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Karen standing tall

This simple web site aims to provide Karen people and all those interested in Karen language, access to Drum's educational materials and includes a regularly updated collection of downloadable Karen language materials as well as the group's on line English-Sgaw Karen Dictionary. Hard copies of select Drum publications are also available to purchase on line with all proceeds going to support our work.

In addition to Karen language materials, this site is intended to help provide information and raise awareness of the richly diverse histories, cultures and backgrounds of the peoples of Burma and the plight they have suffered for far too long. To this end, a comprehensive list of links to related web sites and the latest news and information on Burma is included for visitors to explore. To learn more about Drum, see the Drum activities link and any comments, enquires or offers of support would be most welcome. (see contact us)

Did you know....

United Nations statistics show that as many under-fives die each year in Burma as in Sudan. More children in Burma are malnourished than in Somalia and Burma has more orphans than Afghanistan.

Educationally, half of Burma's children fail to progress beyond primary level.
And yet Burma gets aid inflows that are 75 times less than Mozambique and 26 times lower than nearby Cambodia.

So while other countries debate how to deal with Burma's ruling generals in ways that can really bring change, children are going unheard, their needs unmet and their futures uncertain.

Drum Activities

Educational materials: Drum publishes a wide variety of educational materials in Sgaw Karen and Burmese languages suitable for all ages from pre-school to vocational training level. Along with more general topics, special emphasis is placed on producing publications which include traditional knowledge and cultural aspects. The current catalogue contains over 200 publications. As shown in the annually published, "Educational Resources for the Burma Border", over 70% of all non-textbook materials available in Sgaw Karen are Drum publications or were produced with the group's assistance.  

Story writing competitions:With the aim of promoting creative writing skills and to give the opportunity for local authors to publish their stories, Drum conducts annual story writing competitions for Karen students and teachers in and around the Thai - Burmese border refugee camps. Award certificates and small gifts are presented to the winning authors and their stories are published in small books and distributed to all camp schools, libraries and centers of education.  

Resource center: Drum maintains a resource center where valuable books and documents concerning Burma and its ethnic minorities are preserved. These resources are available to all interested in researching the history or current affairs of the area.

Teacher training: Drum staff working in cooperation with a variety of organizations from international NGOs to local community schools regularly assist in facilitating teacher training workshops.

Drum Translation Service:With the goal of assisting other humanitarian organization to produce educational materials and to generate income to help fund Drum Publication Group, Drum Translation Service (DTS) was formed. DTS provides assistance in translating English, Burmese and Sgaw Karen languages as well as in type setting and printing materials. All proceeds from the services provided go towards helping to fund the Drum Publication Group.

Mission Statement

 The Drum Publication Group was founded in May 1998.  The goal of the Drum Publication Group is to promote literature in both Karen and Burmese languages with the overall objectives of developing education for Burmese people wherever they might reside.

The Group wishes to establish contact with as many other groups and individuals as possible who are involved in literature and education, and to be involved in all aspects of literacy development and the ensuing work of printing suitable books and teaching aids.  As well as translation and typesetting we would like to assist those NGOs involve in education work at all stages.  Participation in planning sessions and workshops would be welcomed and would, we feel, increase our capacity to play a useful role in this regard.   

The Group will promote, through its own practice, transparency and accountability, in all dealings.  The Group is not affiliated with any political organization and stands for racial and sexual equality. The main aims and objectives of the Drum publication Group are:

To preserve and promote the linguistic forms of the Karen and other indigenous peoples of Burma while promoting national, second languages through publishing and disseminating educational materials.

• To document traditional knowledge, practices and cultural forms of expression of the Karen people.
• To promote the empowerment of the Karen people to contribute towards maintaining, protecting and developing manifestations of their culture, language and literature.
• To assist organizations working for the benefit of the Karen people by providing translation and type-setting services.
• To maintain a library and documentation center to preserve valuable books and documents relating to Burma and its' indigenous peoples.