Cyntax Foundation

Rural Organisation for Social Elevation

2010-09-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

Though in many ways I am averse to some of the ways in which eco-tourism and voluntourism are touted and used for profit in many developing countries, R.O.S.E. seems to have established a stellar (and multiple award-winning) model in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Rural Organisation for Social Elevation (R.O.S.E.) also known by its Hindi name Koormanchal Seva Samsthan (K.S.S.), was founded in 1981 by a small group from the Kanda community as a non-governmental, non-profit organization.

R.O.S.E.'s programming works at grassroots level, appealing to the community to become active participants in developing a better life for themselves. It is the goal of K.S.S./R.O.S.E. to improve the health, education and quality of life of the rural poor in this region while maintaining cultural integrity and ecological balance. This goal is realized through a program which brings tourist volunteers to Kanda to live with the Verma family, experience local Kumaoni culture and assist financially (administration fee, rent & optional donation) and manually, in the rural development projects of K.S.S./R.O.S.E.

Mr. Verma has created an exceptional example of responsible rural tourism that greatly benefits the community and the visitors through genuine, respectful cultural interactions. Mr. Verma’s family has lived in the Kanda region for generations. Therefore he has a deep understanding of the social, cultural and environmental issues faced by the local population. Most importantly, he recognizes that these three aspects are interdependent and integral parts of a fully sustainable system of living and all projects are approached with this in mind. Some examples of previous projects of K.S.S./R.O.S.E. include the installation of twin-tank latrines, construction of earthquake-proof homes, community educational programmes on sanitation and employment generation for the rural unemployed.

R.O.S.E. website
Jeevan Verma
R.O.S.E.
Sunargaon, Kanda
Bageshwar-263631
Uttarakhand, India
jeevanverma@rosekanda.org
Office: +91-5963-241081

Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC) in Sikkim

2010-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Situated in the Eastern Himalayas, the beautiful state of Sikkim is sandwiched between the kingdoms of Nepal in the West and Bhutan in the East, Tibet in the North and the Indian state of West Bengal in the South. Known also as 'Demazong' by the Sikkimese people, it means "hidden valley full of treasure, fruit and flower". It is considered a sacred land blessed by the Saint Padma Sambhava.

Humble Beginnings
Yuksam, a small hamlet in west Sikkim, has long been a popular base for trekkers and nature lovers up to Dzongri (4030m), Goecha-La (5002m) near Mt Khangchendzonga, the world's third highest mountain at (8586m). These treks also offer panoramic views of other snow-capped mountains such as Mt. Pandim, Mt. Kabur and Mt Narsing. Together with the area's heterogeneity in culture and tradition, rich biodiversity, scenic beauty and historic religious places like Norbu Gang and Dubdi Monastery, this area has become an attractive place for tourists.

Over time, this previously remote area of Sikkim gained prominence as tourism developed rapidly and the Indian government started to promote tourism in this part of the country.

As more and more visitors came to the area, the different impacts of tourism became visible. The pressure on the surrounding resources increased, more infrastructure demand led to depletion of the surrounding forests, garbage and litter began to be a problem in the trekking trails and campsites and different conflicts related with tourism began to manifest in their area.

There was a growing concern amongst the local community to do something to mitigate the various impacts of tourism and conserve the resources that attracted visitors to this area. Out of this shared concern, different stakeholders from the community came under one banner in the name of Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC).

Initial activities at the grass root level started from the beginning of 1996. Soon after, we were formally registered and recognized by the Government of Sikkim on 19th February 1997.

Who is in the KCC?
KCC is a community-based organisation in Yuksam, West Sikkim. This means that the organisation comprises representatives of the community (e.g. village heads) and stakeholders in tourism enterprises (such as hotels) who work together to

* Mitigate the negative impacts of tourism,
* Conserve natural and cultural resources,
* Provide training to community stakeholders,
* Educate visitors,
* Monitor resources, and
* Advocate for appropriate policy changes.

KCC website
Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee
P.O. Box Yuksam, Sikkim, 737113, India
Phone: 91-3595-241411
email: kcc_sikkim@hotmail.com

ASEAN: Make Human Rights a Regional Concern - Summit Meeting Should Address Burma, Refugees, and Migrants

2009-02-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

(New York) - Southeast Asian leaders at the 14th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit meeting should address the dire human rights situation in Burma, improve treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and strengthen protection for migrants, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to the ASEAN secretary-general, Surin Pitsuwan. Human Rights Watch urged that these issues be a priority for the new ASEAN human rights body, which is to be discussed at the meeting taking place from February 27 to March 1 in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Human Rights Watch said that the recent forced return at sea of boats containing ethnic Rohingya refugees from Burma, leading to hundreds of deaths, was proof of the need for regional solutions to Southeast Asia's human rights problems. The global economic downturn and the resulting impact on migrants' rights also highlights how gaps in current labor and policy frameworks across the region also have left millions of workers at high risk of mistreatment, Human Rights Watch said.

"The tragedy surrounding the Rohingyas' perilous exodus reveals glaring failures of ASEAN in dealing with Burma," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "ASEAN's continuing failure to hold the Burmese military government accountable for abuses and ASEAN's unwillingness to provide refuge for those fleeing oppression in Burma are two sides of the same coin."

Burma's military government continues to deny its citizens basic freedoms, including freedom of expression, association, and assembly. It regularly imprisons political activists and human rights defenders - the number of political prisoners nearly doubled following the September 2007 crackdown, to more than 2,150. The Burmese military continues to violate the rights of civilians in ethnic conflict areas by committing extrajudicial killings, forced labor, and land confiscation without due process, both as part of military offensives and in preparation for mega-infrastructure projects of foreign companies.

Human Rights Watch said that ASEAN's human rights body should independently investigate and report on human rights conditions in member countries, and that Burma should be a priority.

The summit meeting is likely to discuss what measures may be taken, in cooperation with the United Nations refugee agency, to protect the Rohingya in countries where they land after fleeing Burma. But a significant step to ensure binding commitment of the entire region would be for all ASEAN member states to ratify the 1951 Refugees Convention and its 1967 Protocol without delay.

"The plight of the Rohingya, exacerbated by Thailand's actions in pushing them back out to sea, should be a wake-up call for ASEAN to change its approach in dealing with refugees and migrants," said Pearson. "ASEAN countries can no longer look the other way and close the door to those in need of protection."

Millions of men and women from Southeast Asia work as migrants in both Asia and the Middle East, typically in domestic work, construction, manufacturing and agriculture. Trafficking within, and emanating from, Southeast Asia remains a serious problem, and harsh immigration enforcement measures have fueled additional abuses in countries such as Malaysia and Thailand.

"Many migrants are deceived about their working conditions, cheated out of their wages, abused by their employers, and deported without access to redress," said Pearson. "The economic downturn places migrants at heightened risk - desperation and gaps in legal protections provide a recipe for exploitation."

In many cases, bilateral cooperation between ASEAN countries has failed to establish adequate protection for vulnerable migrant populations. Regional cooperation and leadership from ASEAN can help to ensure minimum standards across the region that will avoid an unhealthy race to the bottom, as countries compete for jobs in a volatile economic climate. Furthermore, ASEAN can play an important role in fighting human trafficking.

Both Malaysia and Thailand have failed to investigate allegations of collusion between government officials and trafficking gangs on the Malay-Thai border. In 2008, Burmese migrants told Human Rights Watch of being sold to criminal gangs, who charged those with money to smuggle them back into Malaysia and trafficked those who could not pay.

While ASEAN has recently declared its intention to address some of these issues through its Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, its Declaration on Trafficking in Persons, Particularly Women and Children, and the Bali Process, concrete improvements have yet to be seen. In the letter, Human Rights Watch urges ASEAN member states to end restrictions on migrant workers' freedom of movement and freedom of association, to ensure that migrants have access to justice and support services, and to institute screening procedures to identify and assist victims of trafficking and abused migrant workers, among other measures.

"Concrete measures to promote and protect the rights of refugees and migrants will make it possible for ASEAN to evolve from a talk shop and become an action-oriented organization, responding to what really matters to people in Southeast Asia," said Pearson.

Candle4Burma

2009-02-27T17:13:00.001-08:00

(Warning: if you are a sensitive reader, please note this post contains shocking, tragic and heart breaking true life stories)

Burma is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Monks are treasured and revered by the Burmese community.

Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal regimes in the World. This was brought sharply to the world’s attention by the Saffron Revolution in September ’07. Tragically, many people where killed, jailed or went missing. Many monks where killed and many disappeared from the face of the earth forever ...and the world stood by and did nothing....

In Thai / Burma border region there are more than 10 refugee camps. These camps are occupied by more than 300,000 people. The Burmese army attacks its own people, burning down villages almost every day. Villagers on the run get shot or they are killed by landmines. Refugees who live in the jungle have nothing. Mothers, fathers, babies, children and elderly people live in fear of the junta army. People are arrested and forced into hard labour by the Junta. Civilians are used as minesweepers by the army. The army takes young children out of their schools to be soldiers for the Junta. In Burma there are more then 70,000 child soldiers.

In Burma there are more then 2000 political prisoners. People are been given long term jail sentences. Prisoners are being tortured and killed by the Junta. The most famous of these noble political prisoners, is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She won the Burmese presidential elections but has been under house arrest for almost 19 years.

Then there was the cyclone "Nargis'... which killed more than a 100,000 people. Thousands went missing but the Junta would not let any aid into the country.

Burma is in crisis. The UN is silent, The USA is silent, The EU is silent. ...the Junta continues killing its own people.

This is why Candle4burma has been created. May our candles create enough light to wake the world up to the suffering of the people of Burma. May the candles burn till the day Burma is free.

Please support this Network and encourage your friends and family participate in Candle4burma. Please do your bit to bring awareness to the world about this tragedy of our fellow human beings

Thank you and many blessings
Candle4Burma

Nick Kristof Sneaks Into Burma To Report On Human Rights Abuses by Nicholas Kristof

2009-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

MYAWADDY, Myanmar: Before entering Myanmar from Thailand, you scrub your bags of any hint that you might be engaged in some pernicious evil, such as espionage, journalism or promotion of human rights.

Then you exit from the Thai town of Mae Sot and walk across the gleaming white "friendship bridge" to the Burmese immigration post on the other side. Entering Myanmar (which traditionally has been known as Burma), you adjust your watch: Myanmar is 30 minutes - and 50 years - behind.

Already Myanmar's government is one of the most brutal in the world, and in recent months it has become even more repressive.

A blogger, Nay Phone Latt, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A prominent comedian, Zarganar, was sentenced to 59 years. A former student leader, Min Ko Naing, a survivor of years of torture and solitary confinement, has received terms of 65 years so far and faces additional sentences that may reach a total of 150 years.

"Politically, things are definitely getting worse," said David Mathieson, an expert on Myanmar for Human Rights Watch living on the Thai-Burmese border. "They've just sent hundreds of people who should be agents of change to long prison terms."

A new American presidency is a useful moment to review policy toward Myanmar, and the truth is that the West's approach has failed.

The Burmese junta has ruled despotically since 1988, ignoring democratic elections. Since then, sanctions have had zero effect in moderating the regime.

I have vast respect for Aung San Suu Kyi, the extraordinary woman who won a Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to the country's thugs.

But the best use of her courage right now would be to accept that the trade sanctions she advocated have accomplished nothing more than further impoverishing her own people. As with Cuba and North Korea, isolating a venal regime usually just hurts the innocent and helps the thugs stay in power.

Instead, the best bet is financial sanctions that specifically target individuals close to the regime - and, even more, a clampdown on Burma's arms imports.

"It would be very difficult to get an arms embargo through the Security Council, but that's something that really goes to the heart of any military regime," Mathieson said. "You lock them out of the tools of their own self-aggrandizement and repression."

President George W. Bush tried to help Burmese dissidents, but he had zero international capital. The Obama administration, in contrast, has a chance to lead an international initiative to curb Burmese arms imports and bring the regime to the negotiating table.

Myanmar's weapons have come from or through China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Singapore, and Russia is even selling Myanmar's dictators a nuclear reactor, Mathieson said.

In crossing from Thailand to Myanmar, you pass through a time warp.

You leave the bustle and dynamism of Thailand and encounter a stagnating backwater of antique cars and shacks beside open sewers.

I found it difficult to interview people in Myanmar, because I was traveling as a tourist with two of my kids (and my wife is sick of me getting our kids arrested with me in dictatorships).

But we dropped in on the Myawaddy hospital, which was so understaffed that no one stopped us as we marched through wards of neglected patients.

The most flourishing business we saw on the Burmese side belonged to a snake charmer who set up temporary shop outside a temple.

The moment a crowd gathered, an armed soldier ran over in alarm - and then relaxed when he saw that the only threat to public order was a cobra.

In Mae Sot, Thailand, I visited with former Burmese political prisoners, like the courageous Bo Kyi. They are at risk of being killed by Burmese government assassins, yet they are campaigning aggressively for change.

Equally inspiring are the Free Burma Rangers, who risk their lives to sneak deep into the country for months at a time to provide medical care and document human rights abuses.

One gutsy American working with the group, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, communicated with me by satellite phone from his hiding place deep inside Myanmar.

He knows that the Burmese government will kill him if it catches him, yet he stays to gather photos and other evidence of how Burmese soldiers are drafting ethnic Karen villagers for forced labor and are raping women and girls. One recent case described by the Free Burma Rangers involved a 7-year-old girl who was raped, and then killed.

The courage of these people seeking a new Myanmar is infectious and inspiring. In this new administration, let's help them - and see if with new approaches we can finally topple one of the most odious regimes in the world.

Angelina Jolie Visits Refugee Camp in Thailand by Grant Peck

2009-02-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK — Angelina Jolie, a Hollywood star deeply involved in the plight of refugees, has called on the Thai government to respect the human rights of Myanmar's Rohinyga boat people whom Thai authorities have pushed out to sea in recent weeks, a U.N. spokeswoman said Friday.

Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt, are on a visit to Thailand, where on Wednesday they toured one of several camps along the Thai-Myanmar border sheltering refugees from Myanmar's military regime.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Kitt McKinsey told AP Television News that it was a coincidence that Jolie's visit came just as the plight of the Rohingyas was catching world attention.

The Rohingya, denied citizenship in their native land, have been trying to land in Thailand after treacherous sea journeys only to be towed back to sea and cast adrift by the Thai Navy. Indian officials, who rescued some, believe hundreds perished.

"She was extremely touched by the plight of the Rohingya people. She expressed the hope that the human rights of the Rohingya people will be respected just as the human rights of everyone in the world should be respected," McKinsey said.

"I also hope the Rohingya situation stabilizes and their life in Myanmar improves so the people do not feel the desperate need to flee, especially considering how dangerous their journey has become," Jolie was earlier quoted as saying.

The Rohingya, from western Myanmar, represent just a part of Myanmar's refugee exodus.

For decades, hundreds of thousands of others _ most from other ethnic minorities _ have fled by land across the country's eastern border to Thailand. Most are civilians caught up in fighting between Myanmar government troops and ethnic insurgents. Many flee to Thai refugee camps, where they remain for years with little chance of resettlement in third countries.

On Wednesday, Jolie slapped a bright blue U.N. baseball cap on her head and toured the bamboo huts of the Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, home to 18,111 mainly ethnic Karenni refugees, just two miles (three kilometers) from the Myanmar border, near the northern Thai town of Mae Hong Son. There are between 116,000 and 135,000 refugees at camps along the border.

Jolie, 33, sat down in a two-room house on stilts and talked with a female refugee, according to an account of the visit given Thursday in a press release by the U.N. refugee agency.

Jolie asked one 26-year-old woman, Pan Sein, whether she was afraid when she made her perilous journey last year from her home village in Myanmar's Kayah State.

"Yes, I was scared," Pan Sein replied. "It was dangerous to flee, but even more dangerous to stay in my village."

This was Jolie's third visit to Thailand to meet with refugees and her mission has taken her to more than 20 countries to comfort the unwanted.

"I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp," Jolie said.

Thailand recognizes most at the border camps as refugees with legitimate fear of returning to their homeland, but does not accord the Muslim Rohingyas the same status, and seeks to send them away.

"Visiting Ban Mai Nai Soi and seeing how hospitable Thailand has been to 111,000 mostly Karen and Karenni refugees over the years makes me hope that Thailand will be just as generous to the Rohingya refugees who are now arriving on their shores," Jolie said.

McKinsey said the couple arrived in Thailand by private jet and were now on "private time." She said she did not know when they would leave the country.

Thailand Burma Border Consortium:
www.tbbc.org

Cross-Cultural Solutions

2009-02-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Abroad is Cross-Cultural Solutions most popular program, year after year. Cross-Cultural Solutions offers this exciting program in every program site, with start dates available year-round.

Volunteer Abroad is the perfect short-term international volunteer experience, designed with flexibility and individual attention in mind so we can meet your needs and interests.

It's the experience of a lifetime!
* Choose where you volunteer: Volunteer Abroad is available in 12 countries, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand.
* Choose when you go: Volunteer Abroad start dates are available year-round.
* Choose how long you stay: Volunteer Abroad is available from 2-12 weeks. Do you only have one week? Consider Insight Abroad.
* Receive a personalized Volunteer Abroad placement – Our local staff determine your Volunteer Abroad placement through an evaluation of your personal skills and interests and matches it with the needs of the community. Read more about our placement process. CCS volunteers work in orphanages and child care centers, schools, health clinics and hospitals, homes for the elderly, centers for the disabled, and other community organizations. Learn more about our volunteer work.
* Gain an inside perspective – CCS in-country staff provide Cultural & Learning Activities so you can learn about the local culture and customs, as well as understand community development. There is also Free Time to relax, reflect, or explore the community.

Cross-Cultural Solutions Headquarters
2 Clinton Place | New Rochelle, New York 10801 | USA
Tel: 1-800-380-4777 | 1-914-632-0022
Fax: 1-914-632-8494
info@crossculturalsolutions.org
www.crossculturalsolutions.org

Vital Voices debuts documentary theatre piece in NYC on Jan. 21

2008-01-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

SEVEN is groundbreaking work of documentary theatre that captures the important work and remarkable lives of a diverse and courageous group of women leaders around the world.

A collaboration by award-winning playwrights - Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz - the play is based on personal interviews with seven women who have triumphed over enormous obstacles in order to bring about major changes in their home countries of Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Cambodia. The lives of these women provide a portal through which audiences will be able to experience a diversity of cultures while bearing witness to the varied ways in which individual women have overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles to justice and freedom.

When:
Monday, January 21, 2008, 8:00 pm

Where:
92nd Street Y
Kaufmann Concert Hall
Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
New York, NY 10128

Tickets Cost:
$18.00 / $10.00 Age 35 and Under

Box Office:
212.415.5500

TICKETS MAY ALSO BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT www.92y.org

About the Seven Women

* Inez McCormack, Northern Ireland: a dynamic civil rights leader who played a major role in the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords. She has led organizations devoted to fair trade and fair labor practices. Inez was the first woman President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Her humanitarian work has concentrated on the twin concerns of economic development and peace.
* Mukhtar Mai, Pakistan: gang raped by four men and forced to walk home almost naked in retribution for an alleged 'honor crime,' this harrowing story grabbed headlines across the world. Rather than commit suicide, Mukhtar decided to bring her rapists to justice and improve the condition of women by building schools and becoming an ardent advocate for education in her country.
* Annabella De Leon, Guatemala: raised herself and her family out of poverty by educating herself. She has been a Congresswoman since 1995. Despite death threats (she has 6 bodyguards appointed by Human Rights Watch), she is a fearless fighter against corruption and for the rights of the poor, particularly women and indigenous people.
* Mu Sochua, Cambodia: the former Minister of Women's Affairs in Cambodia, she was co-nominated in 2005 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work surrounding sex trafficking in Cambodia.
* Marina Pisklakova-Parker, Russia: founded ANNA, the first organization in Russia to provide crisis and counseling services for women affected by domestic violence. She is working to engage her government and embassies around the world in educating potential trafficking victims.
* Farida Azizi, Afghanistan: a founding member of Afghan Women's Network and the Corporation for Peace and Unity, she has gained asylum and now lives in the United States with her two children and works on women's rights and peace-building in Afghanistan.
* Hafsat Abiola, Nigeria: from a family of courageous fighters for freedom and justice, founded and directs KIND (Kudirat Initiative for Democracy), an NGO that aids women in their attempts to advance democracy in Africa and has created skills-training opportunities for young women across Nigeria.

For more information about Vital Voices, please visit their website:
www.vitalvoices.org

Headquarters
1150 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 620
Washington, DC 20036

Tel: 202.861.2625 Fax: 202.861.4290

New York Office
15 Barclay Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10007

Tel: 212.992.9110 Fax: 212.995.3649

AFESIP - Acting for Women in Distressing Situations - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-10-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

AFESIP CAMBODIA is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and non-religious organization established at the grass-root level in Cambodia in 1996. The dire situations of thousands of victims forced into sex slavery are the reasons why AFESIP exists today.

AFESIP CAMBODIA cares for those victimized of trafficking and sex slavery. The success criteria have been, first and foremost, securing victim’s rights by providing holistic care through a victim centered approach with long term goals of successful and permanent rehabilitation and reintegration.

The “humanly correct development” is defined as “conforming to the most fundamental rights; those applicable anytime, anywhere, and to any persons in peace as in war time, freely contracted by any country of the world” (UN civil and political rights pact, article 6; right to live, article 7; forbidding of torture, article 8; forbidding of slavery, article 11; forbidding of unfair detention).

Our aims and objectives are:

* To combat trafficking in women and girls for sex slavery
* To provide holistic care and recovery for those rescued from sex slavery
* To provide occupational skills
* To reintegrate those rescued into the community through financial independence in a sustainable and innovative manner.

AFESIP CAMBODIA also seeks to combat the causes and consequences of trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation through:

* Outreach work in HIV/AIDS prevention
* Advocacy and campaigning
* Representation and participation in women's issues at national, regional and international forums.

AFESIP Cambodia
Communication Department
#62CE0, Street 598, Boeung Kak 2
Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Tel: (855) 023 884 123
Fax: (855) 023 884 123
Website: www.afesip.org

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-10-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

During the wet season in Cambodia, many people suffer from the notorious dengue virus, a virus which is carried by mosquitoes that thrive in the waters that collect during the wet season. For many people, escaping the virus means vigilantly covering up and closing windows or doors; however for women and children living literally behind prison bars, this is very difficult to do. Thanks to an extremely generous donation from the Women's International Group (WIG), LICADHO was able to distribute blankets and mosquito nets to 664 minor prisoners, pregnant women and children living in 14 Cambodian prisons.

The materials are essential in helping to avoid dengue fever and other mosquito-borne viruses which prisoners are very susceptible to. In CC2, toys and books were also distributed to children living with their mothers in prison, thanks to private donors. The toys and books play an important role in providing stimulation to these innocent children who are living with their mothers in prison and who have very little material in the way of recreation or education.

During the distribution at CC2, WIG representatives and LICADHO staff were also invited to visit the prison's health center where they met with sick female prisoners and were able to give them the donated materials. The materials will also be distributed to 12 other prisons over the next week, which include: Sihanoukville, Kampot, Koh Kong, Kompong Speu, Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, Battabang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kompong Thom, Kompong Cham, and Svay Rieng Prisons.

During her speech at CC2, LICADHO President Dr. Kek Galabru appealed to the inmates, particularly the minor prisoners, to have solidarity and to regard each other as family members, and to develop and apply themselves when they eventually left the prison. She added that this was especially important as they are among the next generation who will contribute to the development of the country.

Representatives of the minor prisoners from CC2 and Takhmao Prisons also had a brief chance to address the group, promising to be unified and to renew themselves after their eventual release from prison.

The LICADHO Prison Project continually monitors the living conditions of prisoners however due to insufficient funds, the lack of sanitation, poor hygiene, and malnutrition in Cambodian prisons, conditions unfortunately remain very poor. In Cambodia's prisons women, children and men are all maintained on a prison budget of USD$0.38 per day, which pays for two meals a day, sanitation, cooking fuel, water, electricity and transportation. Prison is no place for children to grow up, but Cambodia's lack of a juvenile justice system throws children into adult courts and adult prisons with no alternative.

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights
#16, St. 99, Boeung Trabek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
P.O. Box 499, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel: (855) 023 330 965, (855) 023 211 391, (855) 023 982 669
Fax: (855) 023 330 965, (855) 023 217 626
E-mail: contact@licadho.org
Website: www.licadho.org

Sunrise Children's Village - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-10-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Cambodia, like many other Third World countries, has more than its share of orphaned and abandoned children. Thirty years of war, foreign occupation, genocide and civil war has become the norm for this battered country.

The original group of 24 children came from Site B Refugee Camp (also known as Prince Sihanouk's Camp) in Thailand, where their parents and families fled either the Khmer Rouge Regime between 1975-1979 or the Vietnamese occupation, which followed from 1979-1992. In 1993 almost all Cambodian refugees in Thailand were repatriated back into Cambodia to take part in the UN-brokered elections. However, as these children were already orphaned in the refugee camp, they were abandoned again, just over the border in Cambodia in a very poor village called Ampil, in the province of Oddar Meancheay.

After the Khmer Rouge brutally killed a teenage boy from the group, they were moved to another temporary area in the city of Sisophon in the same province for a few months. Military activity again forced them to move to the city of Battambang to even more Spartan living conditions, until finally land was found for them outside of Phnom Penh and Red Cross buses carried them to the capital in late 1994.

The Coup of July 1997 once again threatened their home, as rebel government soldiers tried to take over the land that had previously been military barracks.

In January 2001 we were again forced to move, as the owners of the land required it for another purpose. So, until September 2002, we were temporarily located in a house 12 kms from the capital in a town called Ta Khmao. At the previous land we were not paying for these items, so it was even more vital for us to find more sponsors, both private and corporate, to assist us in building a new centre on land presented to Sunrise by the Cambodian Government in 1999. In September 2002 we were able to move to the new land and our lives are much improved.

Children come to us in a myriad of ways: parents or other family members have been killed or maimed by land-mines, died of hunger or disease and often targeted for murder because of their political affiliations. When these children are rendered homeless, the villagers sometimes make every effort to care for them, but more often than not, they are taken into homes and used as slave-labour in return for food and a place to sleep until their plight is brought to our attention.

To comply with Cambodian Government regulations, Sunrise investigates claims of abuse or neglect and once the village leaders have produced background details on the children and given official notice that they wish the children to be cared for by Sunrise, these papers are lodged with the Ministry of Social Affairs, and we are then permitted to take the children from the village and become their "guardians" until they are 18 years old.

In each case we go to the villages to assess the situation on the ground to ensure that the need is real. If it is not too traumatic for the children, photos of the living conditions are taken to compare later with life at Sunrise.

Following are some of the things that Sunrise provides for the children under our care:

* Love
* Food
* Shelter
* Inoculation against Polio, TB, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B
* Clothing (includes provision of 2 school uniforms)
* Medical and Dental Care
* Education at Government School
* Evening English Language Classes
* Traditional Cambodian Music and Dance Lessons
* Sewing Classes
* Field Trips
* Personal Counselling when required
* English-Language Library
* Physical Exercise Program, Health & Hygiene Instruction, Family Planning and HIV Aids Awareness
* Computer School
* Carpentry School
* Agricultural Training
* Life Skills Weekend Workshops
* Employment and Accommodation is secured for the children when they turn 18 and have to leave Sunrise

Experience has taught us that in the past when volunteers worked with us, the children bonded with them very quickly - they are so needy - that when the volunteer eventually left, the children were depressed and actually felt abandoned all over again. They do not understand why the volunteers can't stay forever.

Medical experts tell us what the children need is constancy in their lives and to see the same people around them every day. So to provide this we employ Cambodians on local salaries to do all the work previously done by volunteers and this seems to work well.

But if you are ever in Cambodia we would welcome your visit for half a day to see what the children do at Sunrise, so please do keep in touch.

Sunrise Children's Village
Post Office Box 2504
Phnom Penh 3
Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia

Geraldine Cox, President
Cambodia: +855 (0) 12 803 069
Fax +855 (0) 23 210 361
Australia: +61 (0) 419 696 012
geraldine.cox@sunrisechildrensvillage.org
Website: www.sunrisechildrensvillage.org

Location of the Sunrise Children's Village
As the orphanage has no actual 'street address' please follow these instructions:
Depart from Phnom Penh in a Southerly direction along Norodom Boulevard. Go past the Independence Monument keeping South on Norodom Boulevard, continue past the Monivong Bridge and keep on going until you reach Takhmao town. Go across the river and through the town to the roundabout and take the second exit which is Road 21 in the direction of Sa'ang. The Sunrise Children's Village is 7.5 kilometres from the roundabout. It is on the right hand side of the road and there is a sign outside.

Location of Sunrise Angkor Children's Village
The orphanage is located right in the heart of Siem Reap. Most hotels are only a couple of minutes drive away by taxi or tuk tuk. For directions please ask Gerald Trevor on 012 800960 for guidance.

Women in the Material World

2007-09-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

A follow-up to coauthor Peter Menzel's lauded Material World: A Global Family Portrait, Women in the Material World once again illuminates the human family--but this time with the focus on women. The result is an arresting collection of photographs, interviews, and anecdotes documenting the day-to-day lives and thoughts of women from 20 different countries. From Albania to India to the United States, we hear the female viewpoint on politics and religion, men and marriage, children and education. Cultural stereotypes are both supported (an Ethiopian mother explains why her daughter must be circumcised) and shattered (the loving equity of an Albanian marriage). The gorgeous accompanying photographs artfully link narrative text with faces and environs, from the rugged peaks of Bhutan to the Mediterranean beaches of Israel. What emerges is a captivating survey of women's lives in the late 20th century, and--even more--a powerful feeling of connectedness with these fellow human beings.

From Nowhere to Nee - A Novel

2007-09-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Read about the fictional novel Hayden Wills wrote while living in Bangkok in the 90's. "From Nowhere to Nee" is an innocent love story about a teenage boy lost between two cultures. He falls in love with a beautiful young Thai girl who is a victim of poverty and circumstance... You will fall in love with the characters and learn about Thai culture and life in "The Land of Smiles." All proceeds from the sale of this novel will go towards the support of the Cyntax Foundation.

Center for Children's Happiness - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-09-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Steung Meanchey Municipal Waste Dump is located in southern Phnom Penh, in a district of the city of the same name, Steung Meanchey. The dump itself covers about 100 acres. It is flanked by private property on which rubbish pickers build makeshift huts and are charged exhorbitant rents by landowners. Roughly 2,000 people, about 600 of which are children, live and work there.

It is nicknamed “Smoky Mountain” because of the miasma of smoke that the dump constantly gives off. It is literally on fire; the waste creates methane as it rots and the methane burns. In monsoon season and throughout much of the rest of the year, the surrounding area is swamped and the children live and play in fetid water.

Most of the rubbish pickers at Steung Meanchey are either from Phnom Penh or came to Phnom Penh looking for work and ended up in the slums. Many of the approximately 600 children have parents or relatives who also work on the dump and look after them. Some of them go to school, but most do not - at least not on a regular basis -, and it is safe to say that virtually none of them ever completes a primary school education. The school fees are too high and their families need them to collect rubbish to contribute to the family income. Adults earn, on average, 4000 to 5000 riels (US$1.00 to $1.25) a day; children earn on average about half that amount. A whole family working together can actually earn more money than they could in the rural village from which they originally came. (source: The Centre for Children's Happiness)

The Centre for Children's Happiness (CCH) was established and managed by Mr Mech Sokha, who himself is an orphan, the sole survivor in his family of the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975 to 1979. He started the orphanage in October 2002 with help of a Japanese woman, Ms.Osanai Mieko, a President of Japan Team of Young Human Power (JHP) organization. It provides a home and education to 30 children - 12 girls and 18 boys. The children are either orphans or belong to parents who cannot take care of them due to illness or disability. All of the children previously worked as garbage pickers at the Steung Meanchey landfill in Phnom Penh. For more information, please refer to:

Mech Sokha, Director
Center for Children's Happiness
# 413, Street 371, Group 12, Trea village, Sangkat Steung Meanchey,
Khan Mean Chey, Phnom Penh City

Tel. 023-995023, 012-832330
E-mail: mechsokha@hotmail.com

New Baby at Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage

2007-09-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

Duang Prateep Foundation - Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage

2007-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ban Nam Khem, located about two hours north of Phuket, was the most severely affected village in Thailand on December 26, 2004. Out of 5,395 known fatalities in Thailand, 2,500 were residents of Ban Nam Khem, with only 49 out of 1,400 houses surviving without major damage. Within a few months of the 12/04 Asian Tsunami disaster, the Duang Prateep Foundation moved to recruit local staff in the community surrounding Baan Nam Khem, who were trained by DPF workers from Bangkok. Soon the locals were replacing the Bangkok based staff who had provided the initial assistance. Under Ms. Rotjana Phraesrithong's guidance, the local recruits have responded superbly to the many new challenges they have faced.

In the second half of 2006, DPF staff were able to move their program of activities from temporary tents to permanent community centres. The first building opened at Phru Teaw in August 2006, with another centre at Baan Nam Khem to follow later. At Phru Teaw over forty orphans are living in the DPF centre, with others living in houses close by. The buildings also provide a night care facility for working parents who do not want their children left alone at night.

In addition, the new buildings are centres for many community based activities. Local residents of all ages come to the DPF buildings to enjoy the toy library, to study music and dance, to learn craft skills and for other vocational training and income generation activities, to participate in youth groups, and to attend community meetings.

The relationships formed between people living near the Duang Prateep Foundation centre in Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, and the people living in the tsunami affected villages, will continue to be strengthened. In particular, young people in both areas will benefit from the opportunities to learn from and assist each other.

The Duang Prateep Foundation is committed to working with tsunami affected villagers over the long term. The new centres will provide the facilities needed to further build on the impressive start made in the months after the tsunami.

Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage
156/81 Moo 7 Tambon Bangnaisrj
Baan Ka Chard Road, Phru Teaw Village
Amphur Takuapa Phangnga 82110

For more information, contact Rotjana Phraesrithong at rotjanadpf@hotmail.com

Duang Prateep Foundation
34 Lock 6
Art Narong Road
Klong Toey Bangkok 10110 THAILAND
Tel: +66 (0)2 671 4045-8, 249 3553, 249 4880
Fax: +66 (0)2 249 5254, 249 9500
Web: www.dpf.or.th

One Laptop Per Child Foundation

2007-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Negroponte, an MIT professor, created the One Laptop Per Child Foundation for the sole purpose of delivering a laptop to every child on earth! Negroponte and his team have developed a $100 laptop which they hope will revolutionize education by providing children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.

Link: sevenload.com

To learn more:

One Laptop Per Child Foundation website: http://laptop.org/en/index.shtml

Wikipedia: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Main_Page

Get Involved: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Getting_involved_in_OLPC

Piloki Village Fish Raising Project

2007-08-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday August 6th we loaded up a barge with materials for the fish pen building project, including 72 bags of fish food, yards of netting and string, 6 large plastic barrels and a metal frame consisting of 8 metal rods. Because we needed the barge to carry all the materials our journey was 3 hours from Thongphapum instead of the usual 1 hour the regular boats take. However, the weather held out on us and we had a quite scenic and beautiful 3 hour ride with limestone mountains surrounding us and tiny villages in our periphery. We did not arrive in the village until fairly late in the afternoon on Monday so we just unloaded the materials and investigated the village a bit. We ended up staying at the local pastor's house after being fed quite a feast.

The next day we had a town meeting with the people of Piloki in the morning to discuss plans for the fish raising project and the homestay program. Through this meeting concerns, comments and suggestions were aired on both sides to ensure that both of these programs run as smoothly as possible. At this meeting it was decided that the villagers would grow a fish similar to red snapper instead of the originally planned catfish because the former is more profitable and easier to sell in the local markets. That afternoon we set to work measuring out the netting and cutting the appropriate lengths. The work was split into two teams: the inner plastic netting which has smaller holes and will hold the fingerlings initially and the outer rope netting which will hold the fish once they get bigger. The team working on the inner plastic netting created a rectangular shaped box and worked in pairs to sew up the seams with rope. The other team worked on feeding rope through the outer netting and sewing up seams as well. We worked late into the afternoon and had another delicious meal that night.

On Wednesday morning we worked on finishing up sewing all the seams and started putting together the metal frame. For the framing work we relied mostly on the locals because they seemed to be seasoned pros and knew exactly what to do. We finished up everything and launched the finished project on Wednesday afternoon. Although the numbers varied, we had about 15-20 people from Piloki village helping up with the fish nets and without them we could not have finished so quickly. Because the Piloki village is situated on the banks of the dam, the local people seem at home on the water therefore I think this project will be really good for them. They will be relying on their local resources to make this project successful and generate income. The biggest challenge they will face in the future is reducing the cost of feeding the fish as store-bought feed can be quite pricey.

Dana Givens
Baan Dada Volunteer

Piloki Village Homestay and Fish Raising Project

2007-08-16T21:39:00.001-07:00

Piloki is a remote village in western Kanchanaburi Province, near the Thai/Burmese border. Its residents are a mix of Karen, Mon, Thai, and Myanmar ethnic groups. The Karen people, having for years been persecuted by the Myanmar military dictatorship, seek refuge in Thailand along the border with Myanmar.

As a result of the construction of the Vajilarongkorn Dam in Thongphapum District in 1991, these refugees - politically powerless and economically marginalized - were forced by the Thai government to re-locate to what is now Piloki Village. This village is only accessible by boat: a minimum one hour boat ride from Thonghapum or three hours from Sangklaburi District. While the government assisted in the relocation, there is no opportunity for farming and livestock due to the fact that the majority of the village is situated in a forest preserve. As a result of this economic and social isolation, poverty, disease, and lack of health care and education have threatened the health and family stability of this community.

To provide economic assistance to Piloki, Baan Dada helped organize A homestay tourism project which will empower its members to generate income within the village. Tourists who are looking for a remote, quiet and beautiful place with very friendly people will find Piloki and the surrounding area a good place to explore. Go fishing with the villagers, learn back strap style cloth weaving, volunteer at the fish farm, learn Karen style cooking, teach English in the primary school, explore the 200 foot high waterfall, and much more…

In addition to the homestay project, we are establishing a fish raising livelihood project funded by BCTFN (British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy).

Please consider a visit to Piloki Village. For more information, please contact Ricardo Zoleta at:

E-mail: dadaramakrishna@gmail.com

Baan Dada
109 Moo 6
Tambon Nonglu, Huay Ma Lai,
Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi 71240
Thailand
Tel 1: 083 – 310 6058 (for English)
Tel 2 : 089 – 216 9137 (for Thai)
http://www.baandada.org/aboutus.htm

Molaka Weaving Cooperative

2007-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Molaka Weaving Cooperative began in late 2005 to employ poor residents of the village of Molaka in Western Thailand. The weavers use traditional handwoven techniques to produce shirts, shoulder bags, purses, change purses, and wallets while the men weavers produce large and small handwoven baskets, mini-takraw key chains, and table decorations from locally-sourced bamboo. Proceeds return to the weavers directly, with 10% going to support Baan Dada and the 40 children who live here.

The Molaka Weaving Cooperative currently employs Karen ethnic minority weavers from Molaka village. The Cooperative employs fair-trade practices in that the workers receive a fair price for their labour, they work in safe, clean conditions, and they use democratic, participatory strategies in maintaining the enterprise. No children are involved in this work.

We are currently building a Weaving Center on the land next to Baan Dada Children's Home, which will allow us to expand the enterprise by inviting more weavers to live and work here.

The objective is to raise the standard of living of Molaka village, and in the future, other villages in this area. As well, it seeks to raise awareness about the plight of Karen and other ethnic minorities living in rural areas of Thailand.

You can support or volunteer for the Molaka Weaving Cooperative in the following ways:

Our products are colourful, inexpensive, and come in many sizes and designs. They make wonderful birthday and Christmas gifts. Please consider buying them for your family, friends, teachers, students, classmates, or co-workers today! You will be directly helping to improve the quality of life of some needy families in this impoverished area of Thailand.

- Do you know of a shop near your home that sells ethnic, fairly traded handicrafts from developing countries? If so, would you be willing to approach the shop manager about the details of this project yourself and ask them to consider importing these products. This type of volunteering will help the project tremendously.

- As well, by promoting our woven products to clubs, religious groups, sports teams, or other associations you may belong to, you will helping us to reach new markets, directly benefiting both our weavers and our Children's Home.

For more information, or to view and/or purchase these items please visit our blog:
http://thaiweavingenterprise.blogspot.com/

Volunteer Opportunity - Baan Dada, Thailand

2007-03-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Baan Dada Children’s Home provides a loving home, education, a healthy diet, and access to creative learning opportunities to 42 abadoned boys and girls from remote villages on the Thai/Burmese border. The majority of the children are Karen, an ethnic minority not considered full citizens on the Thai side and persecuted by the military government on the Burmese side.

The children are cared for by Dada Ricardo Zoleta, with support from 10 staff members hired from the local community. The Home is located in Huay Ma Lai village, a half hour from Baan Unrak Home of Joy in Sangklaburi, western Kanchanaburi.

Accommodation and 3 vegetarian meals a day are provided for you for 120 baht a day (around $4 CDN a day). You are welcome to stay in the Volunteer House behind the Home, which has electricity, running water, and a private bathroom.

Make a difference on behalf of these amazing children, support community project such as a Dairy Goat Lending Project, help market handwoven bags, fundraise to build a new Girls’ Shelter, construct a building, work on the organic farm, or lend your talents and creative energy for a new project.

You can also learn about village life and Karen culture, practice Thai cooking and daily meditation, and play sports and music. Free yoga lessons are also available upon request.

* Please email Dada Richard Zoleta at dadaramakrishna@gmail.com
* Please visit:
o http://www.baandada.org
o http://www.neohumanistfoundation.org/vidyadharma/aboutus.htm

Volunteer Opportunity - Baan Unrak, House of Joy, Thailand

2007-03-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Baan Unrak Home of Joy, located in Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi Province on the Thai/Burmese border, supports over 120 abandoned and orphaned children. The children are cared for by Didi Devamala from Italy and Didi Anuaraga from Norway, who are social workers and yogic nuns of the Neo-Humanist Foundation, a non-profit agency registered with the Thai Ministry of Health.

You can stay at the orphanage or at a Guesthouse in town. Baan Unrak has seen groups of teachers from Japan volunteer there over Christmas holidays since 1999.

As a volunteer, you can care for the children, teach classes, music, or computers, paint murals, put on musicals, organize sports tournaments, do arts&crafts, and write project proposals and grant letters. You can also learn vegetarian cooking, practice yoga and meditation, hike and swim with the kids - there is plenty to do!

* Please email Didi Anuraga at didianuraga@yahoo.no
* Please visit http://www.neohumanistfoundation.org/baanunrak/

CARE - Empowering Women

2007-03-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. They place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.

CARE's Mission

CARE's mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world. Drawing strength from their global diversity, resources and experience, they promote innovative solutions and are advocates for global responsibility. They facilitate lasting change by:

* Strengthening capacity for self-help
* Providing economic opportunity
* Delivering relief in emergencies
* Influencing policy decisions at all levels
* Addressing discrimination in all its forms

Guided by the aspirations of local communities, they pursue their mission with both excellence and compassion because the people whom they serve deserve nothing less.

To learn more about CARE, visit their website: http://www.care.org/index.asp?