Dear Sermpanya Foundation Supporter
It’s been some time since we last shared what we’ve been doing at Sermpanya Foundation here and on this special day - International Women’s Day - 8 March 2022 - I wanted to let you know what your continued support has meant to us and how important it is to continue to keep refugees, migrants and other vulnerable communities here on the Thai-Myanmar border in your thoughts.
Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1st February 2021 - life has rapidly deteriorated for the majority of civilians living in Myanmar, with savage crackdowns on protests, thousands of young people and opposition leaders imprisoned and tortured, indiscriminate and deadly attacks on villages, and displacement of thousands of villagers from their homes and livelihoods. Hope for a positive future and a possibility to return home has evaporated for refugees, and coupled with the continuous Covid-19 restrictions for gatherings and community activities, the negative impact on their mental health and well-being is profound. News of fresh atrocities reach the camp residents from across the border on a daily basis adding to the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and lack of control. In January over 4,000 refugees crossed the Moei River to flee conflict in Karen State but now have had to return to unsafe areas in Myanmar as there are no official temporary safety areas for new refugees in Thailand. The situation is volatile and those who have had their homes torched are living in makeshift tents along river margins and in IDP camps along the border. Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military, keeps arresting, burning and torturing civilians, destroying their homes and villages, stealing or burning their crops forcing villagers to flee and hide in the forest when they hear the ominious drone of aircraft or helicopters overhead. We are now hearing of new landmines being laid in areas in Karen and Karenni States. Unseasonal rains, caused by the impact of climate change, have caused flooding in many areas, adding to the misery of living in makeshift shelters having lost everything they own.
Updates on the ongoing tragic situation in Myanmar are often overlooked in the daily news, probably because there seems to be no end in sight, no progress towards a solution and the news is just too hard to bear. We must keep in our hearts the people of Myanmar and the thousands of displaced people who cannot sleep safely at night and yet still find the courage to express their voice against the military coup by finding inventive and effective ways to speak out.
And now the world is full of anger, shock and sadness at the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians and destruction of lives in Ukraine, and everyone is wondering how can we stop this and how can these atrocities continue to happen in this day and age.
Global awareness days remind us to focus on the issues that need our attention and support. Everything is interwoven - the butterfly effect - what each one of us does can make a difference when amplified.
Designed by our team member Saw Min Thu for International Women’s Day 2022
The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, which focuses on the empowerment and recognition of women and girls - supporting diversity, equality and inclusion among communities - highlighting that women and girls can be the change-makers whose leadership and participation can effect sustainable solutions for climate change mitigation; particularly amongst marginalised women and impoverished communities who are increasingly more vulnerable to the deepest impacts of global warming. Developing sustainability iniatives at the grass-roots level gives voice to those who work with the land and natural resources and can lead to more effective policy change for successful sustainable development and good governance.
Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. War and conflict is, of course, the very antithesis of a sustainable tomorrow. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remain beyond our reach.
So, today is the chance to celebrate the collective power of women and girls as we strive for a more equal future together, for the urgent preservation of our beautiful planet and for an end to senseless wars which lead to nothing but destruction, broken hearts and decay.
Since June 2019 Sermpanya Foundation, has been continuing the work and mission of FilmAid Asia who supported programmes in the refugee camps and along the Thai Myanmar border for over 8 years following our initial presence with a pilot participatory video project in Mae La camp back in 2009. The hope was that with the coming to power in 2015 of the NLD, the National League of Democracy, refugees would at last be able to think about a return to their homeland and a chance to rebuild their lives. NGO programmes were re-shaped around repatriation and voluntary return - developing livelihood skills, health & protection issues, land mine education, civil documentation, business training etc., helping refugees acquire the knowledge and skills needed to restart their lives and new villages started to be built to accommodate those returning who had lost their homes years before. Myanmar was developing and there was a sense of new opportunity and promise. Then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in March 2020. Everyone was working from home and refugees and CBOs had to learn new digital skills to be able to manage their projects via internet, Zoom and MS Teams. Internet connections in the camps are generally very slow or non existent and so communication and working together without the normal body language, which considerably plays a role in working in different languages, has been very challenging. Risk Communication on Covid and how to protect yourself was shared through social media and on loudspeakers throughout the camps. Our team in the camp created an animated Covid awareness film which has been shared with thousands, and for almost a year Covid infections were kept from the camps. Elections in Myanmar followed in November 2021 - the NLD won a majority - but the military who still held 25% of the seats in government would not recognise the results of the election and on 1st February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing deemed the election unlawful and declared a military coup. Covid finally made its way into the camps around January 2021 and still today access has been very difficult and communication is mainly through the internet.
Our work with refugees has continued, supporting the creation of educational, informational and engaging media materials to benefit vulnerable communities through our mobile cinema network. Creating positive behaviour change and uplifting spirits through story telling and the energy of film.
As one world tragedy follows another - with Afghanistan, Tigray, Tonga and now the Ukraine in dire need - the appeals for help seem overwhelming. But each donation, no matter how small, makes a difference and allows our team to continue to support the refugee, migrant and host communities.
Everyone has the right to education and reliable information in order to live healthy lives. We have always been human-centred, working with the community to find the most creative and ways to engage and empower, by making learning enjoyable and behaviour change make sense.
Your support is needed now more than ever, and we ask you to give what you can so that we can continue to support the communities along this border.
www.sermpanya.org/donate. Thank you.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES YOU HAVE HELPED SUPPORT
RADIO RECORDINGS FOR MINE RISK AWARENESS WITH Humanity & INCLUSION - HI
HI EORE - Recording radio drama messages in Karenni languages
HI EORE Recording radio drama - the Karen Version
HI EORE - Radio Recording - Pwo Karen version
Sermpanya Foundation has contributed to HI’s EORE Explosive Ordnance Risk Education with mobile cinema screenings for over 10 years and now the need becomes even more pressing as we learn that new land mines and other explosive ordnance are currently being laid around the villages in the Karen and Karenni States - and there are still 40 years of previous explosive ordinance contamination that still need to be mapped and cleared. We need your urgent support to continue to contribute to these crucial awareness activities - everyone needs to be made aware of the hidden danger.
The EORE radio recordings have been made by refugees in a drama style with a family of characters in 4 ethnic languages - Burmese, Karen, Karenni and Pwo Karen.
They will be available to the community through broadcast on loudspeakers in the camps as well as on social media for those living along the border.
Awareness activities through EORE mobile cinema screenings for HI in each of the nine camps are scheduled for this year with special events planned for International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2022 which falls on 4 April 2022. This year we have already completed 2 screenings in Ban Mae Surin camp and 2 in Umpiem camp - reaching a total of 128 refugees directly. Screenings are currently limited to approximately 30 people per screening due to ongoing Covid-19 rules.
Your kind donations are needed to contribute to this ongoing awareness activity. Thank you!
www. sermpanya.org/donate
GHMP - Global Health Media Project - THE STORY OF CORONAVIRUS - TRANSLATION & DUBBING INTO KAREN & BURMESE LANGUAGES
Our team has dubbed this engaging animation film by Global Health Media Project into Burmese and Karen languages. The film very effectively shows how the virus spreads and what do to protect yourself and the community. The film has been watched by thousands through our mobile cinema screenings and is available to all on Social Media and YouTube. We have supporting the dubbing and translation of several of GHMP excellent films over the years including The Story of Cholera and many post-natal education films.
Supporting the translation and dubbing work of the refugees is key to making sure that IEC films are available in ethnic languages. Your support for the this work ensures that we can provide this service which is vital if we are to successfully communicate important information and knowledge in all the different local languages along this border.
GHMP - Dubbing The Story of Coronavirus into Burmese
CHILD PROTECTION IN EMERGENCIES - Notebooks & Leaflets with Save the Children -2021 - FOR INFLUX
Child Protection in Emergencies - Notebooks and Booklets for Children in Emergencies - designed by our team
Our first project with Save the Children saw the design and production of leaflets and notebooks to illustrate protection messages to be conveyed to those fleeing conflict in recent months. Ten key messages were developed by the Protection Working Group comprised of UNHCR, UNICEF, NGOs, CBOs and Sermpanya Foundation to ensure Protection mainstreaming of humanitarian assistance for emergency influx of refugees. The messages focus on children, parents/caregivers and community leaders, on how to cope with situations where children are separated from their families and what to do in an emergency. Finding the images and best way to present the messages to the children so they were engaging but not frightening was key to the design and development of the characters and the illustrations.
Child Protection in Emergencies - Video Film produced by our team highlighting the 10 key messages
MOBILE CINEMA SCREENINGS - COVID-19 AWARENESS 2021 WITH UNICEF
COVID-19 Awareness for Migrant Communities with UNICEF with educational poster for migrant area
After work - Evening Covid-19 Awareness Screenings in Migrant Communities with UNICEF
Covid 19 Awareness Screenings Distributing Gel & Soap and educational posters to migrant children in Prop Phra
Thai Red Cross donated masks which we were able to distribute to the migrant communities
2021 - Life under Covid restrictions continues to pose challenges for mobile cinema activities - but outdoor cinema means everyone can socially distance and we were able to run a very successful Covid-19 awareness campaign from November 2020 - March 2021 with UNICEF reaching over 2,000 migrants directly in 24 migrant locations in Tak Province. Our team created an animated film with accompanying educational poster for Question and Answer sessions afterwards with prizes of gel and soap, with masks for everyone. The evening screenings meant families could come together after the working day, shower, eat, relax and enjoy the community activity while learning valuable information about how to protect themselves from Covid-19 infections.
UNICEF - Covid Awareness Screening Campaign - outdoors allows for social distancing
PRODUCTION OF ZERO TOLERANCE - PSEA AWARENESS FILM WITH UNHCR
In 2021 we worked with UNHCR to develop a film about PSEA - a difficult subject but with a clear and robust message. Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) specifically applies to sexual abuse and exploitation by humanitarian workers and those in positions of power. There is zero tolerance for PSEA by humanitarian workers. Raising awareness and sharing reporting pathways among the refugee and migrant communities about what can constitute abuse and how to report it, is essential to protect those who rely on humanitarian assistance and relief.
Working with our team and others in the refugee community, we developed a storyline which would convey what PSEA represents in a way that would be understandable to the community and also be watchable by younger family members with their parents. The team produced a storyboard based on the final script and explored several different animation techniques. The initial format was to film the film using live action and then use a type of rotoscope to paint the frames afterwards but as we were not able to film outside our compound due to Covid lockdowns the team came up with another idea. ZERO TOLERANCE was drawn frame by frame, coloured frame by frame with backgrounds and seperate elements all composited together. It was a mammoth task and all the team sat for days drawing and drawing! The result is a superb piece of work that confirms their creativity, their digilence and their talent.
Still from Zero Tolerance - Awareness film on PSEA - frame by frame drawing & animation
Drawing frame by frame on tablets for PSEA Zero Tolerance film
Recording the sound track for ZERO TOLERANCE
Versions were made in Karen, Burmese, Urdu, Arabic, Vietnamese with Thai and English Subtitles
PSEA film -Zero Tolerance - placing dialogue and subtitles
ZErO TOLERANCE - PSEA MOBILE CINEMA AWARENESS CAMPAIGN with UNHCR 2021-2022
The Poster for the Awareness Campaign - each one made for specific camps with partner camp based organisations
Temperature checking at a PSEA Zero Tolerance Screening in Ban Mae Surin camp in Mae Hong Son in Nov 2021
Awareness Posters have been made for every camp
But overnight flooding meant access was a little compromised!
Our mobile cinema in Nu Po Camp - currently running the PSEA campaign
Many locations where we screen do not have electricity so we have to carry generators
UNHCR PSEA Zero Tolerance Screening in Ban Mae Surin - our tarpaulins are sprayed for social distancing with enjoyable stencils
Working in close partnership with UNHCR, SGBV Committees, Karen Women’s Organisation, Karenni Women’s Organisation, Karen Student Network Group, Karen Youth Organisation and the Camp Committees the PSEA awareness campaign is comprised of 516 screenings - 2 screenings per section in all 9 camps - ie Mae La, Umpiem, Nu Po, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae La Oon, Ban Mae Noi Soi, Ban Mai Surin Tham Hin and Ban Don Yang camps. The campaign launched in Ban Mae Noi and is now running in Nu Po camp. Covid lockdowns have delayed the start of the campaign in several camps and we need your support to mitigate these delays since our teams remain poised with the situation changing on a daily basis. We provide temperature checks and also distribute masks, gel and soap to the audience as well as a snack and drink. Kobo questionnaires are used to monitor audience feedback and understanding of the film and its message. Illustrated referral pathways and reporting mechanisms have been made to show to the refugees so they can understand where to report. The screenings will provide a safe and interactive platform to raise awareness on this difficult subject.
UNHCR Sanitary Napkin distribution with Sermpanya video screening & temperature check
UNHCR Sanitary Napkin distribution with Sermpanya video screenings during the waiting time
REGULAR MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING FOR CAMP BASED STAFF
Camera Training for the camp based staff members
Screening Skills Training for Camp Based Staff
IRC LAC RADIO RECORDING - LEGAL SERVICES FOR REFUGEES
IRC LAC - Radio Recording - information about the Justice System in Thailand and Legal Services available to refugees living in the camps
IRC LAC - young refugee students present the radio broadcast in Karen language
IRC LAC - Recording the Burmese version
We are excited to be working with IRC - LAC - their Legal Assistance Centre in 7 camps - to help inform refugees of important services available to them. Our team will produce 5 radio broadcasts in covering different topics and we are currently working on the 2nd recording which is about Safe Migration and having the right documentation and information to prevent exploitation and trafficking. We have have created the audio scripts with reference from IRC - LAC and our team have cast presenters from the camp to be the voices.
Loudspeakers reach all areas of the camps
CFLI - ADRA - RCCE PROTECT - A Film on Covid-19 Awareness & Prevention in the camps 2021
CFLI ADRA - RCCE - PROTECT - PROJECT - A short film produced by our team in 2021 highlighting the work of ADRA’s PROTECT project and the work of volunteers and camp based staff which helped raise awareness on Covid-19 prevention in the camps. Supported by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives
Thank you! You have made it to the bottom of the post!
There is more to share - we have been so busy on Zoom and MS Team calls throughout the year helping create online trainings and contributing to many communication projects, and helping local camp based organisations to record events and activities, but its time to send the letter so thank you again for your attention and your care!
Please give what you can so that we can continue through these difficult times.
(If you would consider a monthly subscription that would be wonderful too!)
Thank you from us all here on the Thai Myanmar border!
www.sermpanya.org/donate