Urgent Funding Needs

Our most urgent funding needs are for IDP students relief, the Karen Youth Development Centre 2009-10 and the KYO Conference and Congress 2009.

20th Anniversary of KYO Day

KYO Day is on May 23rd and is a great occasion for Karen youths to come together to celebrate. We plan to celebrate KYO Day in Ler Per Her IDP camp (Pa-an District) and in Dooplaya District. We will organise the following activities over four days from May 20th to May 23rd:

• Football competition
• Concert
• Youth debate
• Photo exhibition showing 20 years of KYO work
• Speeches

We invite everyone to celebrate KYO Day with us. We also need support to fund these activities. The total budget needed is 68,500 baht and we welcome any donations large or small. Please email us at kyohqktl@yahoo.com if you can help us to fund KYO Day.

IDP Relief for Education

Ler Per Her High School in Ler Per Her IDP Camp close to the Thai-Burma border urgently needs 40,000 THB to repair the school roof before the new school year begins in June 2009. The school has expanded rapidly due to increasing numbers of Karen youths fleeing the SPDC in their area and seeking security in Ler Per Her camp. There are now around 300 students in the school. The camp currently has 150 households and 80 students in the unaccompanied children's dormitory. For the roofing materials only, 40,000 THB is needed. KYO and the villagers will donate all labour and transportation costs free of charge.

Sei Poe Kee IDP Camp Primary School close to the Thai-Burma border urgently needs water piping to extend the drinking water supply to the school, dormitory and villagers. Currently the students, who are under age 10, and villagers have to walk very far and carry drinking water back to their homes every day. The amount needed is 15,000 THB for the pipeline material only. Labour and transportation costs will be donated voluntarily by KYO and the villagers.

For more information about KYO's IDP relief work, please visit our IDP Relief project page.

Karen Youth Development Centre

This further education school is very important for training the next generation of young leaders. Our previous alumni have gone on to very good jobs in the Karen and NGO community. The school is in Ler Per Her IDP Camp and incurs basic running costs of 845,000 Baht per year. We currently have funding pledges for less than 50% of the basic running costs and urgently need to secure more funding before the school year begins in May 2009. See more details of the centre here.

KYO Conference and Congress

In May 2009 KYO will run the 2nd KYO Conference and elect the next committee. This conference is only held once every four years and is an exciting opportunity for all Karen youths to come together and discuss KYO activities, policies and future plans. Youths from all districts of Karen State, refugee camps in Thailand and the rest of the world are invited to attend and share their views.

Those who are unable to attend are invited to contact KYO to give their views and ideas about KYO activities and policies. All suggestions will be represented at the conference and all ideas are welcomed. We strongly encourage Karen youths to contact us in advance of the conference.

The next conference will particularly focus on education issues inside Karen State, developing higher education facilities in the refugee camps and incorporating resettled Karen youths in to KYO. We plan to set up KYO branch offices in major centres of resettlement and particularly encourage youths in those areas who are interested in representing KYO to contact us.

After the conference, the congress will discuss the KYO Constitution and plan activities for the next four years. All interested youths should read the KYO Constitution and send their opinions to KYO to be included in the congress.

The minimum funding we need for the Conference and Congress is 300,000 Baht. This is for transportation costs for KYO representatives in all seven districts of Karen State and food for everyone at the conference for two weeks. We cannot implement the conference and congress without this minimum funding but it is very difficult to find donors willing to support this activity. Any donation we receive will help us to implement this important activity. Without it KYO cannot continue to operate according to its mandate.

Contact KYO Central Executive Committee to find out more details about the 3rd KYO conference and congress and represent your views.