"The peoples of Burma are today struggling to reclaim their rights and their country
from one of the world's cruelest and longest-lasting dictatorships. This cost is
high. Thousands of peaceful democracy activists have been killed. Many have
been torturedand imprisoned. Yet even as individuals fall prey to repression, the
democratic spirit of Burma's peoples refuses to die."
~ Desmond M. Tutu
The people of Burma suffer under one of the world's most brutal and repressive regimes. The United
Nations, world religious leaders, many governments and human rights groups have urged andend to human rights
violations in Burma. The military regime uses murder, torture, rape, political imprisonment and forced
labor as practices for ruling the citizens of Burma. Freedom of expression and freedom of association are
non-existent and Burmese citizens are denied any say in the shaping of their future.
Burma is in the midst of a health and educational crisis. All social services have suffered tragically
under the years of military rule. Nearly all Burma's universities and colleges have been opened
sporadically since student protests in December 1996. Most academic curricula are decades out of date.
The syllabus for university courses must be approved by the military and all campus acitivities are
monitored by military intelligence. Educational opportunities are almost non-existent in impoverished
areas due to high attendance costs. In the ethnic minority areas along the border, frequent skirmishes
and the use of forced labor by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has disrupted education,
as students have to flee when troops approach.
Although the situation is a little brighter among the 300,000 Burmese refugees today in Thailand,
India and Bangladesh, health and educational services area also very limited. In the primarily
Karen refugee camps, education above 9th standard is prohibited and teachers are faced
with a lack of resources and culturally relevant material. Once the situation changes in Burma,
these people, the political groups in exile and ethnic refugee groups, will need to play a major
role in pulling the country together, but how can that happen if they themselves are denied
educational opportunities?
For the ethnic, student and political groups, along with the elected members of the government
in exile in Thailand, it is essential that they are able to communicate in English and have
access to practical skills training, such as basic computer knowledge, report writing and
documentation. This allows them to tell the international community what really is happening in Burma.
Voluntary work 
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