Karen Community

About Us

Karen Canadian Community – KCC was founded in June 1998 at Thunder Bay. Local Community representatives from different cities attended this successful conference to discuss ways of strengthening ties of unity among all Karen people across Canada. They all agreed to form Karen Canadian Community to represent Karen people and since then, KCC serves as a national wide, umbrella organization for the Karen people in Canada. It represent the voices and the concerns of the Karen people in Canada in social and cultural matters, democracy and human rights, peace and justice, national reconciliation and economic developments in Kawthoolei (Karen State), the homeland of the Karen people originally from Burma.

Current Central Executive Committees (2007 to 2010)

President: Mahn Kyaw Shwe (London, Ontario)

Vice President: MahnSaw Winnay Mahnkookoo (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Vice President: Mahn Bee Duu (Vancouver, British Columbia)

General Secretary: Saw Nimrod Andrew (Ottawa, Ontario)

Assistant Secretary: Naw Daisy (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Assistant Secretary: Naw Candy Marvel (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Treasurer: Naw Mee Mee Han (Regina, Saskatchewan)

Treasurer: Naw Thu Thu Tun (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Auditor: Saw BJ Kaw Htoo (Regina, Saskatchewan)

Coordinators and Committees' members
Youth Coordinator: Slone Phan (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Assistant: Naw Prezena Htoo (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Women Coordinator: Naw Wah Paw (Toronto, Ontario)

Assistant: Naw Paw Decem (Regina, Saskatchewan)

Fundraising Coordinator: Saw Lah Wah (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Assistant: Naw Sameral Taw (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Education Coordinator: Saw Armstrong (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Assistant: Naw Apphia Taw (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Physical Education Coordinator: Saw Poe Kaneh (Edmonton, Alberta)

Assistant: Saw Kaw Eh Htoo (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Cultural and Heritage Coordinator: Saw Hser Doh (Toronto, Ontario)

Assistant: Saw Wah Lay Ray (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Social Security and Welfare Coordinator: Saw Matil Char (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Assistant: Saw Octoson Henry (Ottawa, Ontario)

Information and Communication Coordinator: Saw Pyi Thein (Edmonton, Alberta)

Assistant: Naw Hser Moo (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Research and Documentations Coordinator: Saw Paw Pa (London, Ontario)

Assistant: Saw Shwe Roe (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Our Objectives

· Maintains a national network of associations and individuals to support the Karen Canadian Community

· To initiate and participate in welfare projects for the Karen communities in Canada

· To promote public awareness for the problems and hardships suffered by the Karen and other ethnic nationalities

· To act as the representative of the Karen community

· Encourages the development, retention and understanding of Karen Canadian heritage
To support and find ways for humanitarian assistance for refugees on the Thai-Burma border

· To prepare and maintain a census of the Karen people in Canada.

Our Current Focus

· Support local communities to establish themselves and building a strong foundation

· Helping Canadian government sponsored refugees from Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Ma Luang to settle down and access to verities of services

· Advocate for Burma refugees, mostly Karen at Thai-Burma border to get humanitarian support

· Campaign against Salween dam

· Promote public awareness of human rights abuses by Burmese military in rural Burma

Our Accomplishments

· Successfully built the first Karen language school in Ottawa, supported by Ottawa Carleton District School Board- International program.

· Successfully formed the local Karen communities in Ottawa, Toronto, London, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Langley

· Working closely with Settlement Agencies to support Canadian Government sponsored Karen refugees to Canada

· Executive members visited local communities and newly arrived refugees

Update News