The Amazing Project - Stepping Back to Burma

Welcome to Sweet December in Karen State.  At the DARE Centre in T'ree Po K'wee village the DARE staff and clients come together to enjoy the beginning of the cool season and the end of a year of hard work.

December is the time of year when the Karen people slow down to appreciate the good things that life has given them in spite of the harshness of living under the control of a brutal Military regime and the unfathomable loss they as a people have sustained.

Now, as the children are free from studies and the temperature becomes comfortable, is a time for family and friends to come together in love and to celebrate their culture with music, dancing, games and food.

At DARE Network, as our cycle of treatment for our recovering addicts comes to an end, it is also time to celebrate the success of people locked in the cycle of addiction breaking free from those bonds and starting their lives anew with hope and purpose.  It is a time of joy and alot of fun.

So as the rest of the world likewise gathers their loved ones together for year-end celebrations, we at DARE share ours with you.  You are our family too.  Your support has made all this possible and we thank you from all of our hearts.

Meanwhile in the refugee camps just over the border, people are struggling as the hope of returning home is stymied by the lack of progress of the Burmese Military.  They refuse to withdraw their troops from Karen State and people are still fearful of going back to their homeland.  The camps are in a state of extreme poverty and we at DARE need to keep supporting the refugees.

Please check out our Year-End Campaign on GlobalGiving and our new project, at the link included in this report.

Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us.

DARE Network

Links:

• New Project: Between a Rock and Hard Place