Monday, June 15, 2009

Introducing Phan Foundation

A Karen friend from UK visited Philadelphia area during the weekend of June 13th, 14th.

Bwa Bwa Phan, co-founder of Phan Foundation and elder daughter of the late General Secretary of the Karen National Union Padoh Mahn Sha, visited Philadelphia area during the weekend of June 13th 14th to introduce the Phan Foundation to the Karens in the US.

Phan Foundation was founded in the United Kingdom on 14th February 2008 by the four surviving children of Padoh Mahn Sha soon after his assassination carried out by agents of the brutal SPDC regime. Bwa Bwa met with some members of the Karen Communities from Philadelphia, Trenton, Lansdale, and Allentown in the area and explained about the inception of Phan Foundation and its aims and objectives. Phan Foundation is solely humanitarian aimed for the Karens regardless of religion and country of residence. The four main objectives of the Foundation are;

1. To alleviate poverty
2. To provide education
3. To promote human rights
4. To protect Karen culture.

Just within one year of it’s founding, the Foundation has presented $2000 dollars as the “2008 Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award”, first of it’s kind, to Naw Paw K’Bla Htoo, a young community worker in Kler Lwee Htu (Nyaung Lay Bin) District in the Karen State. Naw Paw K’Bla Htoo was chosen because of her strong and longstanding commitment in her selflessness community work, her outstanding leadership and dedication in fighting poverty, promoting education, promoting development, and preserving Karen culture.

At present Phan Foundation is supporting IDP (Internally Displaced People) students from Mutraw District (Karen State) and expects to support many more with donations from well-wishers and friends.

To learn more about Phan Foundation or to make donations visit http://www.phanfoundation.org/

Donations by checks payable to Phan Foundation can be sent to:

Phan Foundation
28 Charles Square
London, N1 6HT
United Kingdom