Burma Link | June 15, 2017

Naw Wah is committed to improving the lives of a great number of people. First, she has the residents of Karen State’s T’wal Thaw village, of which she is the village chief. Then she works for a village tract, which overlooks an additional 12 communities.  She uses her leadership role to try to improve the lives of local residents.  She encourages students to study at EIP (English Immersion Program), which she sees as a source of strength and unification.  Before EIP, few villagers in the area could read or write as it was difficult to find a qualified teacher, she says.  Now, though, youth are finding new opportunities and Naw Wah is proud of the young people today who are studying and creating brighter futures for themselves and their communities.

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The interview was conducted in November, 2017, as part of the joint documentary “Unrecognised Leaders, Tomorrow’s Hope: Raising the Voices of Forgotten Youth” by Burma Link, Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and Karen Youth Organisation (KYO). The interview is the seventh one in a series that we will be publishing in the coming weeks. This interview series is meant to give more in depth understanding into the situation of Burma’s young ethnic refugees and refugee education as well as refugee advocacy and Burma’s political past and current situation. The text has been edited and some parts have been omitted for flow and clarity.

Burma Link started planning this documentary film project in August 2016, consulting numerous refugee-led organisations and other organisations working on refugee issues and producing advocacy films to set the direction for the project. Based on our positive experiences working with refugee youth along the Thailand-Burma border for years, we decided to focus on creating a film that would amplify the voices of the youth, share their stories, and enhance national and international awareness and support for the realisations of social and political aspirations of the youth. The project was planned and conducted in close collaboration with two local youth organisations: the Karen Student Network Group (KSNG) and the Karen Youth Organisation (KYO).  We also partnered with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Right to Play who support the distribution and advocacy of the film. The central role of education in the film grew organically during the filming and interviewing process, as did the youth’s strong pleas for national and international actors to recognise and support their education.

Burma Link’s team members involved in planning the project all have years of first-hand experience from the Thai refugee camps and working with young refugees. Over the years spent along the border area and in the refugee camps, we have developed a thorough understanding of the security context and how it has changed over time. This context has been given serious consideration ever since the beginning of the planning process, and appreciating its complexity and state of constant flux, we started the planning process by arranging meetings with central actors including various local organisations. Considerable time was spent in considering the security aspects about this project before the filming started. Everyone taking part was clearly explained about the project and that it will be spread to local, national and international audiences as widely as possible. Everyone taking part has been given the option to be anonymous and unidentified.

For more information and screenings, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

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Introduction: ‘The villagers asked me to be the village chief’

My name is Naw Wah. I am 56 years old. I returned to T’wal Thaw village in 2011. Then, I became a village chief and have been for 8 years. Then, I joined the village tract. I work for the Karen Government, Kaw Thoo Lei Government

[Karen National Union]. I have organized villagers around these areas and rural areas.

In the beginning, I settled to this village in 2001. Before I lived in my original homeland in Burma. I have been in T’wal Thaw village for 21 years. I relocated here for a half of year, then the village was destroyed, so I moved to Noe Poe refugee camp for 4 years and then I returned to T’wal Thaw village.

When I returned, there were several conflicts still happening. During that time Kaw Thoo Lei soldiers [KNU], Burma Government, and DKBA didn’t cooperate and they accused each other. As a result, the villagers were forced to volunteer for the armed groups and suffered from tyranny. Later, they solved the problem gradually. Now the [Karen] splinter groups are combined into one group. Apparently, we can say that there is peace [no fighting]. For that reason, we can live and travel freely. When the government soldiers first came to camp at T’wal Thaw, the villagers were more frightened. During the eight years that I was the village chief, the community members were always oppressed by the soldiers. The villagers asked me to be a village chief so I am still trying to work for them now.

In 2010, minor conflicts started again. We worried a little. Later, the conflict began to ease off. In 2011 to 2013, we were in a stable condition. In 2015 and 2016, we lived peacefully and traveled freely. I have joined the Cho K’lee Village Tract for 3 years, and then I became the village tract affairs person. The village tract is working for 12 communities.

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Effects of EIP school: ‘Children see EIP students and they feel motivated and have more strength’

EIP just has been relocated to this area for two years. EIP encourages children and youth about education.  They work very hard for us. In my view, EIP training is helpful for the villagers and youth. They came to learn about youth in my village. I think it is for community development. I think it [EIP] has become a strength for my village. They encourage parents, children, and youth, for good health, and they also encourage the children to develop and to get more knowledge for their future. I see and think that children study very hard when EIP students come to teach them. Sometimes, I went to attend and sometimes the youth went to attend. The youth said, ‘we were very happy to attend the training that EIP distributed. We were still young and didn’t know things a lot. We went to attend monthly training and we knew and understood things more. We are really happy and appreciate that they came to give us suggestions.’

When the students [from EIP] come to provide trainings for us, it’s an encouragement for the youth and the villagers. Before that, they didn’t have any knowledge. In the past, children didn’t have this experience and had never seen this. We stay in this mountain area and very few people can read. We have only a few non-qualified teachers. Now that they know more, we are very pleased with this. We are now very happy to see that foreign teachers come and many Karen students become educated people. Children have seen EIP students come to study here and they feel motivated and have more strength. Our future children will have a better understanding. Right now, they came to educate them like this, we are very happy. In the future, we are going to be very old.  In the future, they will to be able to teach, maintain and repeat the same thing for the next generation. We didn’t have a chance to study and we have to learn from seeing and listening. Everything that we intend to do, if we listen, we will learn, if we try, we will get it. If we don’t try, we will not get it. I see that our young people will eventually be able to stand on their own feet.

In the future, we don’t want foreign countries to help us anymore but we will stand and help each other by ourselves. Right now, our children are still very young and in the future, they will be able to work together. In the future, children will grow up and get another level of education. And just like other people can speak and travel, our children will be able to speak and travel.

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On youth education: ‘Youth are responsible for livelihood’

Education is very important for the next coming youth generation. In my view, this is essential. In the past, we were not educated and haven’t seen foreign people. Sometimes, educated people came and have been to foreign countries and can travel but we are very much left behind. Karen people are very much left behind. In the future, children will try very hard for education. They will have experiences in foreign countries and see things. I am getting old. I am sad that I will die because I still want to see our children going abroad. It is for the future young people to be able to see and understand things broadly.

I have seen in this area that youth are responsible for livelihood. Right now, there is a rule that children who are under 18 are not allowed to serve for the army.

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Future of the country: ‘We don’t want conflict anymore’

For the future Burma should be unified. If it is unified, we will become stronger. It will be easier for our livelihood, we will live peacefully. We will be able to meet our friends who are far away from us. In the future, we don’t want conflict anymore. The way to get this is, next term leaders, if they struggle to find a way for us, we will get it. If they don’t struggle to find a way for us, we will never get it. So, educated persons need to lead the struggle. If educated people struggle, this will come true for us.

We wish peace will reach our country. To get peace depends on management. If we have good management and we try, we will get it. We left behind because Karen people are not educated. They [educated Karen] will be able to give more help for the future because they have management skill.

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For more information about the documentary, please visit the film’s website and follow the Facebook page.

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