Activities

Education and training

Community-based education campaigns and training courses are carried out to raise awareness and improve the skills of the refugee community and ethnic migrant families. In-house capacity building trainers run trainings and workshops on leadership management, project development and management, gender issues, income generation, peace building, conflict resolution, financial management, office management, adolescent education, HIV-AIDS, and women's health issues. We also go inside the IDP areas to share information and build awareness on fundamental social issues.

Women's welfare

KNWO operates a safe house inside the refugee camp for women who need immediate protection. Counseling, rescue, medical care, house-to-house visits, and para-legal assistance are offered to victims of gender-based violence and discrimination.

Our camp offices are always open to assist abused women who come to seek help. Trained staffs offer counseling, referrals, and coordinate para-legal follow up on severe cases. KNWO also provides temporary shelter whenever needed. Occasionally, KNWO helps women and children who are arrested. Update information on women's rights and relevant gender issues are shared to the right audiences by going to each camp section.

Nursery schools

As early as 1993 KNWO opened nursery schools for pre-school children from 2.8 up to 5 years old. At present 25 schools in the refugee camps and inside Karenni State continue to provide early childhood education and supplementary feeding to at least 2,500 schoolchildren. Parents are able to do other domestic work or earn additional income for the family while their children are in the care of the nursery school.

Over a hundred women are involved in this project as classroom teachers, teacher trainers, community facilitators, cooks, or babysitters. To encourage responsible parenthood, trainings on child care, child rights and hygiene are given to parents. Children also receive regular clothing and school supplies.

Conditions in the IDP areas are more difficult than in the camps in terms of security, facilities, and access to resources, but we have managed to operate six nursery schools in the most depressed villages inside Karenni State.

Income generation

KNWO implements sustainable livelihood projects to raise money to support KNWO activities and provide income for women. Traditional weaving projects in both camps produce beautiful ethnic clothes, scarves, blankets, and many other items which are sold to local and international markets with profit returning directly to the people. Vocational trainings on sewing, handicrafts making, herbal balm making, and reflexology have also been carried out. These livelihood initiatives support the rights of women to work and provide safe employment opportunities.

Loom weaving, backstrap weaving and sewing are among the major income-generating projects and has become a sustainable source of livelihood for women inside the camps. Ever year traditional sarongs are produced and given to the people in the camps for free.

Youth development

KNWO runs the 10-month Women Study Program (WSP) to build up the knowledge, skills, and experiences of Karenni women by learning in a classroom setting, through community exposure and internship. The one-year internship program with local CBOs allows for practical application of learning and gaining of hands-on experience for future community work. It is hoped that after women have trained with WSP they will be empowered to help the people within their community.

KNWO also supports the leadership development of young women to become actively involved in community undertakings by engaging them in a six-month apprenticeship in the organization.

Networking

KNWO collaborates with other women organizations for activities such as the monthly Women Exchange, International Women's Day celebrations, and other advocacy campaigns for collective action. KNWO is a member of the Women's League of Burma (WLB), an umbrella organization of 12 ethnic women's organizations founded in 1999.