Karen refugees & Their Resettlement in Georgia

Daniel GilhoolySeptember 2010Karen refugees & Their Resettlement in GeorgiaMyanmar (Burma)

Burmese Resettlement in Georgia

YearGeorgiaUnited States200201282003320020041410542005161447200623132320074019776200857412,852200987518,275

History of Burma and the Karen Burma is the first destination of American MissionariesThe Story of Toh Meh PahKaren Conversion to christianityBritish Coloninization 1870s-1948Since Independence the country has been at civil war Miltary Junta (ethnic Burmans) have ruled 8-8-88- The 45 kyat and 90 kyat policyThe Karen DiasporaOver a million ethnic minorities fleeRefugee Crisis in Thailand

Who are the Burmese refugees in the USA?The majority of refugees listed as Burmese are ethnic Karen, many of whom had lived for extensive periods in Thai refugee camps. Many school aged children were born in the camps.Karen represent 90% of the refugees listed from BurmaMost Georgian refugees are Sgkaw (Saw) Karen, 95% of whom are Christians.Other ethnic groups include:Chin, Po Karen, Shan, Mon and ethnic Burmese

Faces of the Karen in Georgia

Karen namesPer He Lu- Mountain of TeakBwa Bwa- White-WhiteTee Ser Paw- Sweet Water flowerMahn Phan Shaung- Mr. Bright UnityMular Moo- Hope LifeEh Phyo Paw- Collective Love FlowerSah Moo Dah-Star in the SkyEh Ker Ter- Loved the MostMoo Moo- Life-LifeWho is a refugee?According to Article One of the 1951 GenevaConvention, a refugee is a person who: is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence;has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion;and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there for fear of prosecution.

Karen refugeesKaren is a term that refers to multiple ethnic hill groups.Refugees have been crossing the Thai-Burmese border since 1975Prior to 2006 most Karen refugees residing in Thai refugee camps were ineligible for resettlement due to the presence of KNU forces in and around Thai refugee camps.Approx. 140,000 refugees live in Thai camps.Karen have been resettled in Sweden, Great Britain, Finland, Canada, the USA, and AustraliaIt is estimated that over 1 million Karen live illegally in Thailand

Thai refugees campsThree major Refugee Camps in Tak District, western ThailandNupo CampMae LaUmpiem Mai

UNHCR, http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/47b997fe1e.html

Karen Resettlement in GeorgiaCase assuranceSponsorship arrangementSetting up of apartmentWelcoming family at airportCultural orientationSchool registrationESL registration- to date only 4% of all GA minorities receive ESOL support.Social Security applicationGeorgia State I.D. applicationMinimal financial support designed by U.S. government standardsEmployment counseling and job placementHealth care referrals and treatment if necessary.http://www.rrisa.org/resettlement.htmlCriteria for ResettlementDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) Criteria1. Medical check-up2. Credible fear of persecution3. Criminal background check4. Not providing material support to Karen National Union (KNU)*5. Although religion is not an official requirement 90% of Karen resettled are Christian despite the fact that they represent only 30-40% of the total Karen population.

The Status of Three FamiliesVery little data on Karen Resettlement nationally.Out of the 3 families I work with ( 13 students) all are in danger of failing their respective grade level except 1 first grader.No way to test for learning disabilitiesDifficulties communicating with parentsHealth Issues related to diet and hygieneNo additional language support.Lack of awareness, preparedness, resourcesLack of socialization, cultural isolation.Age of Onset with English as major factor in success.The Shy, and fearful people

Karen in Popular CultureLittle Daughter (Undaunted) by Zoya PhanBurma VJ-DocumentarySacrafice-DocumentaryInside Burma: Land of Fear- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L48BW_Z-FNs

Prisoners of Conscience- DocumentaryBeyond Rangoon-filmRambo IV-filmThe Burmese Harp-filmAung San Suu Kyi- Noble Prize Winner , 1991

Who are the Karen?By Samber Htoo and Hser Htoo

Where are the Karen from?

The Karen state is located in Burma. Karen people also live in northwest Thailand.Many Karen people live in the mountains.

Karen CultureFoods LanguageReligionsClothesSportsMusicHistory

Karen flagThere are meaning to some colors on Karen flag.Red- for instance, signifies braveness.blue- faithfulness.White- purity.

FoodThe Karen people usually eat rice, meat and vegetables. Such as beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, water greens, peppers, tomatoes, and mangos.Fish, chicken, pig, cow, duck, goat, and egg.Fish paste is eaten with most meals

Karen scriptKaren language has 14 tones.Karen has 25 lettersNo final consonant soundsNo Verbs tenses

ReligionBuddhistChristianityAnimistMy family is Baptist

Women clothesThere are a lot of Karen dresses for Karen women. People weave white, green, blue, red, yellow, black long and short dresses with many different colors.Karen people have many different types of traditions regarding dress.

SportsSoccerCaneball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7Wtvd00YwVolleyball

MusicTraditional musicClassic rockhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LItAdRGbEHs

Christian Rap, hip-hop

Karen History and our Family History 19th century-British colonize Burma, arrival of American missionaries.During World War II Burmese support Japanese while Karen support British1948-Burma IndependenceBurma Independence leads to civil war1970s Burmese government establishes the four cuts policyBy 1975 Karen begin to escape to ThailandMy family arrives in Thailand in 19901990 Samber is born in Bownow camp1992 Hser Gay is born in Tha Law Thaw campIn 1995 my family found safety at Mae la camp run by the UNIn 2007 we left for the United StatesIn January 2009 we resettled in Oglethorpe, Georgia

Girl shirt. This is the girl long shirt.

WomanThis is woman shirt. They usually wearing like this.

The majority of refugees listed as Burmese refugees are ethnic Karen, many of whom had lived for extensive periods in Thai refugee camps. Many school aged children were born in the camps.Karen represent 90% of the refugees resettling in the USA listed from BurmaMost Georgian refugees are Sgkaw (Saw) Karen, 95% of whom are Christians.Other ethnic groups include:Chin, Po Karen, PaO, Karenni, Shan, Mon and ethnic Burmese