Resumen de Livelihoods and Empowerment: A Case Study of Burmese Refugees in Thailand
The research examines the transition from emergency relief and needs-based service delivery to sustainable human rights- based action by NGOs working in ten Burmese refugee camps in Thailand, that have been in existence since the 1980s. By focusing specifically on livelihood initiatives and trainings, the research discusses the potential of livelihood projects to improve their psychosocial health and prepare them for their futures. Agricultural initiatives, vocational trainings such as sewing, hairdressing, and auto-mechanics, are all geared towards assisting refugees’ to earn their own livelihoods. Refugee livelihoods are conceptualized in this paper from a human rights based approach, which recognizes that the denial of economic, social, and cultural rights by state governments creates unnecessary suffering and dependency. The research examines in which ways livelihood programs can temporarily mitigate the consequences of the lack of legal rights.
