A lot of things are going on behind the scenes at the Tea Leaf Center. We are working towards registration and being legally able to operate here. So, keep an eye out over the next few months for news on this front. Our first priority once we register - hiring a communications officer. As you may have seen, our blog is currently on hold until we can get more time to dedicate to building our audience and reach. This means we will be placing our blog series covering various aspects of research in displacement sites on hold until next year. We will continue to host events such as our ethics roundtable to engage on this important topics.

Our reason behind this decision is so that we can find the right staff to relaunch our blog and also start a podcast featuring local researchers and their work. We are also relaunching our website. It will have a new look and more streamlined user experience. Feedback is always welcomed, so feel free to leave us comments.

Don't forget, we will host our professional Writing for Civil Society course in early December. The course teaches skills like techniques of persuasive writing, turning interviews into narrative case studies, writing an executive summary, tailoring your argument to a specific target audience, and more. Get information here or email info@thetealeafcenter.org if you would like to apply. Spaces are limited.
 

If your organization would like us to host this course specifically for your staff, do let us know.

Research to Action (R2A) is an online resource that has tons of useful information. Their focus is on research and communication, an important focus for any organization that conducts research. Their "How To" section contains excellent information on topics such as capacity building, writing policy briefs, and understanding theory of change.

There are so many challenges a researcher must face. One of the biggest challenges for smaller organizations and their researchers can be in accessing software that allows you to do your research work. Below, we have compiled a small list of open source software that allows you to be productive without costing you or your organization tons of money.

Those working in development, please be aware that a new scam is specifically targeting aid workers over seas. A friend of mine received this following email.

These types of emails, targeting CSO and CBO leaders, are often made worse by appealing to their desire to use such funds to improve their communities. In the end, the scammers did not get the money the requested to "set up" a bank account, but they had already phished enough personal data to essentially steal this person's identity.

Ko Bo Kyi of AAPP recently wrote on Burma penal reforms stating policy efforts need to focus on "abolishing sentencing with hard labor, improving the human and civil rights of prisoners, and re-establishing the Ministry of Justice". He draws on lessons learned from Uganda's labor-payment scheme and China's public facing policy towards camp reforms that have actually simply shifted the abuses to "black prisons" and mental wards.

The Center for People and Forests released a handbook on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). The thought behind this is that stakeholders, especially non-state actors, must have the capacities to participate effectively in the Voluntary Partnership Agreements processes. 

The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) continues to document evidence of human rights violations, land grabs, and abuse. They do an excellent job seeking consent to use information and have a mechanism for protecting identities by removing names and specific villages where incidences occur. Their most recent report includes an assault by a Boarder Guard Force Corporal and documentation of a 2017 sexual assault case.