Women’s Education for Advancement and Empowerment (WEAVE)
Thai-Burma Border
Women’s Education for Advancement and Empowerment (WEAVE), formed in 1990, is a community-based organization that empowers women through health education, literacy, income generation, and human rights and leadership training. WEAVE programs address the needs of Karen and Karenni women in the Mae Sot and Mae Sariang refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border who have fled from persecution by the Burmese military regime..
Employment opportunities in refugee camps are scarce, particularly for women. WEAVE’s income generation program provides these women with the training to further develop their craft skills and to generate critical income for the health and education needs of their families. As a member of the Fair Trade Federation, WEAVE helps market traditional Burmese embroidery and weaving at a price that ensures fair wages for refugee women. In addition, WEAVE’s Women Capacity Development project promotes women-led project management so that participants learn self-sufficiency and economic independence.
Refugees on the Thai-Burma Border
The oppressive military regime in Burma has wrecked havoc on the country for decades, and forced many to flee to neighboring Thailand for safety. The Burmese army has particularly targeted the Karen and Karenni minority ethnic groups because of their struggle for regional autonomy. In 2006, a military invasion of the northern Karen state destroyed 232 villages, and displaced roughly 27,000 civilians. Today, there are some 148,000 refugees in nine camps along the Thai-Burma border, facing constant struggles to keep their families fed and healthy, and to educate their children.
In the camps, women refugees, many of whom have suffered sexual violence at the hands of Burmese soldiers, face the incredibly difficult task of providing for both themselves and their families inside the camps, with little opportunity to earn an income. WEAVE collaborates with local and international groups to implement programs that addresses health and women’s issues in the camps, and creates opportunities for women to make and sell crafts. By promoting crafts production, WEAVE provides women a sense of security as well as a means of connecting to their heritage.
Traditional Burmese Weaving and Embroidery
The art of traditional Burmese weaving has a 5,000 year history and its own distinct set of motifs, one of which is the series of horizontal line patterns called achiek present in the work sold by GGP. The women of WEAVE use vegetable dyes and traditional Karen and Karenni patterns for their cloth and thread. Weaving and embroidery skills and designs are passed down through generations of women. Roughly 300 women are involved in the weaving project, where they create greeting cards, bags, purses, scarves, and dolls. The project has an impact beyond income generation: it is a creative escape from the hard life of a refugee and a chance for women to bond with each other over their historic cultural traditions.
