An international collaboration with Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne, Rotary Club of Balwyn, Rotary Club of Keilor East, Rotary Club of Melbourne, with the support of a district grant from The Rotary Foundation Rotary District 9800, the Karen Women’s Organization, Days for Girls International, SolarBuddy, the Cambodia Rural Students Trust NGO (CRST) and the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap.
This project commenced with Rotary Passport Melbourne’s PP Aviv's trip to Yangon, Myanmar, in October 2023 to connect with local community members and explore areas of need and possible collaborations. The needs were — and continue to be — immense, but collaborations proved challenging for logistical, operational and security concerns.
An introduction to Naw K'nyaw Paw, the dynamic General Secretary of the Karen Women's Organization (KWO), laid the foundation for our impactful and emotional week with the passionate KWO team of educators, local educators and hundreds of community members.
Assessing Needs
Early in our discussions we identified that we could create sustainable outcomes by sharing CRST’s experiences in running the Days for Girls International curriculum through Project G - Empowering Girls program, as well as the Project L - Light for Education program with displaced Karen students.
We translated the DfGI reproductive and women’s health educational materials to the Karen language, while the core team of educators at KWO undertook the DfGI certification online. We coordinated with Days for Girls International to donate 3,700 menstruation kits to be shipped to Thailand. We also worked with SolarBuddy to donate and ship 2,200 solar study lights to northern Thailand, which became our staging area for the distributions.
Implementation
By May this year all was in place and along with 10 CRST student-educators, all of whom members of the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap, we headed to Thailand to train the KWO certified educators and support them in the educational workshops at schools for displaced Karen students.
We divided into two groups and travelled to the rural regions of northern Thailand, where we taught and mentored over 20 KWO trainees through a "train-the-trainer" model. Over the next few days, these trainees successfully led workshops for more than 800 students and community members across multiple schools and teacher training colleges.
Despite limited resources and long journeys by pick-up trucks, long-tail boats, and trekking to remote areas, our team supported the KWO educators in delivering powerful, practical lessons. Students – many living without electricity or internet – were engaged, curious, and deeply grateful.
We were greeted with an emotional mix of gratitude, admiration and anticipation as we spoke about the humanitarian connection we all share, no matter the colour of our skin, background or gender. We motivated the displaced Karen students to remain at school so they could become the future leaders of their community and support others, as our Cambodian Rotaractors are doing today.
Reflection
“When you meet the Karen people, living with so little, yet giving so much, you realize how much we take for granted. Gratitude grows where humility lives. Don’t take comfort for granted. What’s ordinary for you is extraordinary for others.” – Doeb Chhay, VP Rotaract Club of Siem Reap.
This mission was about more than just knowledge sharing. It was about building bridges, forming deep connections, and witnessing the extraordinary strength and resilience of the Karen people. The gratitude shown during the distribution of hygiene kits and solar lights, and the students’ determination to learn in the face of hardship, was deeply moving.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Rotary Passport Melbourne, Rotary Club of Balwyn, Keilor East Rotary Club, Rotary Melbourne, Rotary District 9800 and the Rotary Foundation for making this life-changing mission possible. Special thanks to the Karen Women’s Organization, Days for Girls International, SolarBuddy, Travel Beyond, CRST and the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap for your enduring partnerships.
* Jessica Palti and Aviv Palti are Charter Members of the Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne, where Jess is currently the Public Image Director and Aviv is Foundation Director.
