'Safe House' in Aizwal, India
Following a request from Kevin Bennan, whose daughter Fiona Thomas, recently volunteered to work with WLC in India, a total of $5,000 ($2,500 from Club Cares and $2,500 from Kevin Brennan) was donated to help the Burmese women who had fled from Burma because of persecution.
The Women’s League of Chinland (WLC) are grateful for the generous financial support from Club Cares for their “Safe House” in Aizwal, India. The funds provided by Club Cares have contributed toward providing shelter to women and children who are suffering due to domestic and employer initiated violence.
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The predominantly Christian Chin people from Burma suffer ongoing serious abuse perpetrated by the Burmese army and government and many of them cross the border into the state of Mizoram in India looking for refuge. Chin people however, remain at risk in India, living in dire conditions working in exploitative occupations. Many women are employed as traditional handloom weavers or live-in domestic workers, earning very low wages and living with the ongoing risk of abuse and exploitation, including rape and sexual violence, beatings, failure to receive promised wages, and other problems.
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The WLC has been running a Safe House in Aizwal Mizoram, since February 2008, giving temporary shelter to women and children who are suffering due to domestic and employer initiated violence and abuse. The women and girls accommodated have shown large improvements in their physical and mental health. Some have been able to go back to their families and villages; some able to gain new jobs and set-up new lives whereas some have needed to remain for longer periods at the house.
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While living in the house, the women participate in Income Generation projects, such as weaving or embroidery to raise funds to continue the running of the house and to build skills that are useful to support themselves. Women are also offered daily counselling, sport and meditation sessions to help with their mental and physical wellbeing.