Karen refugees amp Their Resettlement in Georgia Myanmar Burma Burmese Resettlement in Georgia Year Georgia United States 2002 0 128 2003 3 200 2004 14 1054 2005 16 1447 ID: 830115
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Slide1
Daniel GilhoolySeptember 2010
Karen refugees & Their Resettlement in Georgia
Slide2Myanmar (Burma)
Slide3“Burmese” Resettlement in Georgia
Year
Georgia
United States
2002
01282003320020041410542005161447200623132320074019776200857412,852200987518,275
Slide4History of Burma and the Karen
Burma is the first destination of American Missionaries
The Story of
T
oh Meh Pah
Karen 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
Slide5Who 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 Burma
Most Georgian refugees are
Sgkaw
(Saw) Karen, 95% of whom are Christians.Other ethnic groups include:
Chin, Po Karen, Shan, Mon and ethnic Burmese
Slide6Faces of the Karen in Georgia
Slide7Karen names
Per He Lu- Mountain of Teak
Bwa
B
wa- 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-Life
Slide8Who is a refugee?
According to
Article One of the 1951 Geneva
Convention, 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.
Slide9Karen refugees
Karen is a term that refers to multiple ethnic hill groups.
Refugees have been crossing the Thai-Burmese border since 1975
Prior 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 Australia
It is estimated that over 1 million Karen live illegally in Thailand
Slide10Thai refugees camps
Three major Refugee Camps in
Tak
District, western Thailand
Nupo
CampMae LaUmpiem Mai
UNHCR, http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/47b997fe1e.html
Slide11Karen Resettlement in Georgia
Case assurance
Sponsorship arrangement
Setting up of apartment
Welcoming family at airport
Cultural orientationSchool registration
ESL 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.html
Slide12Criteria for Resettlement
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Criteria
1. Medical check-up
2. Credible fear of persecution
3. Criminal background check
4. 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.
Slide13The Status of Three Families
Very 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 disabilities
Difficulties communicating with parents
Health 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
Slide14Karen in Popular Culture
Little Daughter (Undaunted) by
Zoya
Phan
Burma VJ-DocumentarySacrafice-Documentary
Inside Burma: Land of Fear- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L48BW_Z-FNsPrisoners of Conscience- DocumentaryBeyond Rangoon-filmRambo IV-filmThe Burmese Harp-filmAung San Suu Kyi- Noble Prize Winner , 1991
Slide15Who are the Karen?By “Sam”ber Htoo and Hser Htoo
Slide16Where 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.
Slide17Karen CultureFoods
Language
Religions
Clothes
Sports
MusicHistory
Slide18Karen flag
There are meaning to some colors on Karen flag.
Red- for instance, signifies braveness.
blue- faithfulness.
White- purity.
Slide19Food
The 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
Slide20Karen script
Karen language has 14 tones.
Karen has 25
letters
No final consonant sounds
No Verbs tenses
Slide21ReligionBuddhist
Christianity
Animist
My family is Baptist
Slide22Women clothes
There 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.
Slide23SportsSoccer
Caneball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7Wtvd00Yw
Volleyball
Slide24MusicTraditional music
Classic rock
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LItAdRGbEHs
Christian
Rap, hip-hop
Slide25Karen History and our Family History
19
th
century-British colonize Burma, arrival of American missionaries.
During World War II Burmese support Japanese while Karen support British
1948-Burma IndependenceBurma Independence leads to civil war1970s Burmese government establishes the four cuts policy
By 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
Slide26Girl shirt
. This is the girl long shirt.
Slide27Woman
This is woman shirt. They usually wearing like this.
Slide28The 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 Burma
Most Georgian refugees are Sgkaw (Saw) Karen, 95% of whom are Christians.
Other ethnic groups include:
Chin, Po Karen, Pa’O, Karenni, Shan, Mon and ethnic Burmese
Slide29Slide30Slide31