Myanmar

===Data from (School Tool) shows that in 2012, there are 53 students in the ICSD whose families originally came from Burma or Myanmar as the current government named the country. Currently 38 of these students speak Karen as a first language, and 19 speak Burmese as a first language.===

Most of these families are refugees, and many of these students were born in refugee camps in Thailand. They have experienced persecution because of political beliefs or religious activities or because they are members of a particular ethnic group. Fleeing conditions in their home countries, they found temporary asylum in refugee camps or communities in neighboring countries.

In 1962 the military power took control of the control of Burma, renaming it Myanmar. Burmese military rule has had disastrous economic policies and human rights abuses on a massive scale. Any demonstrations against government rule have been brutally suppressed and campaigns of ethnic oppression, through executions, torture, forced labour, and forced relocation, are ongoing.

Due to these government policies, nearly half of the population is living below the poverty line, and some two million Burmese have fled persecution for neighboring countries. The families from Burma in our community fled to refugee camps in Thailand, and many of our students were born in these camps before coming to Ithaca.

It is important for teachers to understand the condition of these camps and the hardships these families have been through. The links and videos below will help teachers understand the current political situation in Myanmar, life in the refugee camps, information about different ethnic groups, and what challenges these families face as they resettle in Ithaca.

= Refugees from Burma in the United States (bilingual version) =

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**Our Lives, Our Education **
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= They Call It Myanmar =

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Resources
Burma Link upholds the voices of the people of Burma and works to empower the people to become active agents in driving positive change in their lives and communities. || Until two years ago, Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the longest-running military dictatorship in the world. In 2010, the military began to loosen its grip on the country, increasing civil freedoms and offering some political and economic opportunity for citizens. But some are wondering whether the country can truly transition to democracy if it fails to reconcile with its brutal past. || This video features interviews with refugees from Burma, speaking about matters that affect their daily life, such as learning English, employment, housing and community, rights and responsibilities, and the long process of resettlement. In addition this site provides important orientation resources for refugee newcomers and service providers throughout the United States and overseas. || Burma Issues is a non-profit organization of young ethnic people from Burma, dedicated to the empowerment and education of the grassroots ethnic people in Burma; the documentation and reporting of the important social, economic, and political aspects of their lives; and, through strong advocacy, the building of growing and sustainable support from the international community to their aspirations for lasting peace and justice. || There are nearly 50 million people living in Burma1, a country richly endowed with resources; oil and gas, gemstones and huge areas of fertile land. Once called “the rice bowl of Asia”, Burma is now ranked as one of the world’s ten poorest countries. || The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. || TBBC is a consortium of 12 international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from ten countries providing food, shelter and non food items to refugees and displaced people from Burma. TBBC also engages in research on the root causes of displacement and refugee outflows. Programmes are implemented in the field through refugees, community based organisations and local partners. ||
 * [[image:Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 3.09.33 PM.png width="299" height="162" link="@http://www.burmalink.org"]] ||  || ====Burma Link- Voices for Change====
 * [[image:Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 2.40.27 PM.png width="286" height="203" link="@http://www.npr.org/2013/08/08/209919791/as-myanmar-opens-up-a-look-back-on-a-1988-uprising"]] ||  || ====NPR-A Look Back at the 1988 Uprising====
 * [[image:refugees-from-burma.png link="@http://www.cal.org/co/videos/Burmese/Refugees_from_Burma.html"]] ||  || ====__The Cultural Orientation Resource Center: US Refugee Program__====
 * [[image:Peace-Way-foundation-burma-issues.png]] ||  || ====__Peace Way Foundation/ Burma Issues__====
 * [[image:burmese-cultural-file.png]] ||  || ====Burmese Cultural File====
 * [[image:Screen-shot-international-rescue-comittee-.png]] ||  || ====International Rescue Committee in Thailand====
 * [[image:Thailand-Burma-Border-Consortium.png]] ||  || ====[|Thailand Burma Border Consortium]====