KESAN environmental education services and materials program is aim to increase children, youth, communities and leader's awareness and participation in environmental impacts mitigation and adaptation both inside Karen State in Burma and along the borders. Environmental education services and materials produce education tool box on environment, gender, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction including the following activities.
Produce environment curriculum
The environmental curriculum project aims to raise environmental awareness through incorporating indigenous Karen culture and knowledge about environmental issues in curriculum in schools in 7 refugee camps (Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae La, Mae La Oon, Nupo, Umpium, Ban Don Yang, Tham Hin) and inside Karen Sate. KESAN is the only organization that has developed environmental curriculum and teaching aids for Karen refugees and IDPs. In 2001, KESAN met with Karen education leaders and it was decided that a culturally appropriate environment curriculum would be developed as part of the broader social studies unit taught in the 7 refugee camps on the Thai Burma border. KESAN’s environmental curriculum and teaching aids are now being used in 75 schools (in 7 Karen refugee camps in Thailand) and 39 schools in Karen State, Burma. KESAN also provide necessary training for teachers in this use of this curriculum. This curriculum is culturally relevant and includes teaching aids that incorporate indigenous culture and knowledge.
Collect, copy and distribute Environment films
KESAN collect copy and distribute documentaries and films on relevant environment themes along the Thai-Burma Border and inside Burma to various CPPs, key individuals and civil society groups, schools, monasteries and nunneries. Under the closed and isolated military regime, access to this type of information is difficult inside Burma. By distributing informative, engaging and motivational material to a wide variety of stakeholders and partners, it is anticipated that local communities and organizations become more educate and aware about various local, regional and international environmental and sustainable development issues.
Provide environment outreach training
KESAN provide training to resource persons and develop training modules and materials for organizations based in Thailand giving trainings to both ethnic and Burman CBO staff from organizations working in Burma, for Buddhist monks, nuns and lay workers, journalists, bloggers, writers, researchers, trainers and student-farmers, etc.
Environment education materials
KESAN produce additional environment education materials for Community Project Partners (CPP) to use in community based initiatives. All are produced in the Karen language and are aimed at raising the basic environmental awareness of leaders and communities. The most recent publications include a handbook of local and adapted sustainable agriculture techniques (community agriculture handbook -Karen language) and traditional food preservation technique book.
Other activities
To increase children, youth, communities and leader's awareness and participation in environmental protection, KESAN also organize summer camps for youth and children on climate change and impacts at different locations in Karen State, World Environment Day Activities on June 5 at different locations in Karen State and refugee camps with highlights on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction awareness.