Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) is established by eight independent ethnic community development organization from across ethnic state in Burma.
Each member of ECDF is operate their project activities independently at the grassroots level. Mostly working on village development project and some are working on relief project and some are working on research & documentation and advocacy campaign on the impact of mega development project.
All member organization of ECDF is gathering at the forum and identify the problems and brain storm to solve the problem that each organization faced and help to each other and cooperated joint campaign at the local, national, regional and international level,
Click here to learn more about our activities.
Our Members:
- All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)
- Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD)
- Karenni Social Welfare and Development Center (KSWDC)
- Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG)
- Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC)
- Network for Chin Community Development (NCCD)
- Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization “Shan Sapawa”
All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)
Description:
AASYC is an independent organization that represents students and youths from Arakan State in western Burma. It was formed in 1995, but its roots date back to the protests in 1988. The general headquarters is in Thailand, with a branch office in Bangladesh. AASYC is also has regional contacts in Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K, the U.S.A, Sweden and the Netherlands.
To learn more: http://aasyc.org/
Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD)
Description:
The Karen Office of Relief and Development was formed in 1993in response to the major offensive by the military junta against the Karen people. This offensive resulted in human rights violations including forced labor, extra-judicial killing, land confiscation, and rape. The military has also used the exploitation of natural resources to control rural areas. These violations continue to this day.
The organization’s objectives are to improve the living conditions of Karen people everywhere and to promote lasting peace and prosperity. KORD focuses on providing relief to help local people in conflict areas facing food shortages. It also engages in collaborative development projects to empower communities to grow. In this way it hopes to provide a grassroots alternative to the government’s exclusionary economic policies in Karen State.
Karenni Social Welfare and Development Center (KSWDC)
Karenni Social Welfare and Development Center (KSWDC) was founded in 1996 in response to the continuing conflicts affecting the lives of the Karenni people and their exploitation at the hands of the military government.
In contrast to the government’s top-down development policies, KSWDC focuses on promoting sustainable development for the Karenni people. This development process enables local people to solve their own problems. It also provides emergency relief and assistance to Karenni Internally Displaced People (IDPs). KSWDC’s projects aim to promote democratic change from the bottom up.
To learn more: http://karenniswdc.blogspot.com
Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG)
Description:
Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG) is a network of Kachin civil society groups and development organizations both inside Kachin State and abroad. It was founded in September 2004.
KDNG promotes the formation of a healthy civil society based on equality and justice for local people. It works to document the military government’s exploitation of natural resources, collecting information large scale development including mining, monocrop plantations, and hydropower.
It also works to promote an alternative to these destructive policies by cooperating with local organizations and community members to assess the needs of villagers and develop local solutions to development problems. In all of this, the organization works to encourage the participation of women in development decisions and activities.
Through these endeavors KDNG hopes to contribute to the struggle for justice, social reform, and political change for the people of Kachin State and all of Burma.
To learn more: http://kdng.org
Network for Chin Community Development (NCCD)
Description:
The Network for Chin Community Development (NCCD) is a community based organization based in Indo – Burma border. It was founded in 1995.
The aim of NCCD is to both help local people fulfill their basic needs and to empower them to improve their livelihoods. In this way our organization seeks to address the precarious position of Chin people, who live without rights under the strict control of the Burmese government. Many young people have left Chin State in search of work, resulting in communities with disproportionate numbers of elderly and children. Many Chin people understand that a democratic development model will help them to stop the collapse of their society, but lack the knowledge to implement that model. In order to address these problems NCCD helps local people to develop their minds, creating self-reliance and moving the country towards a change in the political system.
In order to achieve these aims NCCD holds village meetings, workshop, networking projects, community development trainings, distributes micro credit funds, and assists them in pig breeding, shop, paddy bank, sustainable farming projects that benefit the community as a whole. All of our projects are conducted through the formation of democratic committees at the local level. People use the profit to educate their children and improve their lives.
Visit to Facebook: NCCD Development
Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC)
The MRDC was founded in 1990 to facilitate coordination after an influx of Mon refugees led to the establishment of camps in Thailand and Thai-Mon border. Field staff of MRDC is located in the Mon ceasefire areas in northern Tenasserim/Tanintharyi Region and southern Mon and Karen States. MRDC is also working on village development project across Mon state and mobilization about customary land management practice. MRDC is part of developing draft recommendation of land policy for Mon state.
Visit to Facebook: Mon Relief and Development Committee
Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization (Shan Sapawa)
The Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization (Shan Sapawa) works along the Thai-Burma border and inside Burma mostly focus in Shan state to promote environmental protection and human rights in Shan State, Burma. Sapawa was established on 1, January, 2003 by Shan alumni of Earth rights School and the Shan State School for Nationalities Youth who had become increasingly concerned at the environmental situation in Shan State. Sapawa is mainly focusing on empowering Shan communities to protect their rights and livelihoods, and to preserve natural resources and promote the knowledge of Shan communities about the environmental and human rights. Shan Sapawa is also working on awareness raising of customary land management practice in Shan state.
Visit to Facebook: Shan Sapawa