Promoting women’s leadership, gender sensitivity & community ownership.
The Karen Women’s Organisation (KWO) is a leading indigenous women’s organization formed in 1949 working to ensure all communities have gender equality, the protection and promotion of indigenous people’s rights, human rights and justice.
ABOUT KWO
Equality
In a federal Burma, all communities have gender equality, the protection and promotion of indigenous people’s rights, human rights, and justice.
Empowerment
KWO is an ethnic women’s community-based organization that empowers women so they have capacity and power to solve their own problems and participate in decision-making that will affect their lives.
Freedom
KWO participates in the struggle to stop all kinds of oppression of women and of children and provides support for communities in the Thai-Burma border and in Karen State, Burma.
Our Programs
Organising & Information Sharing
KWO does a wide variety of information gathering and sharing, advocacy, women’s empowerment, and community mobilization.
Education
KWO provides schooling where there are gaps in existing education mainstream services in the refugee camps, and in areas in Karen State.
Social Welfare
KWO provides direct assistance to community members and works to solve social problems in the community.
Support KWO’s Sponsor A Teacher Campaign
We formed the Karen Women’s Organization to strengthen and serve our community. There were no Special Education services for our children. We could no longer watch our children languish in dark corners at home with their parents who had no support and little knowledge. So we built a Special Education project for ourselves. We trained a group of refugee women to work with our disabled
children and support their parents. We raised money. We changed lives.
Tragically, our financial support has been severely reduced as newer refugee
crises have pulled resources. We need your help to continue this vital program.
Our Work
60 000+
Members
4
Programs
500+
Trainings
20,000+
Beneficiaries
From the Blog
Latest Updates from KWO
- KGWN Statement Welcoming Cases Against Burma for Genocide to ICJThe Karen Grassroots Women’s Network welcomes the cases against Burma for crimes against the Rohingya in conflict-torn Rakhine State. For decades, we have experienced and witnessed the abuse of ethnic people in Burma taking place with impunity. Accountability for the crimes committed … Read more
- Worldwide Karen Community Welcomes the ICJ Genocide Case an ICC InvestigationKWO has added our name to this list in solidarity with Karen civil society in support of the legal steps taken to hold Burma accountable for the crimes they have committed. For decades, the Karen have suffered under the same … Read more
- Do not make us run again: Burma Army Road Is NOT A Road to Peace“We don’t want civil-war anymore – we just want to live in peace.” In the latest video from the Salween Peace Park, civilians and leaders call for the Burma Army to retreat from their villagers and to halt construction plans … Read more
