good news.
Displaced families living in shelters in Al-Hasakah were without food; which is why this community sprang into action and funded food kits containing sugar, rice, burgle, olive oil, tea, spaghetti, chicken broth, and lunch meat.
The Sustainable Peace Foundation utilizes many methods to bring about healing from trauma; here, youth from Mosul are learning to create art.
So much happens at the Phoenix Learning Center in the Kurdistan region of Iraq; one of them is an English class for this local girl.
Motivated knitters, and our friends at Purl Soho, created an income for families in Dawidya Camp, and warmth for children in northern Iraq and Syria.
As displacement increases in Northeast Syria, the need for rehabilitated schools increase. Getting kids back into school is a priority for parents, and to all of us.
Al-Hol Camp is a scary place - especially if you are a child. That’s why we love the child friendly play space, where kids can come, create, make friends, and be, you know, kids.
Your love made this possible.
When you gave, we went!
Yay, you, and this incredible report card!!
One, two, three cheers,
Your friends at Partners.
Donate Now
#iraq#syria#partners#toloveistoact#partnersrelief#kurdistan#yazidi#yezidi#refugees#conflict#syrianrefugees#arttherapy#womenshealth#education
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What Love Rebuilt in 2023
Students prepare to enter Khanasor School during the opening ceremony. Sinjar, Iraq.
Instability in the Middle East has made getting to school, and education as a whole, a battle. In Syria alone, “schools and learning environments are unsafe, overcrowded, and under-resourced. One in three schools is damaged, destroyed, inaccessible, or used as a collective shelter or for other purposes.” (OCHA Syria).
What we come back to again and again is the indomitable spirit of this community that rises up in support when it matters most. In 2024, your love partnered with local communities to rebuild two schools for kids in Qamishli, Northeast Syria and Sinjar, Iraq.
Rehabilitated classroom in Martyr Rasho School. Qamishli, Northeast Syria.
Here’s what that looks like practically:
Martyr Rasho School (Qamishli, Northeast Syria)
Over 400 students benefited from the school rehabilitation.
4 classrooms & a playground have been restored.
Heating was installed throughout the entire school.
Before and after rebuild photos of Martyr Rasho School.
Khanasor School (Sinjar, Iraq)
The building provides a safe space for both Kurdish and Arabic curricula.
It provides easy access to education, so students and families don’t have to pay for transportation - which can be a barrier for many.
The building includes 6 classrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 administration rooms, and a garden in the middle because 45 kids in a classroom built for 30 just won’t do it anymore.
The building now has a capacity for 200-250 students.
Khanasor School - rebuild complete!
Every kid deserves an opportunity for education and a safe place to do so. Thanks to you, students like Nasor* now have both.
“My name is Nasor*, and I am in the ninth grade at Khanasor School. I have been studying in a clay school for several years now. The challenges have been severe as the school was dropping over our heads, some parts of the walls collapsed, and there were no windows or doors. Furthermore, there was no proper road to get to the school. It was muddy during the rainy season, hindering students from getting to the school.
Because of these challenges, some students quit attending the classes, and some students who could afford it decided to move to study in different areas.
I thank Partners for building a new school for us. I thank all my teachers for being patient and continuing to teach us despite all the challenges. The new school will support us a lot. We all are so excited about the new school.”
Students at Khanasor School during the opening ceremony.
These new school rebuilds now give over 600 students a seat in the classroom.
This is good news worth celebrating.
https://prtns.co/MiddleEast
(*Pseudonym for security)
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The 2023 Report Card: Southeast Asia
Photo: Meeting one of our Village Health Workers’ family in Karen State, Myanmar.
It's report card time!
Southeast Asia first.
Hard work, meticulous record keeping, your faithful giving and a whole lot of love have given us something we can all celebrate:
206,563 people met in their time of need during 2023.
Let's take a look!
1.
Eight hours
is a long walk to the nearest clinic.
Add to that, being born into an active conflict zone, skin infections and malaria. The odds were truly stacked against Saw December.
But his grandpa knew about Partners.
So he made a call.
With; transport arranged, food and clothing provided, support during a 10-day stay in a clinic, and regular follow-up by our team, the odds are back in Saw December’s favor.
Saw December when our team met him (left) and after receiving care (right), Thailand.
2.
Running
from the shelling, and leaving most belongings behind is not an uncommon story in Myanmar. Tin Tin San, and her two children, found themselves in a new village seeking refuge from the fighting with just the few clothes they could bring. Meeting families on the run with what they need most - food, shelter, medicine - is what you did for thousands of families like Tin Tin San’s.
“Each family received two bags of rice and it was very helpful for us. I am so joyful that Partners helped us.”
~ Tin Tin San, Myanmar
For many displaced people in Myanmar like Tin Tin San, rice deliveries were a lifeline.
3.
Being seen
means so much for communities isolated by conflict.
Our Kachin Community Support Network ran a Christmas party for 84 kids in a very remote location we’ve not been to before. The games, singing, and Christmas gifts for the children deeply moved their local school principal.
“I gained new energy from a feeling that we are not forgotten. This is the first time that our children have received this kind of activity from outside.”
~ School Principal, Myanmar
4.
Snapshots
because there’s more good news than space to write about them.
Healthy bellies fuel healthy minds; so here at a Partners supported Karen nursery school, lunch is served.
Left: The beauty of sharing and multiplication; villagers receive vegetables and nursery plants at Eden Farm - taking hope and nourishment back to their local communities.
Right: Families who have fled into Thailand from Myanmar often come with only what they can carry. These hand-sewn tops, that Partners Sewing Center crafted, were welcome gifts to women and adults in the nearby migrant village where they were handed out.
Our hope is that all children know their value and feel loved, no matter where they’re growing up. Partners sewing ladies designed and sewed dresses that were distributed to students in the community-based homes you support and to women in Mae La Refugee Camp, reminding them that they - too - are loved.
These Karen students have worked so very hard to have a seat at the board exam; for them, education isn’t a given, it’s a gift.
Their school in the forest might be temporary, but the education they are receiving isn’t; thank you for supporting Karen students and families who have no choice but to live, and learn, on-the-go.
Fleeing conflict is hard. Seeing your baby malnourished as a result is even harder. Every infant nutrition pack distributed by Rohingya community health workers in Bangladesh helped bring some relief.
Every single one of the 206,563 people helped in Southeast Asia last year was because of this partnership we share.
Month after month you give.
Which enables us to keep going.
Thank you for making these hope-filled stories possible.
Next week, the Middle East.
And more good news.
Until then,
Your friends at Partners.
Donate Now
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This is personal.
“Teacher, I am so sad I can’t sleep.”
This message appeared on my phone at 3AM.
How do you respond to that? Is, “I’m so sorry,” good enough?
How can you sleep when you know that your parents can hear the sounds of fighting all around their village at home in Myanmar?
How can you focus on studying when you're scared that the next time you try to go home or even renew your passport, you will be drafted into the army that is killing your own people?
I’m used to my students' laughter and smiles, their enthusiasm for life and their incredible motivation in the face of difficult odds, but there is a point where reality becomes overwhelming and anyone would feel trapped.
The recent announcement about the enactment of the draft by the Myanmar military is causing worry and fear for young people from Myanmar both inside and outside the country. To try to enforce this law, the government will not allow young people to leave the country or renew passports until they have fulfilled the draft requirement. This will affect almost all of my students who are studying for their GED Exams within the next couple years if not months as their current passports expire or their visas for Thailand run out.
Here are some glimpses into the lives of my students as they grapple with this new reality:
A 17-year-old girl will have to return to Myanmar in 6 months when her visa expires unless she can find some alternative visa to transfer to in the meantime, which is very unlikely. By that time, she will be 18 and would not be let out of the country again. She said to me, “I’m so worried, I just want to cry. I can’t go back. I don’t know what to do.”
Another student told me that the active fighting has now reached his home village. Even though his relatives had scraped together enough money to pay for a flight out, they were turned back at the airport. Apparently, all flights had been grounded to prevent people from leaving the country.
A young man summed up his feelings saying, “I just don’t know what to do anymore. My country doesn’t care about me, and no one else wants us. I don’t belong anywhere.”
“My country doesn’t care about me, and no one else wants us. I don’t belong anywhere.”
As my students were confronted by the news and public discussions surrounding this draft order, the conversation spilled over into our class time. Many of the students expressed anger and frustration, obviously fueled by the fear they are feeling. They reacted to the way that academics handle this topic as a theoretical problem to be examined and debated, rather than an alarming reality. For the students, this is personal and is already impacting their lives. It is not just a projection of what might happen in the future.
In their own words:
“This has been our life for years already. Our people have been forced out of their homes continuously over the past decades. That is why there are so many of us in Thailand. It is not easy for us. We did not want to leave our homes.”
"We did not want to leave our homes.”
“What about the poor people who cannot pay money to leave the country? What about the children who are trapped by the fighting? What about the old people who can’t get visas for anything and have to stay where the fighting is? Who is thinking about them?”
Together we contemplated how we can turn these feelings of frustration and helplessness into something productive. What small goal can each of the students set their sights on to give them purpose right now, so they are not dragged down by despair?
At the end of the conversation a 19 year old girl who had listened quietly to the others came to me and said, “I am not going to get angry, because that won’t change anything now. Right now I will just focus on my studying. Then in the future I will be able to teach and help improve things and help people. That is the only thing I can do now.”
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Myanmar Talks
Since October, 27, 2023, in Northern Shan State, Myanmar, three armed groups united and pushed the Myanmar Military from offense to defense. Within over a month of consistent battles, the Myanmar military lost over 300 outposts and control of many towns; including its battalion troops, who surrendered to the opposites. Fighting continues in many parts of Myanmar.
With so much upheaval and unknowns, here’s what people in Myanmar are saying about what has happened, what challenges they face, and what they think is on the horizon.
Parents are saying: They [the Myanmar Military] burnt down things including; one car, one house, one generator, all of the rice that we were saving in our house, and all of our household belongings inside and outside.
When we left our village, we didn't bring anything at all. Blankets, mats, clothes, dishes and cooking pots - we didn't bring anything.
Because there is a lot of big weapon shelling around our way, we couldn’t carry a lot of our belongings while we ran.
The Myanmar Militia came and arrested three of my children. After that they called me to their office and asked me for money. Then I took my daughter's earrings and sold them to get my three children back.
We have always thought about how to help others. We had never thought of taking help from others like this. When we return to our home, and are able to work, we will help others again.
An Internally Displaced child said: The Myanmar military called me in one evening and asked me to sit down. Then they tried to take my bag off my body. While they were doing that, I escaped and ran throughout the night.
Partners Team Members shared: When I distributed rice to Internally Displaced People, I spent three nights in a village. For two nights, the Myanmar military jets dropped bombs. The second night that they dropped bombs, they injured three family members, and killed one woman who had a daughter and two sons. The next day, we tried to distribute rice as quickly as possible, because the IDPs were afraid that the airplanes might drop more bombs.
The civilians who run from the city to villages need food, and civilians who run from their villages to the jungle need mosquito nets, shelter and food. There are lots of mosquitoes [in the jungle]. Students also have to study in the jungle, because the Myanmar military is targeting schools, churches, monasteries, hospitals/clinics and Karen military base camps.
IDP villagers assume that there will be more and more fighting, starvation, injury, sickness, death, poverty and sadness. They want to go back to their homes, but they can't.
I talked to my friends and they said,
Coming in 2024, there will be more challenges, especially for education, health, traveling and food.
If the fighting happens more and more - if we cannot live in the temporary areas - I will find a way to move to a refugee camp in Thailand. A Karen Leader said:The people of Kawthoolei (Karen) are very brave. Having endured the inhumane and illegal oppression that they have experienced, one day, when they return home, they will build a new country for their new generation - with a brighter future. These people will never kneel down to injustice or bow down to any dictator. We will continue to fight for the truth, equality, peace and justice. We will reconstruct our houses, our villages and rebuild our families. Instinctively, we know that the day to go back home is not far away. From here, we will build a union that guarantees the rights of all.
We say:
We’re with you.
If you want to be with them too - you can - here.
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The Language We All Speak
Photo: Kids sit in a classroom at a kindergarten rebuilt in Raqqa, Northeast Syria
Amongst all the talk of turkey today,
there’s one thing on our mind.
Gratitude.
For you.
And every act of love by you
That has helped kids growing up in war zones
Live a free, full life.
Got a minute to meet some of them?
youtube
…the language of gratitude is something we all speak.
Your friends at Partners
P.S. Wish to give out of your grateful heart? Next Tuesday we’re raising money to rebuild more schools, for more brilliant children like these ones!! Stay tuned!
#partners#partnersrelief#school#education#educationmatters#education for all#syria#iraq#yazidi#givingtuesday#Youtube
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13 years later.
Photo: Naw Moo Wa and her son in the jungle in Karen State, Myanmar.
What were you doing 13 years ago?
To jog your memory, it was 2010.
The year Obama was talking about snowmageddon,
TiK ToK was a number one song...not an app,
and the Giants downed the Rangers to win
the World Series for the first time in 56 years.
13 years ago, Naw Moo Wa was on the run.
Attacked by the Myanmar military in her village,
she shared the story of what happened with our team
when they met her at a relief distribution.
And we shared it with you.
13 years on, our team crossed paths with her again.
For the first time, she watched the story she had shared with us.
If you need a reminder of why your faithful giving is so important, this is it.
vimeo
Her story is a powerful reminder
of what’s changed in the last 13 years.
And what hasn’t.
It’s why we’re still there in the jungles of Myanmar.
Just like we were in 2013.
Just like we will be until Naw Moo Wa’s family doesn’t have to run anymore.
This Christmas, you can share your passion for this work you’re a part of with loved ones by giving the gift of relief supplies in their honor. We’ll even send a card to let your loved ones know that a life-changing gift was given to families fleeing conflict on their behalf.
Give Relief Supplies
Thank you for your faithful commitment to families like Naw Moo Wa's. We are so grateful for you.
Your friends at Partners.
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The Six-Month Report Card: Southeast Asia
Photo: Preschoolers pose for a class picture at an early childhood program fueled by this community in Karen State, Myanmar.
This week, we're celebrating the
449,754 people that we walked with
in the first six months of this year!
1.
Greater
than a gift...
Hawng Naw is a 23 year old school teacher and what she makes doesn’t even come close to a living wage. She decided to sew to provide supplementary income and at the Partners Kachin Sewing Center, she is learning to do just that.
“I would like to express my appreciation to Partners' Kachin Sewing Center for this opportunity. This is special because we do not have money and time to learn sewing in other places. This place is suitable, comfortable, and a good place for us."
"I believe that giving an opportunity is greater than giving a gift. Thank you.”
2.
Pictures
worth 1,000 words.
These motivated youth are learning English and all the book-knowledge they need to pass the GED test that gets their education recognized by Thailand’s educational system. Three cheers for open doors to higher education!
While parents work and pursue survival tools, their children are cared for in our early childhood program. This special program teaches the fundamentals and keeps kids fed.
The CARE program is a place kids can go when their homes and schools are places the military targets. Located in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, here, children are a part of a loving family environment where voices sing, trumpets blow, blessings are said and school continues - away from the fighting.
Supporting teachers who pour into students, this is our lane and we’re thrilled to partner with these valuable spaces where hungry minds grow.
Seeds and soap, mushrooms and mangoes. Agricultural training is about sustainability and community. From Shan State to our Eden Farm and Marv Kahn Farm, livelihood training is happening and we can literally see the growth!
From beginner to advanced, sewing training is taking place in villages, the Kachin Sewing Center, Mae Sot Sewing Center and the Chiang Mai Sewing Center. Trainees, and some weavers, are advancing their situations by learning/perfecting this life skill.
Fleeing fighting and destroyed villages, these hammocks and food parcels for the internally displaced in Karen State will keep them fed and off the ground - sleeping in trees. What a relief.
3.
Trust
is vital.
Knowing that 131,775 people were helped
in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Thailand
in the first six months of this year
and knowing exactly how we met their
needs is what keeps us in good standing
with all the other folks keeping track.
With so much to share
and oodles to celebrate,
here’s to another six months
of love in action!
Let’s do this!
Your friends at Partners.
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"Most children cannot go to school."
For many families, this last month has been full of back-to-school shopping,
Class supply lists checked off.
Backpacks stuffed full of little one’s favorite-colored notebooks and cartoon erasers.
First day of school pictures full of cheeky grins snapped on front porches.
The joy and nerves of a new year of school.
For thousands of Rohingya kids, these moments often never come.
The Rohingya are a minority Muslim ethnic group in Myanmar that have long been told by those in power that they do not belong.
In 2012, they were stripped of their citizenship and experienced widespread violence in Rakhine State. Subsequent military operations led to a mass exodus of nearly a million people to Bangladesh in 2017.
The majority of those who stayed in Rakhine State were placed in internment camps. They are restricted from access to jobs, education, and are not allowed to move freely about. When they leave, they face copious military checkpoints where they risk having their few possessions confiscated, bribes demanded of them, and brutal attacks.
Going to school takes on a whole new meaning when discrimination is a constant shadow over every aspect of your life.
In Rakhine State, Myanmar, and Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, we’re supporting local communities so more kids can know that first day of school joy and pursue their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, scientists – a future generation that can support free and full lives for their community.
An incredible group of local teachers are behind making this vision a reality. Teachers like Hafsa*, who is a 4th grade teacher for 30 students in a village near Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh. She has been teaching for five years.
“I started teaching because I like teaching and I enjoy teaching children.”
Cyclone Mocha wreaked havoc on her life and community. Her home was flooded, along with her school. “The schools have been flooded, (making them) muddy and damaged. Some students' houses were also damaged, and some students lost their books.”
Even before the cyclone, many families were struggling. “Most of the families in this village are poor…most children cannot go to school because they have to work for money.
Some children started to smoke and drink and became addicted, this is the reason I chose to teach and became a teacher.”
Every child should know what it means to live a life of freedom and belonging.
To dream big dreams and pursue them in a classroom full of friends.
One of these students is Zyihadu. “My grandparents are Rohingya, but I was born here.
"I am happy to go to school, it is fun to meet with friends and play. And I like learning new things."
When I was young, I couldn’t go to school because we are poor, I started to go to school at 10 when we had free school.”
A close-knit community brings joy to his life. “I like my village; I am happy living here. I like playing here, the playground I play at is beautiful. I have good friends.”
Our friends at One Day’s Wages are putting love into action and matching every dollar up to $15,000 so that oppression and discrimination do not have the last word for kids like Zyihadu.
Click here to donate today, doubling hope for Rohingya kids and making sure they can dream big.
Thank you for making their future shine brighter.
*pseudonym used for security.
#rohingya#rohingyacrisis#education#partners#partnersrelief#toloveistoact#educationmatters#educationforall#rohingyaeducation
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Unseen Myanmar
All month long, we’ve been sharing stories from our friends in Myanmar.
In Myanmar, where culture, ethnicity, and pride are so deep within the roots of the country it can be hard to believe the is so much atrocity. Myanmar appears from the outside to be beautiful and unblemished. However, within some states of the country lies a dark underbelly of genocide, occupation, and human rights violations.
Within Karen State specifically, families are in hiding deep within the jungle to seek refuge from the conflict that is happening around them, no matter how careful they are the Myanmar Military can find them and will attack them with helicopters, jet fighters, bombs and bullets. Growing up as a child in the jungle has its limitations, little to no healthcare, unstable education, a limited diet, and no safe place to call home. Many children have moved multiple times before they reach their teenage years. Constantly being displaced and in search of a new location that their family believes will be safe for them.
Children within Karen State learn at a very young age about community, many of the older children look after the younger ones when their families are busy working. They stay at home doing house chores and babysitting. It is safer for them to be at home as it is close to the bunkers that they have constructed. These bunkers are usually 10-20 meters away from their homes. Families are able to rush over to the bunkers once the radios alert them of incoming airstrikes and artillery.
However, even under a brutal genocide with no end in sight many children still keep their curiosity in life and passion to be successful in school to make a better future for their people. These children are suffering because the adults are fighting, yet they are the ones who wish for an end.
This month, over 1,200 of you used your platform to amplify the voices of the people of Myanmar.
Thank you for helping us send out an S.O.S. for the world to hear by watching, sharing, and responding to the atrocities of the Myanmar Military & making the #UNSEEN, seen.
SEE the UNSEEN.
This August. And always.
https://prtns.co/unseenmyanmar
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"The enemy arrives at our place."
Photo: Saw Pah Saw Min receiving relief supplies in Karen State, Myanmar.
1.
Struggling
just to make a living.
Conflict on their doorstep.
Saw Pah Saw Min is one of the 1.9 million displaced in Myanmar.
Watch Now
See his story.
Share it.
And know that every month, help is continuing to reach these communities living on the run, thanks to your ongoing support.
2.
Humble
in appearance, yet more impactful than you know.
Our new women’s health center just opened near Sittwe, Myanmar, where access to other clinics is either too expensive or too far away. Rohingya women in this community now have access to family planning and pregnancy healthcare services, thanks to a trained local midwife and through your ongoing partnership.
Photo: In this humble green clinic, Rohingya women now have access to health services.
3.
You see dirt.
We see a foundation being established.
Our next school rebuild is underway in the Sinjar region of Iraq! Damaged by weather and conflict, 37 remaining students eventually had to move out and study in someone’s home.
But not for much longer.
The rebuilt school will be a center for learning for more than 200 students. That’s a foundation worth building.
Photo: Work on our next school rebuild begins in the Sinjar region of Iraq.
4.
Musicians
playing where the roar of war once dominated?
This is what peace looks like.
Coming alongside youth to equip them in peacebuilding through music, art, and community dialogue?
That’s what helps ensure this peace only grows.
And you’re fueling it through the Arts For Peace Project in the Ninevah region of Iraq, run by our local partner, The Sustainable Peace Foundation.
Photo: group training on musical instruments in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq.
5.
Looking
for your next read?
As you know, we’re doing some shouting this month.
Extending one hand to our friends as the other hand is waving to send out an S.O.S. Here are books about what’s happening in Myanmar that will inspire you to take action.
Take heart, friends.
Together, we are standing on the front lines with the hurting and building peace for future generations.
That is something worth fighting for.
Your friends at Partners.
Donate Now
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"They burned my hands."
Photo: Our team met Pah La Er* on a relief trip in Karen State earlier this year.
1.
Pah La Er*
was captured and tortured by the Myanmar Army.
It’s not easy viewing. But his story mustn't be left unseen.
Watch.
Share.
Respond.
*pseudonym used for safety.
2.
Niss
recently told our SEED staff an all-too familiar narrative.
“I studied in a government school for 9 years…they didn’t want the students to know how the Myanmar military committed violence against and killed our Shan people.”
Read how she’s working to help other kid’s dreams come true.
3.
Leaving
home behind again. But this time, the reason is worth celebrating.
Ten Rohingya refugee families, most led by mothers like Fatema, recently moved into their newly reconstructed homes. Built by you, to keep them safe and dry.
4.
Pest control
isn’t usually in our wheelhouse.
Until kids in Newroz and Roj camps in Northeast Syria start suffering sores from infected fly bites.
Then it’s our thing.
With your help, these pesky flies are biting the dust.
Photo: Local partners completing a pest treatment at a camp in Northeast Syria.
5.
Joyful
scenes that make our hearts sing.
Our local partner Inhalation of Hope’s most recent 3-month trauma care session has wrapped up with what all kids deserve: a celebration.
Photos: The graduation party held to celebrate the students completing their 3-month session.
Kids who have experienced the trauma of war smiling again is just another sign this hope-filled work you’re a part of is truly transformative.
Thanks for sticking at it with us.
Your friends at Partners.
Donate Now.
#partners#partnersrelief#toloveistoact#yazidi#sinjar#traumacare#syria#relief#refugees#refugeecrisis#myanmar#whatshappeninginmyanmar#migrants#education#education for all#students#higher education
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2023 GED Class Roll Call
Behind each portrait of the new 2023 GED students is a story of overcoming challenges and the impact of conflict to pursue the dream of completing their education.
Meet Ching.
"I am from Myanmar. I grew up in a village called Hai Ciin, Chin State. When I was a child, I stayed with my uncle’s family because of my family’s circumstances. I went to school at a non-government school in Myanmar. I really wanted to go to high school or university, but I dropped out of school in the 8th grade and went to work.
I helped my parents because I have two brothers and two sisters. I had to help earn their school fees and I had to support my parents as well. In my culture, it is more important for the men to get an education because they have to provide for their families. That is why I had to stop school and help pay for my younger brothers. I do not think this is good because girls should have the same opportunities.
I desperately wanted to go to university, but I did not have any opportunity to continue school, because of economic problems.
Right now, I work at the Gekko Garden restaurant and I also attend GED class. Sometimes it is very hard to do both of them, but I believe I should do that because it is good for my future. It is difficult to study for the GED because I can’t speak English very well.
After I pass the GED, I would like to go to a university in America or Switzerland and I want to be a nurse.
After university, I would like to go back to my village and I want to raise money to build a hospital. I want to help when they have difficult times, because in my village we don’t have a hospital. When people are sick they have to go to the hospital in the city over the border in India, but it is very difficult for them to get there.
One of my friends was sick and had to go to the hospital, but he died one hour before arriving. There are many other stories like this, but I knew him very well so it deeply affected me. There is also no proper care for mothers when they have their babies. One of my cousins died from a hemorrhage after her baby was born because there was no way to help her. After that, her parents were very depressed and they still have not recovered. Similar things happen many times.
There are many parents who have lost children and they are very sad. When we get together at Christmas, there are many people that we miss who have died, because they could not get medical care. Some people don’t have a choice; their only choice is to suffer and die. This is not fair. People experiencing poverty deserve healthcare and I want to help them.
There are many smart people who would like to learn more and help their people, but they have no opportunity to continue their education. I also wish I could help them to get an education, but there are so many challenges."
We’re so grateful for all the ways your love in action is lifting up these students so their education is not stolen from them by conflict.
Donate Now.
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2023 GED Class Roll Call
Behind each portrait of the new 2023 GED students is a story of overcoming challenges and the impact of conflict to pursue the dream of completing their education.
Meet Niss.
"My name is Niss. I’m 20 years old. I come from Laihka, Southern Shan State in Myanmar. My parents are farmers. I have two younger sisters who are still studying in Laihka Township. My family lives in a small village. In my village, we don’t have any internet to connect with other people.
When I was 6 years old, I attended a government school. To do so, I needed to leave my family and go study in the town. My family wanted me to get a high school diploma because they didn’t want me to work on a farm like they did. It was not easy for me to live in town, because I had to spend a lot of money on my school and the house that I stayed in. I couldn’t live in the town without money, so my family needed to work hard every day to support me with everything.
In the summers, I went back home to learn the Shan language and I could help my family work on the farm during my holiday. After that, I studied in a government school for 9 years. I didn’t like the way that they taught us and they lied about history.
They didn’t want the students to know how the Myanmar military committed violence against and killed our Shan people.
I didn’t want my family to work hard for me to get this bad education, so I decided to leave the government school. In 2015, I went to study at the National School. I didn’t need to pay any money for this school. After that, I finished high school in 2022. I couldn’t go back home for 3 years because there is a civil war in Myanmar. Many people needed to escape to the towns and most people came to Thailand to find some work. Our Shan people have to move every year because we’re not safe and so we can’t do business. We are becoming poorer and poorer because of the civil war. Most of the children can’t go to school and they have no hope to study. The villagers hear gun sounds every day and because of that, I can’t go back home to visit my family in Shan State.
Now I live in Chiang Mai with my friends and my teachers. In the morning, I come to class and study for the GED. In the afternoon, I work as a finance staff member in an education office. I also attend English classes at SEED in the evening. I need to study hard because I want to pass the GED exam.
In the future, I want to get a scholarship to attend a university in Thailand. Actually, I want to attend university in another country, but I don’t have enough money to go study. My family also can’t support me. After I graduate, I want to go back home to visit my family in Shan State. I also want to help the children who don’t have the opportunity to study in my country. At that time, maybe I can teach English and the Shan language to many people. Now in my village, we only have a school, but we don’t have anybody to teach the children. Some parents can’t support their children to go to study in the government school. I know they would be happy if they could study with their friends. I want to be the person who can help them make their dreams come true."
We’re so grateful for all the ways your love in action is lifting up these students so their education is not stolen from them by conflict.
Donate Now.
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UNSEEN Myanmar
The voices of people experiencing oppression are all too often pushed down by those in power because they know that stories are powerful. When we open our hearts to hear the experiences of others, movements of solidarity emerge.
This month, we are asking you to join us in spreading the word about what is going unseen in Myanmar.
In Myanmar, families across the country are living in fear since the military coup in February 2021 unleashed a torrent of human rights abuses. For many ethnic groups in Myanmar, the recent conflict is a continuation of decades of oppression.
Every day, we see the fear and violence perpetuated by the military stealing the freedom and fullness of life that every child in Myanmar deserves.
And as we witness this, we can't help but be moved to respond with love, coming alongside our friends as they do all they can to protect their families. Friends like Say Wa He.
Say Wa He has nine children, including one set of twin girls. His wife works courageously as a community health worker in their village in Karen State.
Once, the Myanmar Army came very close to their house. The family had to flee but Say Wa stayed with his friends to protect his home. It wasn’t long before the army came onto his land. Soldiers broke into his house to find food, supplies, and a place to sleep, smashing all of the windows and breaking the walls.
Once they were done with the place, they tried to set the house on fire. Say Wa He and his friends managed to fight them out of his house using homemade musket guns, primarily used for hunting small game. He managed to arrest four soldiers, while the others started to run away. Resistance forces arrived soon after the fighting and they managed to push the Myanmar Army back to the other side of the lake. The family was able to claim back their land that day.
What happened to Say Wa He and his family is not an isolated incident. Thousands of families across Myanmar have experienced similar moments of terror as the military has unleashed widespread, horrifying attacks.
Help us share Say Wa He’s story and send out an S.O.S. so the world knows the reality of what families are facing.
See. Outcry. Support.
Together, let’s shine a light on the military’s actions so that kids in Myanmar have a chance at free, full lives.
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The military doesn't want you to see this.
Friend, it’s been over 900 days since the military seized control of Myanmar.
For families in Myanmar, this has been 900 days of
Arrests,
Killings,
Bombings,
Fear,
And 1.9 million people displaced.
The simple fact is that the military doesn’t want you to know what’s happening in Myanmar.
They don’t want the world to know.
We’re going to make sure it gets out in the open.
Because we long to see families who are still hiding in the jungles be able to come out into the open too.
Please help us send out an S.O.S. for the world to hear by watching (See), sharing (Outcry), and responding (Support).
1. See
Naw Mu Ler Wah tell her story.
Hers is the first of many you'll see and hear from civilians on the front lines of the conflict across Myanmar during August.
2. Outcry
is what we want to generate.
Share Naw Mu Ler Wah’s and the other stories to come with as many people as you can and help expose what the Myanmar Military is trying to keep hidden.
3. Support
the communities these atrocities are happening to.
Our team has been helping keep children safe, healthy and educated in Myanmar’s conflict zones for almost 30 years.
Your support is needed there now more than ever.
Donate Now
Our goal is to see these must-hear stories shared over 500 times so that together, we can shine a light onto the plight of millions of displaced people who have gone unseen for too long.In solidarity with all who are unseen,
Your friends at Partners.
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2023 GED Roll Call
Behind each portrait of the new 2023 GED students is a story of overcoming challenges and the impact of conflict to pursue the dream of completing their education.
Meet Thet Htar San.
"My name is Thet Htar San. My father gave me this name. I was born in peri-urban Yangon in 2006. I am 16 years old. There are 6 members of my family. As my father worked hard day and night, his sleepless nights increased and he began to suffer from severe headaches. Sadly, my father’s illness could not be treated in the best way and he died in 2009.
After my father died, my family was in a lot of trouble because we had to borrow money from others to pay for my father’s medical treatment. My mother was dependent on her family. At the time, my mother was just 27 years old, my younger brother was 1 year old, my sister was 5 years old and I was 3 years old. My grandmother and my aunt supported us.
My aunt, grandma, and mother raised us from a young age to be well-educated and I attended middle school and high school in South Dagon Township. The way I grew up was very simple because I’m not from a rich community.
In 2022, I moved to Chiang Mai and am now studying at the SEED Center to take the GED exam. I am excited to attend the GED class! I am living here on a student visa which is very expensive. I live in an apartment and I cook by myself. Monday to Friday I go to school and Saturday and Sunday are my holidays. I study every day for 6 hours.
My English is not at the expected level for the GED, so I am working harder. I always practice, but writing and speaking are my weaknesses. Despite my best efforts, I am sometimes afraid to speak to others, so those two skills have become my weakness. That’s why I always study at home, trying to turn a weakness into a strength.
Now, I am trying to get the highest GED score. The GED teachers are very good, so I hope to get the best score and I will try my best.
After I finish the GED, I will attend university. My dream is to go to university in Europe. I want to study my favorite major internationally because the education abroad is so good. I want to study Botany and Paleontology as my majors. I want to be a doctor in the future."
We’re so grateful for all the ways your love in action is lifting up these students so their education is not stolen from them by conflict.
Donate Now.
#partners#partnersrelief#toloveistoact#education#educationforall#educationmatters#migrants#students#thailand#myanmar#whatshappeninginmyanmar
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