Build a girl leader

Warm greetings friends of Girl Determined,

Today I want to check in by sharing with you a the transcript of a recent interview of Ja Seng Hkawn. Ja Seng Hkawn comes from the far north of Myanmar, Kachin State. She is a member of the Kachin ethnic group. Ja Seng Hkawn was forced to flee with her family from their village over two years ago due to heavy artillery fire in the area. Like the other 200 internally-displaced girls in the camps of Kachin state that are active in Girl Determined's programs, Ja Seng Hkawn's life was uprooted due to the ongoing civil conflcit between the Kachin National forces and the Myanmar National army.  Your support will continue to help Ja Seng Hkawn to make friends, find joy and not only develop a plan for her future but have the confidence to work to fulfill it. 

I have edited the interview for comprehension and length.  Otherwise, these are her words, translated of course from her native Kachin. I know its a bit long, but please, take the time to hear her.  The changes she describes are invaluable, and despite ongoing conflict and injustice, cannot be taken away.

"I have many reasons for joining Girl Determined’s activities. In previous years, I had to live with my aunt’s family because my parents could not afford to support my studies. During that time I heard about a neighbor who was drug addict and raped his own daughter. I also heard about the girls being trafficked. That news frightened me. I was also afraid of being forced or pushed to getting married at a young age. I thought that perhaps by joining GD Circles, I could learn more and find ways to protect myself from such frightening things. I realized that there were many things that I didn’t know about and it seemed that joining could help me to learn some of those things.

In the beginning I was not very active. If the facilitator or coach asked me to speak, I would speak. I just followed their instructions exactly. Later on, I became more active. Once we reached the topic of Effective Listening, that really sparked me and I started to become much more active. I started to understand what it meant to “be active” and to learn actively. I have started changing in the way I speak and behave. In the past, I didn’t pay attention to anything that was going on around me. Even when someone was smiling at me, I would just ignore it. But since I have been attending GD Circles, I have begun to smile back. I have become more patient. I have become more considerate. In the past, if I had been hurt by another person, I would be only be contented if I hurt them back 3 or 4 more times. Now, I can sympathize and realize that if I get revenge, then this issue will never stop. From listening to others in the circle and from learning to organize together in sports, I have come to see that others have different experiences and opinions and I can now better understand others and am able to tolerate differences.

And, another big thing is about my life’s ambition. I have developed a series of plans in order to reach my life’s ambition thanks to sessions on goal setting. I want to be a singer. I am really impressed with artists. My plan is first, I will try to pass the matriculation. I can go for audition after matriculation. I actually have two ambitions. If I don’t become a singer, I will be a pastor. If I fail the audition, I will go to Theology school. Either way I can console depressed people. I am interested in such work. Now as I am in the IDP camp, it seems very useful to be able to console depressed people.

I have changed in other ways too. My neighbors used to say that I was a “bad girl.” I was short tempered. So, people didn’t like me much. I always reacted and responded to them, so they said I am an aggressive person. Now I don’t react much. They have changed their way of relating to me because of my changes. Now that I have attended GD Circles and I have changed and they started talking to me nicely."

Please consider supporting another girl.  More change is ahead.

With regards,

brooke

Photo credit: Andrew Stanbridge

Links:

• Girl Victims of War
• Great feature story about our work