Burma Link Annual Report 2014

Message from the Chairperson and Co-Founder of Burma Link, April 4, 2015

Burma Link started in humble surroundings in Mae La refugee camp with nothing but a determination and passion to help the people of Burma have their voices heard. We have come a long way, and I am so excited to review our experiences, successes, challenges, and achievements for the year 2014.

The year 2014 was Burma Link’s second full year of operation. Despite challenging conditions and extremely limited resources, we have managed to build a non-profit organisation that is now widely known among local and international organisations involved in Burma issues.

In 2014, we continued publishing stories and interviews of ethnic leaders, jungle medics, refugees, and local women activists, to name but a few. The top story in 2014 received as many as 841 Facebook recommendations/shares. With no external funding for media, we have built a website that during 2014 had on average over 300 visits per day, already being on average nearly 500 per day for the beginning of 2015. Burma Link’s website has one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive packages of background information about Burma and the border easily and freely accessible for everyone online.

In 2014, we also held three empowerment and leadership trainings for 24 promising young leaders from Burma on the border. These young leaders have now become part of Burma Link’s operation as AOCs (Agents of Change) who act as role models and help break the silence in their communities. We look forward to training more AOCs in 2015, and publishing the training materials available for all teachers and trainers on the border and in Rangoon. In 2014, AOCs embraced their role as active agents and we published a number of stories and articles with their help.

We have seen important changes in the border refugee camps since 2014, and will be focusing on refugee issues in 2015. With the help of our AOCs, we have now conducted interviews with 20 refugees in four different camps on the Thai border. Their voices were already projected in the Submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Refugees and Displaced Persons (Burma/Myanmar) in March 2015. We are currently working on a joint briefing paper that builds on these interviews and will give recommendations to governments, donors, and all relevant agencies.

Burma Link is still run by non-paid volunteers who are driven by passion and determination. It is amazing what can be done with sheer will and a shared dream. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone involved in making the year 2014 a success, and lifting us up even more as the year 2015 has begun. This is just the beginning, and we are so excited for what is yet to come.

April 4, 2015
Ariana Zarleen