Burma 2021

Burma

Solidarity Center (SC)

Strengthening Trade Union Capacity and Worker Voice

$763,907

To strengthen their structural and operational capacity to defend worker rights, the Center will provide training, mentoring, and research support to workplace-level unions and union upper structures in Burma. The Center will identify and cultivate key leaders, staff, and activists within union federation structures, labor NGOs, and workplace-level unions to become effective trainers, mentors, and organizers. The Center will also develop model structures and language for union constitutions, which are critical to building a democratic union movement capable of improving working conditions in the future.

Burma 

Democratic Ideas, Values, and Norms

Promoting Under-Represented Voices Through Research, Training, and Advocacy

$100,000

To facilitate dialogue about the critical political issues facing Burma and promote greater understanding and cooperation among diverse religious and ethnic groups. The activities will include conducting workshops and research on the problems of under-represented populations and advocate solutions to these issue as well as strive for improvements in incorporating under-represented voices in local governing decisions.

Burma 

Universal Rights

Independent News and Information Service

$50,000

To support independent media and to provide independent news and information about Burma. The project activities will include producing online news reports and maintaining organization’s social media pages, which will focus on Burma’s post-coup political environment, human rights, and media freedom. The organization has unique relationships and connections within the democratic activists’ community, which allow its reporters and editors to gain access to news and develop stories and disseminate them widely. 

Burma

Universal Rights

Advancing Civic and Political Engagement for Minorities

$56,00

To strengthen the civic and political engagement of Rohingya civil society towards increased inclusion in prodemocracy initiatives aimed at advancing policy change and the expansion of the fundamental rights of the Rohingya minority. The project activities will include a series of community empowerment workshops, interethnic dialogues and convenings, and engagement with key international policymakers and advocates.

Burma 

Universal Rights

Advancing Justice for Victims of Mass Atrocities

$80,000

To strengthen the capacity of Rohingya civil society to raise awareness of human rights abuses and pursue justice. The activities will include the mentoring of a cohort of local documenters, the publication of an expansive human rights documentation report featuring victims’ testimonies, and ongoing protection efforts targeting the most vulnerable human rights leaders. 

Burma 

Universal Rights

Promoting Student and Youth Participation in the Democratization Process

$100,000

To raise awareness among youth about human rights, transitional justice, democracy, and democratic federal systems. The activities will include building the organization’s profile and a series of workshops, forums, and exchange trips designed to establish trust and increase understanding and coordination between Burman and ethnic minority youth activists throughout Burma.

Burma 

Universal Rights

Promoting Human Rights and Political Mobilization among Shan State Youth

$60,000

To promote civic engagement and political mobilization among ethnic minority Shan State youth and emerging political leaders. The project activities will include a series of intensive civic education and democratic leadership trainings, along with support for a network of interconnected ethnic minority youth leaders poised to monitor human rights abuses and identify opportunities for cross-ethnic organizing.

Burma

Universal Rights

Supporting Reliable and Timely News in Northern Burma

$47,300

To support freedom of information and provide accurate, timely, and reliable information about political, social, economic, and ongoing developments in northern Burma. The activities will include producing online news reports, building the capacity of citizen journalists, maintaining the organization’s social media pages and website, and publishing news for hard-to-reach communities.

Burma

Universal Rights

Promoting Gender Justice and the Political Participation of Shan Women

$50,000

To increase ethnic minority Shan participation in Burma’s democracy and gender justice movement and to provide women in Shan State with the skills necessary to assume decision-making positions in their communities and organizations. Projects will include political outreach, women’s empowerment and capacity building workshops; documentation and advocacy on the situation of women in Shan State; and a gender equality mainstreaming across its range of democracy promotion and humanitarian response programming.

Burma

Universal Rights

Advancing Awareness and Respect for Human Rights in Shan State

$55,000

To advance awareness and respect for human rights in Shan State. Activities will include gathering firsthand information about human rights violations, producing and distributing thematic advocacy reports and documentary videos on significant human rights issues, conducting a corresponding advocacy campaign targeting regional and international actors, and organizing a human rights documentation training for an emerging cadre of youth activists.

Burma

Universal Rights

Shan State News and Information Service

$75,000

To provide credible and independent reporting to the ethnic Shan and wider Burmese communities, as well as international audiences, on critical political updates impacting communities in Shan State. The activities will include broadcasting TV and radio news programs, along with the maintenance of the organization’s multilingual website and social media news platforms.

Burma

Universal Rights

To Support Victims of Human Rights Violations

$30,000

To support and provide financial and material assistance to victims of human rights violations and political prisoners. The project activities will include providing financial assistance to human rights lawyers to represent victims, supporting the victims while they are in prison, and conducting documentation activities through the cases in which the lawyers are participating.

Burma

Democratic Norms, Ideas and Values

Policy-Oriented Research and Advocacy

$105,000

To provide research and analysis to the Burmese general public and leading political figures, along with international policymakers on pressing issues related to governance, public opinion, and prodemocracy organizing. The project activities will include a series of research papers and high-level roundtables and briefings on the reports’ findings; and mentoring and support for a network of researchers and emerging thought leaders, designed to contribute to informed debate and policymaking about the most important issues in the country.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Policy-Oriented Research and Civic Education in Mon State

$65,000

To provide policy-oriented research and analysis of politics in Mon State and to encourage ethnic minority Mon citizens to participate in political and civic life. The organization will conduct civic education activities as well as provide policy-oriented research and analysis of post-coup politics in southern Burma. The organization will also coordinate with other civil society organizations and academic institutions to push for democratization and to promote peace building activities.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Social Media Research, Public Opinion Surveys, and Civic Education Workshops

$125,000

To increase Burmese citizens’ civic awareness and understanding of the political landscape in the post-coup environment. The project activities will include social media influence research, public opinion polling and the development of a civic education curriculum that will be used in training courses for civil society organizations as well as local communities throughout the country.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Promoting Peace and Political Awareness in Arakan State

$60,000

To promote peace and political awareness among ethnic and religious minority youth, as well as strategies for defending civic space. The project activities will include an intensive youth leadership program focused on peace and civic education, an outreach and education program designed to promote tolerance and civic engagement, and a research initiative aimed at providing strategic analysis and recommendations for civil society.

Burma

Universal Rights

Promoting and Advocating for the Human Rights of Pa-O Communities

$73,000

To increase the capacity of ethnic minority Pa-O women and youth to promote human rights and participate in the prodemocracy movement. The activities will include the bolstering of a diverse network of prodemocracy and human rights actors to raise awareness of rights abuses taking place in local communities through the compilation of a human rights report and an advocacy campaign.

Burma

Universal Rights

Burmese-Language Current Affairs Journal and Political Activism Resource Center

$85,000

To present news, in-depth commentary, and editorials which might otherwise not be covered in the mainstream Burmese media and to maintain a resource center that will nurture a new generation of activists and provide a cooperative and safe space where a network of democratically-minded civil society leaders can convene and strategize. The project activities will include the publication of a monthly public affairs journal, an intensive training program for potential Rangoon-based youth leaders, and the maintenance of a political resource center to advance democratic learning, dialogue, and coordination.

Burma

Universal Rights

Promoting Freedom of Movement and Diversity

$170,000

To connect, empower, and elevate a diverse group of politically activated youth to advance human rights in Burma. The project activities will include organizing six youth empowerment courses on topics including human rights and transitional justice. The organization will also monitor the post-coup political environment and produce policy-oriented research and analysis on the situation.

Burma

Universal Rights

Enhancing Democratic Awareness in Kachin State

$67,000

To train political activists and youth from northern Burma in human rights, democracy, politics, and foreign affairs. The project activities will include a year-long democracy education program, strengthening civic awareness, and building the capacity of youth and political activists to push for genuine democratization in Kachin State.

Burma

Universal Rights

Kachin State News and Information Service

$63,500

To provide accurate and reliable information about political, social, and economic developments in Kachin State and northeastern Burma. The organization will continue to publish its stories, features, reports, and interviews on its Burmese-language website and social media pages. The organization will also continue to work with other national and international news outlets to disseminate its stories to inform a broader audience about developments in Kachin State.

Burma

Universal Rights

In-Depth Investigative Journalism

$200,000

To provide the Burmese people with information about the political, social, and economic situations in the country through high quality, in-depth, and ethical investigative journalism. The project activities will include the maintenance of a Burmese-language website and social media pages, which will focus on investigative news pieces, interviews, cartoons, photo news, independent analysis, and long and short-form video features.

Burma

Universal Rights

Investigative Journalism to Promote Transparency and Accountability

$250,000

To promote transparency and accountability by increasing the public’s access to credible information through investigative reporting on social and political issues. Project activities will include the maintenance of Burmese and English-language websites and social media pages, featuring two monthly investigative reports and approximately fifteen weekly news updates and independent analysis covering a range of issues, such as human rights, freedom of expression and the press, armed conflict, and entrenched corruption.

Burma

Universal Rights

Encouraging Political Participation Among Mon Youth

$62,000

To encourage youth to take a more active role in their communities and become local leaders in different sectors of ethnic minority Mon society. The project activities will include the production of a quarterly Mon and Burmese-language journal on youth issues and a capacity building and community-organizing program designed to encourage increased cooperation and understanding and develop leadership skills among ethnic minority Mon youth.  

Burma

Universal Rights

Promoting Mon Women’s Political Participation

$45,000

To empower ethnic minority Mon women to participate in politics and assume decision-making positions in their own communities and organizations. The organization will attempt to expand civil society’s role in determining the political future of the country. The program will include a range of activities to support women’s political participation, including human rights and political empowerment trainings for ethnic minority Mon women in Burma.

Burma

Universal Rights

Independent News and Information Service

$26,000

To support independent media and to provide independent news and information about Burma. The project activities will include the publication of a monthly, Burmese-language current affairs magazine, which will incorporate independent analysis, focusing on Burma’s post-coup political environment, human rights and media freedom, and business issues.  

Burma

Democratic Governance

Legal Aid for Victims of Human Rights Abuses in Kachin State

$85,000

To promote legal reform, raise awareness of citizens’ rights and responsibilities, and provide legal assistance to people whose rights have been violated in Kachin State. The project activities will include conducting legal awareness trainings, organizational management workshops, and legal assistance and representation for victims of rights violations, as well as providing support to human rights lawyers to help sustain their work.

Burma

Democratic Governance

Development and Resource Extraction Policies in Kachin State

$60,000

To promote and advocate for a fair and equitable natural resource extraction and development policy for the people of Kachin State. The activities will include a series of workshops, awareness-raising activities, and discussions on natural resource management and development policy with civil society and community leaders in resource extraction-affected areas.

Burma

Universal Rights

Advancing Human Rights and Democracy in Burma

$100,000

To amplify the work of Burmese civil society, human rights defenders, and the prodemocracy movement and to strengthen informed policymaking on Burma. The project activities will include the publishing of a series of briefers, engaging with leading policymakers and the media, and advocacy that highlights the causes of affected communities in Burma.

Burma

Democratic Norms, Ideas and Values

Policy-Oriented Research and Analysis

$175,000

To provide policy-oriented research and analysis to the Burmese general public and policymakers.  The project activities will include a series of high-level roundtables and workshops; the publication of a quarterly analytical journal; mentoring of emerging researchers; and the dissemination of news and analysis through a website and social media outlets, all of which will be designed to contribute to an informed debate about the most important issues in the country.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Promoting Civic Participation and Political Dialogue in Upper Burma

$80,000

To promote civic participation and political dialogue in Upper Burma. Project activities will include a series of trainings for civil society activists and university students on issues relating to democratic transitions, political strategies, policy implementation, and leadership; regular public discussions and lectures on political topics; policy research and analysis on local government services; and maintenance of a book club and community library.

Burma

Universal Rights

Human Rights Documentation and Advocacy

$160,000

To investigate, document, and disseminate credible information on the condition of human rights in Burma. The project activities will include investigating human rights violations, engaging with leading policymakers and the media, and amplifying the causes of human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and affected communities in Burma and the region.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Empowering Citizens to Protect Their Rights

$50,000

To increase coordination among networks of citizens seeking to protect their rights and livelihoods. The project will seek to improve the legal framework regarding the protection of farmland, highlight land grabbing issues, and focus attention on agricultural and fishery problems. Additional activities will include the publishing research reports, building the organizational capacity of network members, and supporting activists to organize human rights and democracy initiatives for farmers.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Promoting Rights-Based Solutions to Deep-Rooted Social and Political Problems

$90,000

To promote human rights through education and capacity building programs, community organizing, and advocacy. Project activities will include a series of human rights education and capacity building programs on inter-communal tensions, child rights, women’s rights, land confiscation, criminalization of peaceful assembly and expression, and human rights violations amid the COVID pandemic.

Burma

Universal Rights

Educational Initiatives Leadership Academy

$50,000

To strengthen the coordination among a diverse cohort of pro-democracy activists in civil society, political parties, and the think tank community by providing a neutral space for dialogue, strategy building, and increased engagement with constituents. The series of activities will be aimed at increasing civil society coordination and alliance-building, and encouraging more meaningful engagement between civil society, political parties, and the general public, particularly ethnic minorities.

Burma

Universal Rights

To Establish a Network of Human Rights Activists

$150,000

To build the leadership skills of activists, especially youth, to encourage them to take a more active role in the advancement of peace and democracy. The project will include a series of networking trips and trainings to establish trust and expand cooperation in an effort to build a network of human rights and democracy activists.

Burma

Democratic Governance

Documenting Corruption within the Financial Sector and the Extractive Industries

$70,000

To research and promote public awareness of corruption within Burma’s financial sector and extractive industries, and corruption’s implications on good governance in the country. The project activities will include conducting research and publishing reports on various forms of corruption within the financial sector, extractive industries, and related investment projects, creating a platform to increase public awareness about corruption, supporting media campaigns based on the findings of the research, and facilitating advocacy efforts for transparent and accountable governance.

Burma

Universal Rights

Human Rights Monitoring and Advocacy for Burma’s Chin Minority

$115,000

To document, report on, and raise awareness about the human rights situation in Chin State and western Burma. The activities will include on-going documentation and reporting of human rights abuses, international advocacy on indigenous rights and challenges to freedom of religion, building the capacity of a network of human rights defenders, promoting human rights awareness among key political leaders, and facilitating networking and coalition-building opportunities for civil society and human rights activists across ethnic communities.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Promoting Political Awareness of Ethnic Minority Perspectives

$50,000

To promote political awareness of ethnic minority perspectives in Burma. The organization will publish a quarterly journal focused on ethnic rights, public policy, and federalism; run a resource center to provide a library as well as research and information services for elected officials; and host quarterly policy and political dialogues among democratically-elected members of parliament.

Burma

Universal Rights

Promoting the Fundamental Human Rights of the Rohingya

$90,000

To increase international and domestic political pressure for the rights and protection of the Rohingya community, along with mechanisms for accountability and justice. The activities will include a series of regular advocacy meetings with targeted diplomatic missions, governments, rights-based organizations, and media briefings. Activities will also encourage a more coordinated advocacy movement and to build upon and broaden support for accountability by strengthening alliances between Rohingya advocates and a diverse cohort of Burmese human rights defenders.    

Burma

Universal Rights

Human Rights Monitoring and Advocacy for Burma’s Muslim Minorities

$110,000

To monitor and build awareness of the human rights conditions of Burma’s Muslim minorities and to promote international support for a greater respect of minority rights in Burma. The activities will include monitoring and documenting human rights abuses committed against Muslim communities in Burma, conducting a series of advocacy meetings with targeted diplomatic missions and human rights organizations, and producing periodic human rights reports.

Burma

Citizen Participation and Inclusion

Reclaiming Rohingya Identity and Agency Through Visual History

$90,000

To strengthen the agency of Rohingya and Rohingya youth to advocate for their community and to promote awareness of and solidarity for the Rohingya community’s contribution to the prodemocracy and human rights landscape. The activities will include a global archival effort of Rohingya history; the launch of a website and book; and a series of events and discussions featuring Rohingya youth to expose the international community and key Burmese stakeholders to a reclaimed historical narrative of the Rohingya in Burma.

Burma

Universal Rights

Documenting Violations of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly

$60,000

To document violations of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and to raise awareness of these fundamental principles of human rights and democracy. The project activities will include producing policy-oriented research and analysis regarding violations of media freedom and human rights abuses committed by the junta.  

Burma

Democratic Governance

Assistance for Political Prisoners and Human Rights Advocacy

$200,000

To support the release, rehabilitation, and re-integration of political prisoners, and advocate for the ratification of international human rights treaties and prison reform. The project activities will include documentation of the situation of political prisoners; assistance to political prisoners, former political prisoners, and their families; and domestic and international campaigns about the situation they face. In addition, the organization will conduct human rights, and transitional justice trainings.