Northview

1
Northviews Karen and Karenni Students
2
Our Karen/Karenni Students

• Our Karen and Karenni students are refugees that
  come to us from any of 9 refugee camps in
  Thailand
• Some students were born in a refugee camp while
  others may have lived in Burma and fled to a camp
  for safety
• Some students have attended elementary school in
  the U.S., while others have just arrived
• The 1st Karen student in MSDWT arrived in the
  fall of 2006 and is now a sophomore at NC
• In 2008-2009, MSDWT had 40 Karen students this
  year there are more than 80 enrolled, including
  the 1st group of Karenni speakers

3
History of Burma

• Burma achieved independence from Britain in 1948
• In 1962, the military took control and began a
  Burmese socialist program under the new regime,
  civilians were subject to many human rights
  abuses such as land confiscation, forced labor,
  and forced relocation
• By the mid-1980s, the Burmese military had seized
  a majority of the Karen territory and the human
  rights abuse continued the first wave of Karen
  refugees fled to Thailand in January, 1984
• Refugees continue to seek shelter in camps along
  the Thai border
• Today, Burma is sometimes called Myanmar, but the
  U.S. and other countries that do not support the
  current military government have not adopted the
  name change

4
The Refugee Experience

• Around 150,000 people (mostly Karen and Karenni)
  are living in designated camps in Thailand some
  have been there for more than 2 decades
• Refugees are legal immigrants who are eligible to
  apply for legal permanent residence (green card)
  after 1 year in the US
• The United States has nearly 5,000 refugees from
  Burma, of which about 3,500 are Karen
• The US government proposes to resettle an
  additional 17,000 refugees from Burma in the
  fiscal year 2009
• Over the next 5-10 years, Burmese refugees will
  be resettled in the United States, Canada,
  Australia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland

5
Interesting Facts

• Karen use nicknames-there are no first or last
  names
• Karen people are mostly farmers dyeing cloth,
  weaving, and basket-making are also important
  activities
• The Karen have always placed a high value on
  education, but many schools lack funds since the
  military outlawed many private schools
• In surveys done by the United Nations (2005-06),
  of those applying for resettlement
• - 2/3 reported receiving primary, middle, or
  secondary education
• - 1/3 reported receiving no education
• - Fewer than 100 peopled received vocational
  training or attended university
• Many Karen resettled in the US have little or no
  knowledge of English
• Among the Karenni population, literacy rates are
  low and most literate Karenni use the Burmese
  language and script
• Our population of Karen/Karenni families work
  primarily in housekeeping, meat processing,
  warehouse jobs, and other low-skilled occupations
• Some parents commute as far as Logansport and
  Washington, IN for work

Information cited from Refugees From Burma
Their Backgrounds and Refugee Experiences Publish
ed by the Center for Applied Linguistics, June
2007 Myanmar Cultural Competency and
Tuberculosis Control Published by the
Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, April
2009
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