The organisation Social Action for Women (SAW) has it’s basis in Mae Sot, Thailand. It was founded by refugee women from Burma. You can also find some of their Fair Trade products in my Fair
Trade Shop, that they are manufacturing for self-support.
Many people of the ethnic minorities in Burma have to flee their home and country because of the ethnic cleansing by the Burmese Army. Mostly they end up in neighbouring Thailand, where a huge migrant community has settled since many decades. As a psychological form of war, the Burmese Army is constantly raping, often gang-raping women of the ethnic minorities in Burma. As a result, some women commit suicide, get neglected by their village or get infected with HIV.
SAW has established a few safehouses in Mae Sot for babies, who were abandoned by their parents, orphans or children who are infected with HIV from their raped mothers. SAW helps these children
and their mothers with a Crisis Center and gives health care to the little ones. For older patients SAW collaborates with local other institutions, like the Mae Tao Clinic. SAW has also
established a pre- and middle-school in Mae Sot.
SAW aims to help women and children, who fled from Burma and to give them an awareness for health-care and train the women and kids. They enable the youngsters to receive an education, which they would have never received in Burma.
If you want to make a donation for the women and children of SAW, please write SAW in your bank transfer.