ABU

MPCDE/SEAMP-ABU
Akha Women Educational and Cultural Center, for Equality, Health, Education and Culture

Location

The ABU Akha Women Educational and Cultural Center is located at: Moo 2 Ban Pa Bong village, 5km west of the District Center of Mae Sruay on the road to Fang. An auxiliary space for visitors and training is in the old hostel at 1Moo 12, BTL 170 Mae Sruay. Tel./fax : 66-53-786 161.

History and support

The MPCDE-ABU Akha Women Project/Cultural Center, Mae Sruay started in 1995, on request of Akha village women. It was able to take off with the help of SEAMP-International Netherlands and NCDO/DGIS, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Objectives of the ABU Project

Main objectives of the ABU Akha Women Project have been since its beginning in 1995:

1. To assist/empower Akha women in their adaptation to the contemporary world, including equal access to modern education, skill development, employment, primary health care, basic human rights and political status/power, enabling them and their families to survive in a modern economy.
2. To incorporate those elements of traditional Akha Culture, morality, traditional knowledge and skills that, in adapted and modernized form, that are economic assets for the women and their communities., in the modern education and training of both Akha women studying in schools and Akha village women.
3. To build up a network of Akha villages and families, who see the need to cooperate in the safeguarding, adaptation and revitalization of Akha customary law and traditional knowledge As for adaptation of Akha Customary Law to modern times, emphasis is on the equality of Akha women to the men. As for safeguarding and revitalization Akha Customary law emphasis is on the traditional ecological, agricultural and medical knowledge.
4. To build up an Akha Cultural Center in easy reach of Akha villages in the Southern Chiang Rai Province region, which can serve as educational and training center for Akha women, as a hostel and as a cultural study and meeting center.
5. To set up income generation programs, to provide village women with viable economic opportunities and to make the ABU project self reliant. MPCDE-SEAMP -ABU seeks to do this through the following means:
1. The scholarship and hostel program, giving young Akha women the opportunity to receive quality education to secondary school level and beyond.
2. Part of this scholarship program is combining local Akha education with an national Thai education in an obligatory training program in Akha language writing/reading and basic knowledge of Akha history, literature, songs and dances. This program is to be extended from the ABU center to the villages.
3. Training of students and village-women in adapted handicraft confection with modern sewing machines.
4. Ecological awareness and biodiversity training amongst others by a systematic recording of traditional plant knowledge, by village based older herbalist Akha women and incorporation of this knowledge into education program for young women and in Public Health Care.
5. Life skills training and education of Akha students and village women with visiting specialists and local discussions groups in such areas as: massage; modern agriculture/horticulture; marketing ;primary health care; AIDS awareness; legal issues and women 's rights; banking; drug addiction; prostitution. Priority will be given to training in Self Help Primary Health Care, including massage as there are urgent medical needs in the villages.

The project envisions to become a center for Akha women that will act as a hostel for young women on the scholarship program, as a broad educational/training center for both the students and village women and as a base from which to launch income generation programs. For more in information on the problems Akha women face, see the article: The Akha Women ABU Project, Mae Sruay: A look behind the scene (.pdf)

Criteria for students

As a matter of principle students have to be selected with the following criteria.

1. Students have to be from families, who still honor their ancestors; Exceptions can be made in case students insist on an education including the study of Akha culture; but they have to be discussed with the steering committee.
2. Students must have reached at least the 2.5 grade and be curious students, who are able to reach the 6th grade high school. Students planning to go to the 3rd grade only cannot be accepted. Reaching the 6th grade students can receive a scholarship from MPCDE/SEAMP student program Chiang Mai for higher studies.
3. Students have to be selected from as many villages and Akha subgroups as possible in order to promote networking between Akha village women of several groups.
4. Preference will be given to daughters of poor families; If from well to do families, parents are supposed to make a yearly donation. All parents are supposed to make a contribution in rice and to pay for pencils and notebooks.

Rules

Rules for staffs and students are the same as those in traditional Akha villages.

Activities 1995-2001

Since 1995 the objectives of the ABU project have found the following initial implementations: 1. Since 1995 the ABU program has given scholarships for study at the Mae Sruay Vittayakom high school and housing in a hostel to around 80 Akha girls/students aged between 13 and 21 years.

A beginning was also made with the ABU Akha project as cultural training center. Akha women students received training in Akha Traditional Knowledge, writing and reading of Akha language, handicraft sewing/embroidery, songs and dance. In their vacation time students also were engaged in small action research projects in their villages (1995-1998). Occasionally also English training has been given by foreign volunteers.

Since 1995 the SEAMP-ABU Center ,Mae Sruay and nearby Saen Chareon Kao Akha Village also became a place for cultural networking ,research and training in various fields between related Akha villages.

The "Traditional Ecological Knowledge Assessment with related Village Mapping" (SEAMP-TEKAM) was able to collect and identify with the help of village-herbalists 150 Akha Medical plants for various ailments. This was possible with the help of CIDA, Canada and the cooperation of prof. Nancy Turner, of the University of Victoria, Vancouver.

Yearly Thai/Akha Traditional Massage Training Courses for and by Akha Women and foreign students/guests. Leader/ coordinator: Ms. Winnie Cain, Arizona, USA.

Teaching of Writing Akha Language and reading old texts, to Akha villagers, besides recording of traditional songs and texts in the SHAC (SEAMP-Hani/Akha Culture project. This hasso far been funded by the Japanese Cultural Center Bangkok, of the Japan Foundation, Tokyo. Besides village women, also ABU project students have been engaged in these activities.

Tourism: Several of these activities, including song and dance, handicraft confection, massage and traditional medicine, have attracted tourists. Development of these activities in a larger SEAMP-ABU Akha Women/Cultural center started in 2001 will contribute to self-reliance of the project.

Staff and trainers of the Hostel/Center

Mr. Thanyapong/Acha Kiriseanjai/Dzoedang, B.A. Teacher-tutor / Facilitator.

Mr. Atu Jupoh, Training in sewing, songs/dancs and house caretaker.

Mr. Buseu Jupao, Teacher of Akha Customary Law / Traditional Knowledge.

Mr. Lawgaw Mangpo, Teacher Akha Language.

Student Committee, elected yearly.

Akha Women Committee of supervision

Mrs. Assui Hobday/Jupao,Chiang Mai

Mrs. Miying Dzoedang, Chiang Rai

Mrs.Darunee/Deuleu Alting von Geusau/Choopoh, Chiang Mai

Mrs. Michu Dzoedang, Saen Chai village, HIV/AIDS specialist.

Villages involved

17 Akha villages in Mae Suai and Mae Chan districts, Chiang Rai province have been involved so far: Saen Chareon Kao Akha, Huay Khi Lek Akha, Saen Chareon Mai Akha, Paleng Luang Akha, Doi Chiang Akha, Phanok Akha, Meta Meo Akha, Khun Sruai Akha, Yanum Akha, Huay Yo Mai Akha, Huay Hok Mai Akha, Saen Chai Pattana Akha, Jaw Pha Ka Akha, Huay Nakard Kao Akha, Prong Pha Khaem Akha, Si Own Akha Akha, Mae Nam Khun Akha.

Consultants for Training

Ms. Winnie Cain, Thai/Akha Massage-teacher, USA.

Prof. Nancy Turner, Dept. of Ethno-botany, Victoria University, Vancouver, Canada.

Prof. Inga Lill Hansson, Akha Linguist, East Asian Language Institute, Lund University, Sweden.

10 Advisors: Mr. John Hobday, Chiang Mai/Thailand. Dr.Leo A.von Geusau, Senior Advisor, MPCD-SEAMP, Chiang Mai. Mrs. Pauline van der Does de Willebois, SEAMP International, Utrecht, Netherlands. Mrs. Hanneke Roodbergen/Faber, Zuidhorn, Netherlands. Dr.Ernst Janzen, Rotary Club Foundation Northbrook, Chicago USA. Mrs.Lucinda Kasperson, Rotary Club, Northbrook, Chicago.

Legal status

Legally the ABU Akha Women project belongs to MPCD-SEAMP Chiang Mai, Nantharam 137, which also was the founder of the project. The ABU project will only be able to become an independent Association when it is self-sufficient in leadership and to a certain degree in financial management.

Future plans, 2002-2005

We hope that in that period a second bigger building for "self-reliance training" for Students and village women can be built. It will have a section for handicraft confection and selling Akha items; Another section will be for the Primary Health Care and massage-training, including ecological training and. Upstairs will be rooms for staffs, trainers and guests. We also hope that it will after that be possible to buy and annex piece of agricultural land of at least one Rai for agricultural and horticultural training and self-reliance of food for the hostel.

Support

The ABU center receives support from Rotary International; Rotary Northbrook, Chicago; SEAMP International, Netherlands; The Richard Hua Foundation; Hannekke Roodbergen; Winnie Cain, Mesa, Arizona.