Burma: Zipporah Sein
What you notice immediately about Zipporah Sein is the warmth of her smile. Zipporah is a teacher, a leader, and an organizer. She is also a refugee.
Zipporah arrived in Thailand from Burma in 1995, having lived most of her life in constant movement. The Burmese army's counter-insurgency campaign in Karen State, Zipporah's homeland, has been brutal. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced; some have fled into remote mountain areas to evade the army while others, like Zipporah, have crossed the border into Thailand where they live insecure lives as refugees.
Zipporah is the Executive Secretary of the Karen Women's Organization (KWO), a 30,000-member organization. KWO seeks to maintain the dignity of Karen women and rebuild the bonds of community solidarity that the army has sought to destroy.
In the context of war this is a daunting task, but Zipporah and her colleagues have risen to the challenge. KWO assists women through vocational training, nursery schools, leadership training, resources for new mothers in refugee camps, and care and support for women who have suffered torture and physical and sexual abuse.
In 2004, KWO issued Shattering Silences, a report documenting the Burmese army's use of rape as a strategy of war in Karen state. The report was launched at the United Nations Human Rights Commission to focus international attention on the situation of women in Karen State.
Zipporah has been an important part of all of these efforts, as a leader and a role model. It is Inter Pares' privilege to work with her.
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