LWO: Lahu Women’s Organisation
When we compare our Lahu women with other ethnic women, we lack education such as knowledge, leadership and management. We live under the rule of father and husband generation by generation because of women cannot speak out and no opportunity to involve making decision and no access learn education higher than man in our communities.
And there are many problem and lack of accessibility to the health care and education because the Lahu people are undocumented people and they are living in Tak, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Song provinces of Thailand and surviving as Stateless persons in Thailand. So that, in 1997 October 30, Lahu women who arrived in Thailand from Burma, decided to form a women’s organization in a Lahu village in Thailand: named LWO to help the needs of women and children and to empower our Lahu women to participate in political, social, education, health and leadership roles through the awareness training, internship program, capacity building, women exchange and other related women development program. LWO office is a center for Lahu women and based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Organization’s aims and objectives
- To preserve the Lahu cultural traditions
- To improve the education of Lahu children, youths and women
- To address the health needs of Lahu people
- To resist discrimination between women and men
- To work for the development of Lahu women in every sphere together with other indigenous women
- To promote the participation of women in the democracy movement in Burma
- To reduce illiteracy among Lahu women
Organization activities
Capacity Building Program for LWO’s members
Give opportunity to LWO members as intern to other organizations, and participating in capacity building training long and short workshop on the issue of women, gender, child rights, health, HIV/AIDS, education, management , documentation, peace, conflict resolution, non-violence, law and constitution, income generation, leadership, computer skill and Foreign affairs training. After attending the training the staffs give echo training to Lahu women.
Income Generation Program
Most of the Lahu women are undocumented people who came from Burma. So that they have no opportunity to have job in town and no income to support family. LWO staffs gave training on making design, quality control and marketing to Lahu women. They used their own skills to make the products but they don’t have start up money of market resources. So LWO helps to sell the products and find customers for them.
Health and HIV/AIDS Awareness Program
LWO staffs give awareness workshop and training to women on health, reproductive health family planning, STIs and HIV/AIDS. So that they can prevent the diseases in their families and in communities.
Education and Orphanage Center
LWO set up an orphanage center at Thai-Burma border in 1999. In 2004, there are 32 children and were supported by a few donors. The children are increasing year by year. The children go to Thai school in the daytime and learn Lahu literature in the evening.
Internship Program
LWO gives opportunity to the Lahu young women from border areas to come to LWO for internship program. After that they will work for the Lahu youths and women as they possible as they can and they continue to work in LWO.
Documentation
LWO had been collected the information on child trafficking cases and other women and human rights violation, sexual abused and gender based violence against women among in Lahu community. We involved some example cases to LWO publication and others.
Publication
LWO distributed Lahu Women Journal with Burmese and Lahu Language. In journal the topics include women issue, awareness, human rights violation, and women rights, etc. We published and distributed to Lahu people who are living Thailand and inside Burma.