Going Home Where We Belong: February 2008

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Invitation to Join Going Home 2008

GOING HOME WHERE WE BELONG
Going Home 2008

Dear Friends:

It’s time now again that we resume our discussion over the ongoing project that we started last year – Going Home Where We Belong. Of course, this year will be Going Home 2008. After reflecting on our experience last year, we are with the opinion that we would need to revise our overall program a little bit while the fundamental objective would remain unchanged.

For Going Home 2008, we would like to concentrate most of our resources (especially time and money) on the ground-works with our partners back home. That means we would not put as much effort to solicit new members from the Western countries to join our program as we did last year. Although the program will remain Going Home Where We Belong and new and old friends will always be more than welcome to participate in this program, we have also concluded that the established Going Home team will carry on with what had been started already last year. That is, Going Home 2008 is a continuation of Going Home 2007 (www.goinghomekarens.blogspot.com).

The new leadership of Karen Students Network Group (KSNG) has pledged to work with us this year. Mergui/Tavoy District, the 5th Brigade (KNLA), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), and the Karenni Students Union (KSU) will remain our core partners in this program.

Some of our friends from England and Australia have extended their encouragement recently to this program and pledged to take part in every way possible way. It is wonderful and we hope that they can personally join us as well when the time comes. Our friends from Canada also continue their commitment to participate in different ways if they could not join us in person. That, we also appreciate. Of course, we wish that all Karens/Karenni around the world /could join us in persons, for this would mean so much to our peoples back home.

For this year program, some major adjustments would have to be made due to the changes taking place in all arenas including politics, military, and economy in the U.S, Thailand , and elsewhere. Especially those of us who have to be responsible for the logistic part of the program, it is certainly going to be a challenge. We ask that you kindly share us your generosity again.

Soon, we will be sending you a more detailed plan to cover our tentative activities on the ground with our partners back home. With this invitation, we just would like to bring back to your attention that it is now time again to think about Going Home, for we have been away from our motherland for so long!

With best wishes,

May Oo (haye@indiana.edu)
Neineh Plo (nplo@indiana.edu)
Going Home 2008 Team

WELCOME

Welcome to Going Home Blogspot!

The idea of Going Home Where We Belong comes from those who have been away from a place considered home, a place we belong to and a place we feel warm to be at. We believe that everyone shares this common feeling about home although we may understand ‘home’ in different ways.

With the three main objectives – to share, to learn, and to bond – we created this program so that everyone away from home can take part. We hope to be able to carry out this program annually, especially with the intention to bring together all Karen/Karenni students and youths and help them organize summer trip to go home where we belong.

And, this program welcomes anyone who would like to join. There is no formal procedure as to how you can join. The following is a few questions if you are thinking to join:

1) Are you willing to do what you can for your people and for your country?
2) Are you willing to contribute to the struggle of your peoples byway of donating books and other educational supplies? This is especially for our children, young students, who are fleeing from the Burmese soldiers (Yes, I mean SPDC soldiers!), hiding, and going to school at the same time so that they can at least read and write.
3) Are you willing to invest your time (summer) and your money (for your airfare) in order to be a part of a greater struggle of your people for freedom and peace? This may sound big, but please remember many of our people are sacrificing their lives.

Generally, if you can answer yes to all the above questions, you are pretty much prepared to join Going Home program. Please note that we do not question whether you have any skill or ability to do anything, for we believe that everyone of us have unique talents and skills and we each can do many things – big and small – to help others.

The great American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Let us do anything we can in defense of justice – for the Karens in particular and for Burma as a whole. After all, we rise as one nation and we will fall as one nation, for we all share the stake in this country we so much love.

Please feel free to contact our coordinating team with any questions, ideas, and suggestions you might have, either to join or to better the program.

Thank you very much.

Coordinating Team – Going Home Where We Belong
nawmayoo@gmail.com (USA, IN)
neinehplo@gmail.com (USA, IN)
sawkapi@yahoo.com (USA, MD)
sawvic@yahoo.com (Aus.)