Programs Overview

Women’s Peace Network is a non-governmental organization established with the mission of promoting inclusion, trust, and peace between different communities in the Rakhine state and in Myanmar. We run various social justice programs at the local, state, and national level.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Engage, empower and advocate for the rights of marginalized women and communities in the Rakhine state and across Myanmar.

PEACE BUILDING

Build peace and mutual understanding between Myanmar’s different ethnicities regardless of gender, or religion to promote nondiscrimination, stereotyping, and hatred.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Create educational programs to empower women and youth in peace building, protecting rights and civic leadership for long term solution and nation building

Refugee Support Program in Bangladesh

Empower youth and women in the Bangladeshi refugee camps and promote community resilience through education, training, and support groups.

Protect Human Rights

We aim to document humans rights abuses across Myanmar; provide trainings on human rights to the very people who are the targets of such abuses; and advocate for the protection of human rights locally and internationally.

DOCUMENTATION

We document human rights violations and incidents of violence against marginalized communities and women in Myanmar. Each month we produce a monthly newsletter with our findings.

TRAININGS

We provide human rights, women’s rights, and empowerment trainings for women and youth across Myanmar with a focus on rural, isolated communities.

Advocacy

We conduct advocacy at the local level in Myanmar to help protect the rights and enhance the status of marginalized communities. We also engage with the United Nations and other relevant bodies to improve human rights across Myanmar.

Peace Building

Our multi-channel approach to peace building aims to engage and affect youth online and build solidarity and coalitions among diverse groups on the ground.

My Friend Campaign

Myanmar is one of the most diverse countries in the world, however, ethnic and religious conflict has plagued its history in recent years. In 2015, the #MyFriend campaign was launched to promote love and to honor friendship amongst diverse people.

The campaign began online. Snap a picture with a friend from a different background and share this photo with the #myfriend and #frindship_has_no_boundaries. This simple act spread offline and  sparked discussions, events and forums on tolerance and love across the country—helping bring thousands of people of all backgrounds together to promote tolerance.

The campaign has been used as an example of peace building in many peace curriculums and trainings across the world including Germany, France, and Australia. Since its inception, the campaign has evolved to include poem, essay, and photo competitions, all of which promote love, friendship, and acceptance.

Anti-discrimination INITIATIVE

WPN conducts anti-discrimination workshops and meetings with the key civil society actors in Myanmar to collectively respond to hate directed against minorities and to address deep rooted institutionalized discrimination. We bring youth, peace, civil society and religious leaders together for events like the International Day For the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 2016, over 130 participants from across Myanmar actively participated in panel discussions and workshops.

Youth Development

We are dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders by making access to civic empowerment trainings available across Myanmar. The program runs out of the Yangon Youth Leadership Center where we host trainings, classes, and seminars and foster an environment of acceptance, trust and mutual understanding.

Yangon Youth Leadership Center

• Civics and Political Education (CPE) training

• Peace Building training

• Human Rights training

• Beginner to Conversational English language classes

Refugee Support Program in Bangladesh

Youth Leadership Project

We conduct refugee youth leadership training to empower the next generation of leaders and advocates for peace and justice in Myanmar.

Women Education Courses

We believe that education is a powerful tool and that is why we are dedicated to educating refugee women. WPN provides literacy training for women to provide them agency and future opportunity.

Sexual Violence Documentation and Support

We run peer-to-peer support to survivors of sexual violence. WPN workers go door-to-door to speak with survivors, document their stories, and provide a support group.