Programs
Empowering our community and co-creating sustainable systems to assist new arrivals. Learn more about our programs to meet the needs of the Karen community and other refugees from Burma below!
Community Program
KOSD’s Case Workers provide immediate support and assistance for urgent needs. This includes connecting them with more community resources and services available in San Diego.
Working collaboratively with various community partners, KOSD hosts workshops for refugees from Burma aiming to provide support on navigating different systems in the U.S. and education on specific issues including education and immigration.
Working with the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition and local health departments, KOSD’s Community Health Workers connect refugees from Burma with health information including COVID-19 and needed services and resources to improve health and well-being of the community.
KOSD offers women’s empowerment program to support both social-emotional health and financial independence to promote refugee women’s social integration.
Family Engagement Program
KOSD acts as a liaison between local schools and students/ families from Burma.
KOSD offers monthly workshops or activities to educate parents about the U.S. educational system and provides them with skills and resources to support their children’s academic success and emotional and physical well-being.
KOSD’s Senior Club serves elders from Burma, who are 60 years or older, by providing a space to gain psychosocial support from their peers, stay active, preserve and share their culture, access language and cultural training.
KOSD provides ongoing guidance and assistance for refugee youth from Burma in order to help them to create a system of positive support for one another, to succeed academically, to access higher education, and to develop skills needed to reach their career goals through the following program components: (a) First Generation youth group, (b) after school tutoring, (c) summer school program, and (d) college access activities.
Civic Engagement Program
KOSD works to support community members in voter registration and education. KOSD staff also work with local elected officials on topics such as the census and redistricting.
KOSD works with other communities and organizations to build collaborative relationships and coalitions to advocate for policies that advance the rights and protections for refugee communities. KOSD also works with other Karen communities in California to ensure that Karen refugees resettled in California have access to needed programs and services.
KOSD launched its first scholarship program, KOSD Higher Education Scholarship, in 2021 to support refugee students from Burma, who have dreams of pursuing higher education to make positive changes in the world.
Economic Development Program
KOSD offers monthly financial literacy workshops for the community as well as 10-week Microenterprise Workshop series for current and future entrepreneurs.
KOSD’s business counselors provide individual business counseling and technical assistance for current or future business owners who are refugees from Burma.
KOSD helps refugees from Burma find and maintain employment through employment services, job readiness training, and connecting them with internship and certificate programs to improve their skills. KOSD also acts as an advocate for refugees when any issues arise with employers.
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