We have had a wonderfully busy time this November so wanted to share with you some of the highlights.
We continued the outreach screenings of our film Under the Mask in Migrant Learning Centres continuing our TB awareness campaign on the Thai Myanmar border, reaching over 1,000 migrant students.
Our Film Aid team with the team at Mae Sa Lit Clinic
The reach of our TB film is also being felt by donor and funding organisations with a screening at the annual conference at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene ASTMH in Gaylord, Washington State and in Bangkok at MORU’s (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) 30th year celebration.
On 11 November in Mae La refugee camp we supported the annual Livelihood Fair and International Day of Persons with Disabilities event with our daytime mobile cinema tent, screening our recent Livelihood film which encourages refugees to enrol in organic agricultural training programmes together with films focusing on diversity and inclusion from our operating partner HI (Humanity and Inclusion).
Young mothers with their babies performing on the stage
Our daytime mobile cinema tent
Our team in Tham Hin refugee camp supported a “Go and See, Come and tell” trip with Camp leaders and Thai authorities in November to identify potential repatriation areas across the border in Myanmar. Our team helped document the trip.
Potential repatriation site in Karen State, Myanmar
Camp leaders, community based organisations and refugee team who attended the trip
Our Sermpanya Foundation was invited to attend the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security’s Social Worker and Volunteer Annual prize giving event in the city of Tak with the opportunity to set up an awareness raising booth. The event was held on 19 November and was supported by our Mae Sot team and Sermpanya Board member Ratachai Kongkiakiri. Our screening officer Teenakorn Trakansupakorn (Doh Doh) gave a wonderful presentation about our work with our stand attracting a keen interest in our programs from all who attended. Having our own booth also allowed us to screen our promotional video materials giving attendees a visual presentation of our work. Many volunteers were honoured and it was a excellent opportunity to network and meet the key foundations that serve the communities in the Province.
Our Screening Officer Teenakorn Trakansupakorn presents at our Sermpanya Foundation stand
Thai volunteers and community members who were honoured
The TAK Provincial Governor and his wife visited our stand and showed great interest in our work
Tak Provincial Governor and his wife, The Head of Social Development and Human Security, with our Sermpanya Foundation’s team : Sermpanya Board member Ratachai Kongkiakiri, Screening Manager Yuttana Sathianchaiphak, Teenakorn Trakansupakorn and our volunteer Caro Sharman
16 days of Activitism against Sex & General Based Violence are held between 25 November and 10 December around the world annually. Every year we support this important awareness raising initiative. This year’s opening ceremony was launched by UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Japanese Singer Miyavi who sang his song We Are the Others which gives voice to refugees and displaced people. The 16 days include, among others, World AIDs Day, International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Human Rights Day. Our teams in 5 other camps also participated with activities and screening events, including showing KOMAL (the Childline India film about SGBV that we dubbed into Karen, Burmese and Karenni languages)
UNHCR Goodwill Abassadaor MIYAVI performing ‘We are the Others’ for 16 Days of Activism against SGBV
With rising SGBV incidents and increased suicide rates in the camps and the 16 Days of Activism campaign, the focus is on Protection issues in refugee communities and we have been commissioned by UNHCR to produce a new film which raises awareness of SGBV and the supports networks that are available to the community. In October, following hard on the heels of our Melioidosis film with SMRU (see below), our production team started development on the film and the team are now deep in production, shooting with the participation of the refugee community as actors and voice over artists. The film will be a combination of live action and motion graphics and will be dubbed into Karen, Karenni and Burmese, with English and Thai subtitles. We will keep you updated on our progress of this important new film in our next enews letter.
Our production team members at work
As part of the 16 Days Activities, we supported IRC (International Refugee Committee) with their awareness raising event aimed at students and young people for World AIDS day, providing sound equipment and video record.
Regional Director Mary Soan with one of our team members
Students attended the World AIDs Day awareness raising event
HI (Humanity & Inclusion)- Mine Risk Education Screening
On 30 November we held a pilot screening of our new film Melioidosis film for SMRU to Health visitors before we plan to disseminate it to the thai village communities
Regional Director Mary Soan addresses the health workers at the screening
In December we complete the shooting of the SGBV film and start its edit alongside a Spot cartoon film about Birth Registration for UNHCR. We will continue with our key campaigns screening Under the Mask (TB awareness) in Migrant learning centres and COERR Livelihood programme (Sustainable Agriculture) and Tread Carefully (Mine Risk Education) in the Refugee Camps.
Useful facts about this month’s screenings:
In November our 25 outreach screenings and activities reached 6077 refugees across 6 refugee camps. At our screenings we shared our 4 current campaigns: Livelihood, exploring sustainable agricultural opportunities; Mine Risk Education; Water management and Hygiene and Kitchen Gardens. All films are screened in the Karen language with subtitles in thai, burmese and/or English so they are accessible to the largest audiences. The exact data from our Film Aid teams at the 4 more northern refugee camps is still being collated.
In October we screened our Childcare campaign for IRC and SMRU in 16 OPD clinics in the camps and on the border to an audience of 12701. We are still collecting November’s numbers (1356 in 3 clinics to date..)
In October and November over 1000 students attended screenings of Under the Mask for our TB campaign with SMRU in the Migrant Learning Centres.
A screening at one of the OPD clinics
Thank you for continued support!
Please help us to continue our important educational outreach with our unique mobile cinema network and skills trainings programmes bringing benefit to the lives of thousands of refugees, migrants and rural villagers along the Thai Myanmar border.
Please visit our donate page at www.sermpanya.org/donate today! - we need your support urgently and all donations will make a difference!
Thank you for your valuable ongoing generosity!
Mary Soan, Regional Director
www.sermpanya.org