Burma

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$300,000
To promote worker rights and democracy in Burma. This project will educate work­ers and other citizens both inside Burma and in exile about labor rights and democ­racy, document violations of internationally recognized labor rights, build capacity to advocate for human rights in Burma inter­nationally, and support the development of civil society organizations in ethnic areas.

International Republican Institute
$400,000
To support the activities of pro-democ­racy organizations inside Burma. IRI will build upon a previous program to strengthen political structures capable of undertaking campaigns and engag­ing in political activity in Burma.

International Republican Institute
$300,000
To support activists inside Burma and increase the flow of information into the country. IRI will provide training for political organizations on strategic plan­ning and organizational development.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$190,000
To support the Burma democracy move­ment in the lead-up to the 2010 elec­tions. NDI will assess Burma’s elections against international standards and will equip democracy advocates with infor­mation on election benchmarks. NDI’s program will help foster a unified voice among Burmese democracy advocates and the international community in press­ing for democratic reform in Burma.

Civic Education
$37,410
To train political activists from Burma in human rights, democracy, and for­eign affairs work so they can effectively promote the Burmese democracy move­ment and human rights within their communities and abroad. Following the completion of a ten-month training course, 16 political activists from Burma will participate in two- to three-month internships with political and human rights organizations in Asia and Europe.

$100,000
To train political activists from Burma in human rights, democracy, international politics, and foreign affairs work so they can effectively promote the Burmese democracy movement and human rights within their communities and abroad. Sixteen students will participate in a ten-month advanced course on policy, politics, and human rights, which includes English-language instruction and basic computer training, and a three-month internship with political and human rights organizations in Asia and Europe.

$27,175
To build the capacity of youth from Shan State and increase youth participation in the movement for social and political change leading toward a genuine demo­cratic Burma. The school will educate, train, and empower its students through nine months of English-language, so­cial studies, and computer courses.

$35,000
To produce a film by a political satire group in Burma in an effort to engage a general audience inside Burma about politics, human rights, and social is­sues. The political satire comedy troupe, will produce a one and a half hour-long feature-length film that highlights hu­man rights, democracy, and freedom of expression issues in contemporary Burma.

Democratic Ideas and Values
$30,000
To educate citizens in Chin State about the principles of democracy and human rights. The organization will support a series of workshops on democracy, develop­ment of civil society, and the role of Chin State in a future democratic Burma.

Freedom of Information
$26,500
To strengthen the information and com­munication technology capacity of pro-de­mocracy activists inside and outside Burma to facilitate the sharing and distribution of information. The organization will provide technology training to Burmese activists and journalists, distribute news and infor­mation inside Burma through the Internet, transcribe information into Burmese Unicode, and provide a secure website for users in Burma to share information.

$427,900
To support Burmese- and ethnic-language shortwave radio and satellite television broadcasts of independent news and opinion. The organization will produce a daily hour-long shortwave radio pro­gram, a daily satellite TV program, and articles and features for its website.

$15,390
To provide skills-based training to youth and young professionals in Burma to enhance information flow and com­munication within Burma and with the international community. The organization will establish a resource center in Burma that provides training in English-language, information communication, technol­ogy, and leadership and management.

$150,000
To support independent media in Burma and to provide independent news and information about Burma and events in Southeast Asia. The organization will produce a monthly English-language news magazine; distribute a daily electronic news bulletin; and maintain a Burmese- and English-language website. It will also pro­duce a weekly television program on issues related to the 2010 elections in Burma.

$15,000
To provide accurate and reliable infor­mation about political, social, and eco­nomic developments in Kachin State, and to build the professional capacity of Kachin journalists. The organization will produce a monthly Kachin- and English-language print magazine provid­ing in-depth analysis on developments in Kachin State and information on democ­racy, human rights, and civic education.

$20,000
To inform people in Burma about news and events in eastern Burma and to expose them to basic principles of human rights and democracy. The organization will publish an independent monthly Bur­mese- and Karenni- language newspaper covering news and issues for the Karenni community in Burma, in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, and for ethnic and democracy groups in exile.

$20,000
To inform Karen people in Burma about events and news and to expose them to basic principles of human rights and democracy. The organization will pub­lish a newsletter in Burmese and Karen that provides an alternative news source for Karen in Burma, in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, and for ethnic and democracy groups in exile.

$88,425
To train and assist Burmese activ­ists in conducting a media monitoring program in the run-up to the country’s 2010 parliamentary elections. Following a training, the organization will oversee the monitoring of the election-related coverage of at least 10 independent print, broadcast and online media outlets. The results will be released in regular monitoring reports and a final report.

$71,000
To provide independent and accurate information about Burma. The news group will produce a daily electronic informa­tion service that covers developments in Burma, India, Thailand, and the Thai- and India-Burma borders; maintain a Burmese- and English-language website; publish a monthly Burmese-language newspaper; and run a journalism internship program.

$22,000
To publish accurate and reliable infor­mation about political, social, and eco­nomic developments in Arakan State. The organization will operate a daily online news service in English and Bur­mese, concentrating on current events and human rights in Arakan State.

$100,000
To support independent media in Burma. The organization will produce a daily Burmese-language news and informa­tion website focusing on the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma.

$43,000
To provide accurate and reliable infor­mation to the Shan and wider Burmese communities, as well as Thai and inter­national audiences, about political, social, and economic developments in Shan State. The organization will publish a bi-lingual monthly newspaper, providing informa­tion about the efforts of prodemocracy, student, ethnic, and labor organizations to promote peace and democracy in Burma.

$50,000
To engage the youth of Burma in politi­cal discourse through the publication of a current affairs journal. The organization will publish a Burmese-language bi-weekly journal focusing on economics, health, the environment, and international affairs.

$12,000
To provide accurate and reliable infor­mation about the political, social, and economic developments within the Burmese military. The organization will maintain a Burmese-language news website on a secure server that posts regular articles, interviews, and analy­sis about the military and military re­form under a democratic system.

Human Rights
$40,000
To support the nonviolent prodemocracy activities of the Buddhist monastic com­munity, or sangha, and to provide emer­gency assistance to Burmese monks who are under threat or are currently in prison due to their prodemocracy activities. The organization will support information and outreach campaigns for both the monastic community and the general public, organize technical assistance training workshops for monks, and provide emergency as­sistance to monks who are under threat.

$10,000
To support the human rights aspirations of monks and lay Buddhist in Burma. The organization will produce and distribute material, including pamphlets, stick­ers, and calendars on human rights and democracy and support efforts to organize the Buddhist community inside Burma.

$30,000
To build and advance international support for the Burmese pro-democracy move­ment. The network links academics, activ­ists, journalists, diplomats, and politicians in Burma, Thailand, and throughout Southeast Asia in an effort to promote democ­racy and human rights in Burma through multi-pronged efforts and initiatives.

$20,000
To raise awareness, strengthen local net­works, and mobilize activists in resource extraction-affected areas of western Burma. The organization will train local field researchers in information documen­tation and community mobilization methods and raise awareness internationally and within the affected areas about the mili­tary’s natural resource extraction projects.

$56,500
To support efforts in Southeast Asia to increase pressure for political reform in Burma. The organization will organize a campaign by parliamentarians from ASEAN countries to secure the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, improve the human rights situation in Burma, and encour­age ASEAN to adopt a policy toward Burma that supports political reform.

$200,000
To support human rights in Burma by raising awareness about and supporting political prisoners. The organization will research and document the situation of political prisoners inside Burma; provide assistance to political prisoners, former political prisoners, and their families; and raise international awareness about the human rights situation inside Burma.

$50,000
To strengthen the capacity of Burmese hu­man rights organizations to collect quality data on human rights, manage and analyze that data effectively, and use that data in advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the human rights situation inside Burma. The organization will provide technical and operational assistance to these organiza­tions and develop and enhance a Burmese-language version of its software program.

$20,000
To advocate and campaign on behalf of democracy in Burma in India. The organization will coordinate a variety of activities in support of these goals, including outreach to Members of Par­liament, government officials, civil so­ciety organizations, and the media.

$45,000
To promote understanding among Burmese women of human rights, women’s rights, democracy, and community development. The organization will maintain community libraries; publish a bi-monthly Burmese-language journal; conduct public aware­ness campaigns about women’s rights, gender equality, and social change; and manage five regional support centers and libraries for migrant workers.

$55,000
To document, report on, and raise aware­ness about the human rights situation in Chin State and western Burma. The organization will publish and distribute a human rights newsletter, advocate on human rights issues internation­ally, build the capacity of local activists, and organize a student conference.

$30,000
To support the development of small-scale civil society initiatives in Burma and strengthen the reporting and video production skills of independent journal­ists inside Burma. The organization will support nascent civil society initiatives run by democracy activists and organize journalism and human rights training workshops as well as create a web­site for alumni of its training courses.

$25,000
To support the institutional capacity of the organization to distribute humanitar­ian aid and to document the plight of the internally displaced Karen population. The committee will publish a bi-monthly newsletter and provide training courses for its field staff and volunteers.

$45,000
To encourage and facilitate the informed, constructive, and non-violent participa­tion of Kachin youth and others in local and national politics. The project has four interrelated components: raising public awareness in Kachin State about democracy and constitutionalism; con­ducting research, analysis, and advocacy; building alliances between and among Kachin youth, activists, and journalists as well as the larger pro-democracy move­ment in Burma; and strengthening civil society associations in Kachin State.

$40,000
To raise awareness among the Burmese general population and youth in particu­lar about human rights and democracy in an effort to encourage participation in the democracy movement. The organi­zation will provide support for a variety of campaigns and initiatives designed to encourage the peaceful, nonviolent participation of Burmese youth in the democracy movement and for a series of strategic planning and organizational development workshops for its members.

$50,000
To promote respect for human rights and to build the capacity of local human rights organizations through training courses, written material, and consulta­tions. The organization will organize a series of human rights education train­ings and community organizing work­shops; conduct an advocacy campaign to stop the use of child soldiers in Burma and prevent child trafficking; and reprint and distribute copies of its human rights education materials and manuals.

$85,000
To document the human rights situation and promote human rights education in Mon State and among Mon refugees. The organization runs six core projects: human rights documentation; human rights and civic education; community organizing and human rights defenders; civil society development; ethnic-language publica­tions; and women’s and children’s rights.

$74,484
To increase international attention on and interest in Burma and to strengthen international support for Burma’s prode­mocracy movement. The center will work to ensure that important research and reports written and published in Asia by Burmese democracy organizations reach a targeted audience in the international community, keep the international media informed of important developments in Burma, and coordinate various initiatives to strengthen international resolve on Burma.

$35,000
To promote the rights of women and chil­dren in northern Burma and to strengthen the capacity of Kachin women to participate in politics. The organization will carry out a range of activities to support the empower­ment of Kachin women, including the pub­lication of a newsletter on democracy and women’s rights, and programs focused on capacity building, political and human rights education, health services, trafficking, migrant workers, and income generation.

$25,000
To provide accurate and reliable informa­tion about the human rights situation in Karen State and to empower and build the capacity of Karen field researchers and human rights defenders to advocate for civil and political rights. The organiza­tion will produce thematic human rights reports, launch regional and international campaigns around the reports, work with villagers to develop village-level strate­gies to resist human rights abuses, and strengthen the capacity of its staff in organizational management, daily opera­tions, and long-term strategic planning.

$30,000
To strengthen the capacity of Burmese human rights organizations to collect quality data on human rights; manage and analyze that data effectively; and use that data to raise awareness about the human rights situation inside Burma. The orga­nization will produce timely reports on the human rights situation related to the electoral process; provide small sub-grants to member organizations; and organize targeted capacity-building trainings.

$50,000
To raise awareness among the general population and youth in particular about human rights and democracy in an effort to encourage participation in the democ­racy movement in Burma. The organiza­tion will provide support for information and outreach campaigns targeting the general public and to allow activists to organize and network among themselves.

$30,000
To strengthen the capacity of ethnic women to participate in the movement for democracy and human rights in Burma. The organization will carry out a range of activities to support women’s empowerment, including human rights documentation and research; human rights and political empowerment train­ings for ethnic women; and workshops on preventing gender-based violence.

$75,000
To raise awareness about the human rights situation in Burma and to strengthen the capacity of local activists to employ quantitative research methodologies in the documentation of human rights abuses in Burma. The primary output of the project will be a report based on a population-based survey of human rights abuses in Burma, with a focus on Chin, Arakan, Shan, and Karen States.

$23,000
To document human rights violations in eastern Burma. The organization will maintain a website, and publish and distribute monthly ethnic- and Eng­lish-language human rights newslet­ters to audiences in Shan State, the exile community in Thailand, and the broader international community.

$36,000
To increase women’s participation in Burma’s democracy movement and provide Shan women with the necessary skills to assume decision-making positions in their communities and organizations. Projects will include women’s empowerment and capacity building workshops; documen­tation and advocacy on the situation of women in Shan State; and, basic social services for Shan women and refugees.

$32,000
To promote greater understanding of democracy and human rights and strengthen community networks and organizations among the Palaung (aka Ta’ang). The organization will organize a series of three human rights and democ­racy trainings for Palaung youth from inside Burma. In addition, it will convene a meeting of alumni from past trainings.

$25,000
To strengthen Thai support for democracy in Burma. The organization will engage in policy advocacy, public information campaigns, legal support to Burmese who suffer human rights violations in Thai­land, and efforts to strengthen Burmese pro-democracy organizations in Thailand.

$25,000
To promote respect for human rights and advocate for protection, assistance, and du­rable solutions for the Rohingyas in Arakan State and in the region. The organization will document human rights violations and raise awareness through advocacy and campaigning about the plight of Rohingyas, a Muslim minority in northern Arakan State.

$175,000
To assist civil society actors and democ­racy activists inside Burma. The organi­zation will provide assistance to human rights defenders, student and youth groups, and legal aid providers, and will support a wide variety of activities designed to raise political awareness among the general population in Burma and to facilitate the development of independent centers of political activity throughout the country.

$95,000
To strengthen civil society in Burma. The organization will work with partners inside Burma to run two institutions that provide educational opportunities and modern communication facilities, and continue an emergency medical support fund for activists and former political prisoners.

$60,000
To promote increased understanding among Burmese women of human rights, women’s rights, democracy, federalism, peace-building, community develop­ment, and health issues. The association will organize a series of women’s rights and empowerment training workshops for Burmese refugees; capacity-building workshops for Burmese women in India, Thailand, and Bangladesh; and an ongoing peace-advocacy program.

NGO Strengthening
$45,000
To strengthen the ability of the Burmese people to participate in peaceful ef­forts to promote democracy and political reconciliation in Burma. The organiza­tion will conduct community-organizing training courses for participants from inside Burma in an effort to begin the process of building an independent civil society. The organization will also conduct human rights and non-violent political action education workshops.

$13,000
To build the capacity of the organization to strengthen its membership, evalu­ate its programs, and develop a strategic plan to advance women’s rights in Karen State. Over the course of two weeks, the organization will hold an organiza­tional development workshop, strategic planning meeting, and celebration com­memorating its 25th anniversary.