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Published: June 26th 2009
Imagine: Being 18 years old, the world at your feet, ready to experience things a young adult should, but then being thrown in jail for four years. This is the story of one of the women I currently work with.
Women's Education and Advancement and Empowerment (WEAVE) was founded in 1990. Their main goal is to provide human services/rights to displaced women and children from Burma. They have all sorts of projects and programs such as the Early Childhood Development program, Economic Empowerment and Development project which provides income and employment to thousands of women and the Health project, which allows WEAVE to publish and distribute health related leaflets, posters and books in order to educate displaced communities on women's health issues.
There is one woman in particular who simply amazes me; she was that 18 year old described in the first paragraph. I'll call her Aunty in this blog in order to protect her identity. (To call someone or add "Aunty" in front of a woman's name is similar to using the word "Ate" (pronounced ah-tay) in Tagalog (spoken in the Philippines), meaning "older sister". It is used as a sign of respect). Aunty has shared some intense stories with me, from being put
in jail by the repressive Burmese government for organizing student protests to joining one of the resistance groups as part of their Education Staff. She's created syllabi, courses, and textbooks for the kids in the local communities, raised orphans, and has advocated for women's rights in the most difficult environments. It's difficult for me to write about it here because of the country's fragile state and Aunty's current situation. But I hope, if you're interested, that one day we can talk about it in person.
So some of the things I am doing with WEAVE is leading the organization's publication and fundraising programs, and assisting in the development of WEAVE's publication distribution strategy. It's been interesting so far; finding out a lot about both Burma and Thailand...the people, cultures, customs, governments, policies, etc. I look forward to the next few weeks!
Besides working at WEAVE, I have been strolling the streets of Chiang Mai. Some of my favorite things to do is to simply walk around the markets and photograph some of the locals and the city itself. Also been trying to stay in shape by doing Muay Thai (although I think I like "regular" boxing better -
not really down with the kicking) and running/jogging, which can be difficult sometimes in this polluted city. Chiang Mai is actually the second largest city in Thailand, next to Bangkok! And for those who read my last blog, my ear is doing a lot better; I can almost hear again haha
Time to go again; visiting a little "hippie" town this weekend called Pai; apparently it's no more than 4 streets big! haha so expect another blog next week! Much love!
Thought of the Day: I let go of the past, the mistakes of others and myself, and I become free.
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Amar
non-member comment
co0o0ol
yooooooo....... glad to hear that your ear is doing better, and I hope you have fun at WEAVE...... look forward to hear about your weekend trip to Pai.