Kaw Kaw’s has a dream, that someday her family will be reunited and have enough money to live together again.

But, her short life has been an uphill climb. She has struggled to survive since her family was pulled apart by a series of financial problems which have only been intensified as the global economic downturn began to squeeze Burmese migrants in a vice of economic hardship.

In a recent profile interview the 22 year old from Mongshu Township, in Northern Shan State, told the Shan Herald for News (SHAN) how she has tried to make a new life since she was deserted by her parents at 14, after business problems forced the family to break apart.

“I pray we could be together again, so I can enjoy a warm family life,” Kaw kaw said with tears in her eyes during the interview.

She recounted how happy they were living peacefully on a farm.

But, that all changed on February 21, 1989, when a fire burned down most of the homes in the village. Many families were forced to flee to the jungle.

“We had no food, no clothes and no shelter,” she said.

Things changed again when villagers found gems in the area, while searching for food.

As thousands of gem hunters flooded the community, many residents, including Kaw Kaw’s parents, gave up farming to rent the land to businessmen and to become gem traders. Some opened shops and restaurants in the area.

A wave of rival gangs and drug addicts came along with the investors. And, there were killings and robberies. Life became very dangerous because many people carried weapons.

“There were many robbers and we had to flee very often,”Kaw Kaw said.

“Sometimes we hid under the bed or we had to run to a hole under the house. Food and clothing had to be ready all the time.

I can still picture in my mind hiding in the hole, sweating and trembling with fear because there could be a snake in the hole and there were robbers in my house. And, when we had to hide under the bed I was exhausted because my mother held my mouth closed so I wouldn’t make a noise. I saw many feet walking around in my room.”

Eventually, businessmen stopped investing in the area when the gems were not as plentiful and demand for the precious stones fell by 70% as western countries stopped buying jewelry from Burma .

Jobs for outsiders and local residents became hard to find. Most of the farmland was ruined by digging and because trees were cut down to use in the construction of gem mines during the boom years.

At that time Kaw Kaw’s mother was doing her Su Kyay business, where a small group of people invested money in a fund they could take turns spending. But, some of the partners stole the money because of pressure from bad dealings in the gem business, leaving her mother to pay back the entire amount.

“On the day I finished my grade eight examinations I was shocked when I arrived home because there was nothing left. Everything of value was gone,” said Kaw kaw.

Her mother spent all their money trying to pay the debt, so she sent kaw kaw to a hostel school in Taunggyi to continue her education..

She took her youngest son and moved to Thailand , leaving the rest of the family behind.

The middle son was sent to live with relatives in Rangoon .

Kaw kaw did receive some support from her relatives, but not enough to pay all her school and living expenses.

“I had no money unless my grandmother, who still lived in our village, sent me some pocket money. But, she could not send me money often because her only income came from selling vegetables,” she said.

Her school days were difficult because she didn’t have enough money for food and clothes after her mother left her behind. She had to work as a waitress until she graduated.

“Sometimes my friends invited me to go and buy snacks, but, I refused to go. I wanted to go and have a good time with them. But, I had to pretend I was not hungry. I had to ignore my hunger,” she remembered.

“But, although I could stand those hardships, I could not stand being apart from my mother. That pain in my heart was with me always,” she said with tears, her voice quivering.

“Before my mother left for Thailand she told me I could follow her when I finished school. I took those words into my heart and tried to finish school as fast as I could.”

When that day finally came, after her graduation on November 13, 2006, she was surprised by her mother’s circumstances.

“I just thought my mom would be wealthy because inside Burma people looked up to people who worked overseas. But, reality was quite different.

My mom lived in a very small room in a crowded camp for internally displaced persons on the Thai/Burma border,” she said, looking very dismayed.

So, Kaw Kaw’s financial struggles were far from over.

She and her mother had a difficult time because there was a shortage of supplies in the camp. And, her mother earned 3,000 Baht ($ 88.19) a month, but Kaw Kaw had no job because she was there illegally.

She went to English classes with school children in the camp and successfully applied to study at the School for Shan State Nationalities Youth (SSSNY).

She joined the Women League of Burma (WLB), a women’s organization based in Chiang Mai, as soon as she graduated, where she is employed as a social worker.

Many young Burmese, living inside the country and migrants, like Kaw Kaw, are continuing to battle poverty during the present economic downturn caused by the global economic crisis.

Amnesty International said in its annual report the economic pressures have aggravated human rights abuses.

Rising food prices have led to more hunger and disease, particularly in Burma , North Korea and Zimbabwe , whose governments have been accused of using food as a political weapon, according to a report by Mizzima News Agency in March of this year.

The Irrawaddy News Agency has also reported that the Asia Development Bank predicted economic growth will decrease in Burma in 2009 due to weaker performance by its major partners, China , India and Thailand .

That will continue to make life much more difficult for Burmese migrant workers in Thailand .

The government of Thailand projected 2 million people will lose their job this year. Most of them will be migrant workers.

But, despite the difficult circumstances caused by the weakened economy, Kaw kaw is working hard to empower women to play a key role in developing their communities and working just as hard to realize her dream of having her family happily reunited.

“I have not had a happy family life since my mother left Burma and my siblings and I were scattered all over. So, I would be the happiest girl in the world if we could be together again, the way it was in my childhood. I will never stop trying to make that happen.”