what is The charis project?
For
almost 60 years now the government in Burma has been actively seeking
to anhilate the minority ethnic groups within it's borders. Among these
are the Shan, Karen
and Lahu tribes, to name a few. Over the years many of
these groups have migrated to Thailand to escape the persecution. Many
live as subsistence farmers in villages in the jungle. Many live in
refugee camps on the border that are still fired upon by the Burmese
army on a regular basis. Still more are children, orphaned and alone,
who have escaped to Thailand and now face deportation or slavery in a
brothel. The Charis Project exists in cooperation with community
leaders from the hill tribes who wish to address the current needs of
their people and also dream of one day returning
to a free Burma with the tools and knowledge needed to rebuild.
This project is devoted to getting them exactly what they need.
Rule
The Project
The immediate goals of The Charis Project are as follows:
- Raise money to help take care of the children orphaned by the Burmese government who have managed to escape to Thailand alone. Their immediate needs are food and shelter.
- Establish a permant base in Chiang Mai to work from.
- Develop good working relationships with elders in the Lahu villages and refugee camps.
- Research and lay the groundwork for establishing the long term goals.
Long Term Goals
- Clean water in the villages and camps.
- Seminars in sustainable agriculture techniques, and business management.
- Literacy in the villages.
- Teaching English
- Social businesses that will work within the confines of refugee camps.
- Education and long term care for orphans, and placement in family groups where possible.
- Generate income for tribal communities through an online store that sells their handcrafts.
- Rebuild Burma.
- Transform a country destroyed by war and violence into a country governed by love and peace.
