The safety and survival of all ethnic groups in a free and democratic Burma

We provide care and education for young people and medical clinics to aid victims of oppression.

sharing our world through direct aid

Our MissionOur Vision

2015 - 2016newsletter

The Friendship Bridge, built in 1997, spans the Thai-Burma border. Another bridge is now being built due to heavy trade.

Dear Friends of Project Umbrella Burma,

The past year has been an exciting time for Karen Refugees, as the long hoped for Burmese election was held. On November 8, 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in the first real election since the Military seized power in 1962. The Military still controls 25% of the seats and, sadly, is still engaged in unequal conflict with several ethnic groups. Otherwise, the country is generally peaceful.

Burma, placed between China and India, between East and West, is an economic crossroads. With the promise of peace for the Karen people, roads are being rolled out from Mae Sot, Thailand to Hpa’an, the capital of Karen State in Burma. These connecting highways will help produce the huge economic exchange that is anticipated. Businesses in Thailand and Burma, China and India, and now around the world are in a frenzy to be part of this change.

Project Umbrella Burma’s focus has also expanded in accordance with its mission. The time is right for our school to move back to Karen State despite the lack of healthcare and because of the lack of education there. While Dr. Cynthia’s Mae Tao Clinic will remain in Thailand, it is opening a small satellite prosthetic clinic in Eastern Burma, the most land mine ridden area in the world. The refugee camps must soon close except for the most fragile. Project Umbrella Burma’s Kaw Tha Blay* Hostel in Mae Lah Refugee Camp will continue there for now. Our Kaw Tha Blay* Learning Centre, outside the camp, is readying to move back to Karen State. A shortened programme is presently being run for 23 students. At Premiere Urgence Aide Medicale Hospitale, 25 more Kaw Tha Blay students are undergoing a four month Medical Practical training. These students and other graduates will continue learning as we guide and manage this transition.

Project Umbrella Burma’s Vision includes returning to Karen State and bringing the experience and staff that have been built over the past 15 years. Once they are settled and can help themselves, we believe our mission will have been fulfilled.

Because of your generous care of Project Umbrella Burma over the years, we now have a generation of young Karen capable of managing the school in their own society. We can be proud that our society here has made this possible for theirs. It is a model of how it can and should happen. We look forward to your support and care during this exciting time in Project Umbrella Burma’s history as we take them home!

David and Cathy Downham

* Kaw Tha Blay, translated, means Freedom Country

PUB friends Barb and Doug Christie with former graduates of Kaw Tha Blay Learning Center, one a lab technician, two nurses and a computer technician in the records department at Mae Tao Clinic.

Kaw Tha Blay, A Place Where I Grew Up By Saw Naing Win

PROJECT UMBRELLA BURMAStatement of Operations and SurplusFor the Year Ended May 31 2015 2014RevenuesGrant - Barber Foundation $10,800 $9,400Donations 109,911 100,396

120,711 109,796

Administrative ExpensesAccounting & Office 680 645Newsletter & Website 670 729Bank Charges 632 12

1982 1386Direct ExpensesClothing 2,153 6,755Food 25,012 24,613General Supplies 4,076 7,959Stipends 14,431 9,356Transportation 7,400 9,147Recreation 6,452 5,329Building & Premises 6,113 7,946Clinic 2,618 1,621Communications 1,763 2,936Academic Supplies 7,424 6,968Medical 1,401 4,063Capital Items 14,126 1,616Travel Cost to Thailand 5,275 14,130

Total Direct Expenses 98,244 102,439

Total Expenses 100,226 103,825

Surplus, (Deficit) for the Year 20,485 5,971

Surplus, (Deficit) Beginning of Year 14,336 8,365

Surplus (Deficit), End of Year $34,821 $14,336

For me to talk about Kaw Tha Blay (KTB) is like to talk about my family – my big family. I see KTB as my home where I have a lot of brothers and sisters. In fact, I am the one who stayed at KTB hostel for the longest period of time. And for that, I feel so special to KTB and I'm so grateful for what it has done for me. Like many young children, I came to Mae Lah Refugee Camp to learn and get an education. When I finished primary school in my village, there were no schools for me to go next. My mother didn’t have any money to send me to school in another town. Instead of going to school, I would end up as a farmer like many of the village kids. However, good news was brought to my village. A teacher would take young students to a refugee camp and send them to a hostel, where they could stay and study there without any cost. This was a very good opportunity for me to continue my school, so my mother decided to send me along with a group of 35 kids.It took us several days to reach the Thai-Burma border, and then we

crossed the river and travelled to Mae Lah Refugee Camp. Our expectation of the camp was totally different, and many of us thought this place was terrible. But after a few days, we made new friends by working and playing together. KTB hostel became our new home. In June 2002, I was enrolled in a school in the camp. We didn’t have any certificates from our old schools, so I had to repeat the fourth grade. School was a big challenge for me because the subjects that we learned in Burma were totally different. Most subjects in the camp were taught in Karen, but in my village all the subjects were in Burmese. So, I did poorly on my first tests. But a few months later, I got the highest grade in my class. Saw Kshakalu, the director of KTB, noticed my good work and sent me to a better school in the camp later that year. I stayed in KTB hostel until I finished high school, and then I volunteered as a teacher for one year.Through all these years that I stayed in KTB hostel, I experienced

and noticed many great things that KTB did for young people. KTB had made differences to the society and improved many individual lives. Each year, KTB supported many students from poor families inside Burma who couldn't afford to go to school anymore, and provided so many things that their parents couldn’t. We were much luckier than most other kids in the camp. To fill up education needs that were lacking in schools, we had our own KTB library. From work and sports, we, as brothers and sisters of KTB, had so much fun and learned such important skills for our lives.In 2011, I was accepted to a GED program in Mae Sot. KTB helped me to go and study there for one year. After that, I was granted a scholarship to study at a university in Thailand, with a major in Primary Education. Through all the years that I've been studying at university, KTB has helped me in many ways, especially in my financial problems. I’ll be graduating next year. I will never forget what KTB has done for me. I really can't imagine where I would be without the support I receive from KTB, from since I was little until now.

Young Boy Age 24

Project Umbrella Burma's Graduates from Kaw Tha Blay Leaning Center (KTBLC)The support PUB has received from you has truly enhanced the lives of our graduates. The evidence of that is in their developing careers. To give you an understanding of the importance of your contributions, we offer you a quick look into the lives of nine former graduates. You have become a part of the rest of their lives. They are grateful.

Alumni Stories

Eh Soe lived at the Kaw Tha Blay Hostel in Mae Lah Refugee Camp. After completing high school there, he came to KTBLC. After graduation he began work with the Karen National Union and was quickly promoted to head of a department. Eh Soe is a data collection officer and uses the computer and leadership skills and English learned at KTBLC to enhance his work.

REE THA SAY - 2007Ree Tha Say trained and worked at PU-AMI hospital in Mae Lah Refugee Camp, and then at the Mae Tao Clinic. Once a fully trained medic, she returned to KTBLC to teach Commu-nity Health. After three years of successful teaching, Ree Tha Say moved back to the camp with her son. She runs a successful pharmacy there and treats patients in the camp.

NYA MYAY - 2008

THA ZIN SOE - 2009

EH SOE - 2010

As a student, Nya Myay was intrigued with and enthusiastic about computers and electron-ic devices. Employing computer skills learned at KTBLC, he opened a printing shop in Mae Lah Refugee Camp where he lives with his young family. Nya Myay works successfully with Photoshop, graphic design, and edits pictures, cards and videos.

Tha Zin Soe spoke her first words in English as a student at KTBLC. During her two years there she took advantage of the opportunity to develop her English by communicating with many foreign volunteers. Tha Zin Soe was inspired to set goals and pursue her dreams and is presently studying at university in Nagaland, India.

July Win was inspired by KTBLC teachers and volunteers to continue her studies and use her knowledge to help her people. After graduating, she was accepted into a University Prep-aration course. Because of the English and computer skills she developed at KTBLC, July Win found the entry examinations less difficult than expected and is enjoying her studies.

DECEMBER PAW - 2009After graduating from KTBLC, December Paw completed Medical Practicum training in Mae Lah Refugee Camp and started working in the hospital there. She was accepted into Medic training, and passed through the stages of classroom study and work experience to become a fully certified Medic. December Paw continues to work in the hospital and is a close mentor for KTBLC students. This month she began a new job developing a Medical Clinic in Karen State.

SAI SAI - 2010

PAW NER MOO - 2011

JULY WIN - 2012

Thu Rah came to the KTB Hostel when he was 12 years old. One leg had been affected by polio. With secure shelter and nutrition, his health improved. Bright, humorous and capable, Thu Rah excelled academically and was one of four students trained to run our Malaria Diagnostic and Treatment Clinic at the KTB post grade ten college when the school was still located in Karen State. Now married with one child, he is principal of a school in Mae Lah Refugee Camp.

THU RAH - 2008

After graduation, Sai Sai returned to his village in Karen State, Burma and volunteered as an English teacher. After two years, he successfully completed an examination to become employed as a salaried primary school teacher. The English skills Sai Sai developed at KTBLC made this possible. He is a passionate teacher, loves his position, and is enhancing the future for the children of his village.

As a student at KTBLC, Paw Ner Moo was encouraged to assist people in rural areas where health care services were poorly delivered. With her background in Community Health studies, she completed an intensive six month session of practical training in Nursing. Paw Ner Moo is presently attending Public Health Supervisor training in Karen State, Burma.

Saw Kshakalu Director of the Kaw Tha Blay Learning Centre and Kaw Tha Blay Hostel On site manager for Project Umbrella Burma.After two years of determination, the Downhams managed to obtain a visa for Kshakalu to visit Canada. He arrived at Pearson Airport July 11 and was welcomed by Cathy and Eric Sayle and Cathy Downham. Cathy and David have personally sponsored Kshakalu’s trip to our country.

Kshakalu is Project Umbrella Burma’s inspiration for educating Karen youth. His wife, Liberty, is the Associate Director of Education for Dr. Cynthia Maung, founder of the famous Mae Tao Clinic. Their children are Marvel, 21, and Lincoln, 17.

The Downhams first met Kshakalu in Mae Lah Refugee camp in 2002. He had begun a hostel for children, separated from family and in jeopardy due to the Civil War in Burma. It was the state of the children they saw there and what he was grappling with that made it impossible for them to walk away then.

Kshakalu is the sixth child of a family of 12. At that age, a missionary visited his village and offered his father, a respected elder, an education for one of his children. Kshakalu, never shy, volunteered. He was sent to school in Hpa’an, later to one near Yangon and lastly to a university in Bengal. The war in Burma continued to flare and subside. Many Karen men were in the army and in civil defence. They fought for freedom and basic human rights. On his return from India, Kshakalu joined them.

In 2005, some of the students in the KTB hostel were reaching their late teens. In the camps then, there was no post-grade ten education. This severely limited the youth opportunities for further education. Kshakalu realised the need and approached Cathy and David with plans to begin a post-grade ten school. He had been given land by the Karen government in exile. It was near a Karen military camp and close to the border with Thailand. This was the beginning of Kaw Tha Blay Junior College, where they taught English, Math, Community Health, Computers and practical Agriculture and a variety of other subjects when teachers were available. The school was threatened by the Burmese Army and needed to be moved to safety in Thailand. Land was acquired beside a Thai Karen Village. It remains there today. Many foreign volunteers, young and old, came to help at both locations, and learned as much in the exchange as the Karen students!

Kshakalu has come to explain his plans to take his post-grade ten college back to Karen State where it belongs. The improved political situation in Burma makes this possible. He will meet with Karen people now living in Canada and will experience a variety of our traditions.

Kshakalu is a leader in his country. Learning how the “wheels turn” in our country will be worthwhile and help him interact with his own people, other ethnic Burmese groups, the Burman (Bamar) majority, and the many foreigners now coming in great numbers to his country.

If you have been omitted by chance please forgive us and let us know. We thank the following people who have supported us in the �scal year June 1st 2015 to May 31st 2016.

Charitable # 87537 7905 RR0001

DONATIONS

c/o John H. Mayo BMO Nesbitt Burns 6 West St. N. 4th Floor

Orillia ON L3V 5B8 705-326-0891 | 1-877-296-6956

contact us

projectumbrellaburma.pub@gmail.com

projectumbrellaburma.com

Agg, Michael & JaneAlexander, Dr. DavidAnderson, Peter & KathleenAndrews, EvelynArdtrea United ChurchArgent, Jean & RobinAshton, CatherineBabies to BelliesBadger, JoyceBailey, Louis & MargaretBailey,Blair & Kumagai, MayumiBaker, Michael & Hamilton, GillianBam, Homi & LindaBarber Family Fnd.Barons, HarryBath UCWBirtch,Toni & JackBlakely, Ron & JaniceBrechin, BarbaraBremner, WalterBrett, BrendaBrown, MarilynCalder, MaryCampbell, Barb & DaveCampeau, Ron & MaryCariaso, MichaelCarson, LorneCharters, Anderson & SusanChisholm, AldwythChristie, Doug & BarbClement, IanConner, BeverleyConnor, ShirleyCooke, Mary & AllenDarker, HelenmariaDe Martigny, FrancesDennis, MarilynDonald, Dr. Shirley & McPherson , JamesDownham, Dr. David & CathyDuff, David & BarbaraDuquette, MarcelleEarle, Betty & JamesEdmonds, RuthEllison, Dr. ErinEngel, RuthMaryEnglisch, Ingrid & NorbertFabian, JerryFallis, FredFerguson, Ross & Duggan

Flynn, MurielFournier, Dan & LeslieFriedman, BernardFrumau, Jim & PeggyGauldie, HeatherGraham, JimGrant, William & JeanGreen, Irene Griffin, Rob & BarbGriffith, AnneGuerra, RemoHall, Dr. Harry & MarianHammond, KenHarris, Dr. NancyHarrison, Ann & RonHeaven, James & BrendaHeritage United Church,Hewgill, MargaretHillson, Dr. TimHomer, NormaHutchings, Wendy & AlexanderJefferies, Jim & DonnajeanJenkins,SaraJennissen, Jo & Conner, BrianJohnson, ShirleyJohnston, Dr. Dick & WendyKeast, Ronald & ElizabethKeates, Maggie & AllanKent, JoyceKiwanis Club of OrilliaKlein, RobKneght, Anne & GeorgeKoby, VictorKriz, Dr. SLarsen, Fred & LoisLawerenson, IrenaLawson, JamesLedlow, PatLeith, MargaretLemmon, ElinorLennox, Lynn & WayneLong, Clarwyn & BeverlyLoyst, Diane & DaleMacDonald, David & HelenMaltby, Cam & MaryMarshall, Sandra & DonMassey, Anthony & RachelMcCall, BethMcCarthy, PhyllisMcElroy, Ross & FranMcLean, IanMcMullen, Ken & PatMcNair, AlanMcNiece, Margot & WilfMcRobb, DorothyMcWhinnie, Bruce

Methot, John & JerryMichalski, Dr. K.Mick, MaryMidland Rotary ClubMorrison, Craig & RosemaryMurray, Walter & HelenNeal, C.Noganosh, ElizabethO'Connor, ElizabethOrillia Rotary ClubPaul, Peter & DonnaPounder, Brian & VivianPrice-Jones, Dr. GregRiley, ElizabethRobinson, HilaryRolland, Mark & CecileRosebush, John & JoanRowlinson, HughSalathiel, Dr. IanSarjeant, JeanSayle, Eric & CatherineScott, CynthiaScott, PattiSeki, JohnSloley, JaneSmith, Sylvia & GerrySmith, Bernie and KenSmith, Patti & WayneSpears, Paul & ClareSteiger, Mary- LynnStephen, MarciaStrickland, Dr. CarolSwinimer, William & SusanTaylor, Dr. Ron & CharleneTheiss, Isabelle & GaryThomson, Adam & ShirleyTillmann, Dr. Bill & GillTonner,Joan & Warren,PeterTown, Dr. Robert & AndreaToye, Dr. John & LynnVan Patot, Suz TissotVennard, Dr Kevin & MichelleWaite, Bruce & SusanWallen, HerschelWalsh, Gord & BevWashago Rotary ClubWarren, KatieWatt, James & RuthWeber, Diane & DonWeiler, Eric & DonnaWenzl, BernoWhite, Gary & SylviaWhitfield, PatriciaWhitman, William & ChristieWink, MarianZufelt, Dr. William & Mary

Executive BoardDr. David Downham

Cathy DownhamJohn Mayo

Dr. Frank BrewsterCathy Sayle

Eric SayleKaitie Warren

On-site DirectorKshakalu