UnionAID

22/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on a year of progress in worker organising and civil society youth leadership across our region.

From responding to crisis in Myanmar to a new union forming in Thailand, from expanding into the Pacific to nurturing change-makers through our Young Leaders Programmes, this year has shown solidarity and community building in action.

None of this would be possible without you; our supporters, volunteers, staff, partners, and the workers and communities leading change. ✊💞

As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on a year of significant progress in worker organising and civil society youth leadership across our region. From responding to crisis in […]

15/12/2025

15/12/2025

15/12/2025

🚀 Applications are now OPEN for the 2026 Mindanao Young Leaders Programme!

In this programme, participants are able to further develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence as leaders and contribute to the sustainable and peaceful development of their communities and of the Mindanao region, more broadly.

We invite community leaders aged 23-30 from all areas of Mindanao who are currently working or volunteering with a non-government organization to apply. The application deadline is Sunday, January 25, 2026.

Be part of the 2026 cohort and join an inclusive network of young leaders in Mindanao.

To apply, complete the application form - see post comments 👇

13/12/2025

Great speeches from the Myanmar community representatives, Stanley Saw, Phyo Sandar Soe from the CTUM and Ross Wilson from UnionAID today at Parliament calling out the Myanmar Junta and its sham elections.

12/12/2025

Our Residential Learning In-Country ~ Week 2 focused on deepening participants’ understanding of sustainable development within their home contexts. The objectives were to learn key principles and practices of sustainable development and to share practical experiences grounded in local realities.

Throughout the week, participants heard from a range of guest speakers covering cultural and societal dynamics, community development for Indigenous groups, policy development, national systems for sustainability, governance, development planning, local economies, the role of CSOs, human rights, and the role of youth in economic and sustainable development — all within the contexts of Laos and Cambodia.

12/12/2025

Myanmar's military junta is planning to hold elections that lack legitimacy and fail to meet democratic standards.

New Zealand's Myanmar community is organising a protest to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and reject this sham election.

📅 Saturday, 13th December 2025, 2 PM
📍 Parliament, Wellington

Please join to show your support for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.

10/12/2025

10/12/2025

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR MYANMAR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Working under a military regime – even just providing schooling for teenagers – has meant many challenges for a project managed by one of our alumni. Because of the conflict the school had to relocate soon after it was first established. We cannot name the location or organisation for the protection of those involved.

Training has now been provided to 18 teachers, and 100 secondary school pupils (74 of whom are female), are now back in the classroom. However, the dislocation has added to the fear, uncertainty and stress faced by the students on a daily basis.

Teachers, who are also coping with their own challenges, continue supporting the children despite limited resources and high emotional distress. With a small funding boost, a mental health professional has come in to equip the teachers with strategies to support students dealing with trauma, and promote emotional expression and healing through interactive activities.

08/12/2025

When the 2025 cohort of the Mindanao Young Leaders Programme were called onto the marae ātea of Ōrongomai Marae, Upper Hutt through pōwhiri for noho marae (3-day stay), they carried with them the stories of their own communities – communities grappling with the legacies of colonisation, the erosion of Indigenous languages, and the struggle to preserve cultural identity. There, they would find their own stories reflected back to them and see the possibilities that emerge when communities reclaim their language, land, and identity.

Read their reflections👇

Reflections from the Mindanao Young Leaders Programme cohort 2025 on their noho marae visit to Ōrongomai Marae

05/12/2025

03/12/2025

Newly elected Rangsit Labour Union Group (RLUG) secretary Chaliya (Am) Chookarmdee points to herself in a UnionAID poster now displayed in the office of the Thai Kurabo Textile Factory in Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok. With her is newly elected RLUG president Suppakit (Deaw) Tangwantanakul. Both are active members of the Thai Kurabo Textile Factory Union, with Am serving on the union committee and Deaw as its president.

After five years of partnership, UnionAID is now funding the RLUG to support some of Thailand's most precarious workers: food delivery riders. Platform riders face little employment protections and work in isolation that makes exploitation easier.

The newly formed Rangsit Platform Riders Union is breaking through this isolation. With UnionAID's support, the RLUG is running study groups and location visits, connecting riders from Rangsit, Lop Buri, and Bangkok as they learn their rights and build collective power.

On 8-9 December, riders from across the region will gather for a two-day seminar - a crucial step in strengthening their voice and fighting together for the protections they deserve.