The EarthRights School Burma recently celebrated the graduation of the 2009-2010 class at a ceremony attended by friends, supporters and staff members. Thirteen students attended the school's intensive, ten-month training program, representing the Shan, Karen, Karenni/Kayan, Arakanese, Burman, Kachin, Chin and Lisu ethnic groups. The class included students from a variety of human service and environmental organizations both in Burma and on the border. EarthRights selected the students based on their skills, experience and demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of the people in Burma.
Speaking at the graduation, one student called his time at EarthRights School Burma “an indescribable opportunity.” Classes at the school covered topics related to human rights, government, the environment, community development and organizational management. The coursework also covered teamwork, research, writing and English-language skills.
Of the thirteen students, eight focused their research on environmental problems and human rights violations in Burma, while the remaining five developed grant proposals for social development projects. All of the students spent two months inside Burma conducting field research on their topics. After their return, they wrote a formal report or proposal on the outcome of their research. The students' work culminated in formal presentations to fellow classmates, staff, advisors and community supporters.
Several students focused their research on the impacts of commercial development projects, including rubber plantations and a casino. They documented how the projects led to land confiscation, environmental degradation, health problems and loss of traditional livelihoods.
Other students wrote about the education system in Burma. One student described the social and economic impacts of the inadequate education system in Kachin State. "The strategy of the military government is to discourage education in Kachin State because it is much easier to control uneducated people than educated people," she said. Another student wrote about the challenges that monastic schools face as they try to provide education to Burma's poorest children, including government limits on the curriculum, lack of supplies and lack of teacher support and training. One student wrote a grant proposal to create a continuing education center to serve disadvantaged youth. Another student proposed a youth development forum and computer training program.
Two other students focused on the social impacts of immigration and involuntary displacement. One researched the problems facing Burmese youth who leave the country illegally in search of work, including exploitation, debt and health problems caused by unsafe working conditions. "For them, their daily survival is their daily achievement," he said. The other student reported on the causes and impacts of internal displacement of villagers in Karenni State. He described how forced labor and torture by the Burmese military force people to flee from their villages, and explored the impacts of this displacement, including inadequate access to food and clean water, health problems and lack of education for displaced children.
The remaining students focused on a variety of health, environmental and social issues in Burma. One student conducted research on AIDS awareness and discrimination against and lack of services for people living with HIV. Two other students wrote grant proposals for environmental awareness projects, one related to deforestation of mangrove forest in Rakhine State, and the other to reduce plastic waste and encourage the use of traditional materials among the Lisu people. Another student wrote a grant proposal for a vocational education and gender awareness training program to address discrimination against women in Chin society.
Despite the magnitude of the problems reflected in the students' research and the challenges they face when they return to their work, they maintain hope for the future. At the graduation ceremony, the students sang "My Dream" for the audience, a song that expressed their desire for peace and freedom. A representative of the students concluded his speech at the graduation with, "In the future, I strongly believe that, with the experience we gained from the school and the subjects we learned, we can contribute to our communities […] We are hard-working for change."
Billy Martin, a teacher at the Burma School, told the students that they would not be alone in their work. "You are aware that the road to peace and justice is not an easy one […] you have made many new friendships that will give you support.” He also reminded the students that they will join previous EarthRights Burma School alumni as members of the Burma Alumni Program, which will offer encouragement and support for their future efforts. This year's graduation marked the tenth anniversary of EarthRights School Burma and this year's class will join over 130 previous graduates, most of whom continue to work to improve the lives of the people in Burma and on the Burmese border.
