Saw Sunshine Timothy

Saw Sunshine Timothy was born in Karenni State, Burma. He fled to Karenni Refugee Camp in 1995 after his high school graduation in Loikaw, Karenni State. There he received Post Ten education for two years.  After completing his Post Ten courses, he served as a high school teacher for one year and a middle school headmaster for one year.

In 1999, he attended EarthRights School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While attending EarthRights School, he co-founded an NGO called Ethnic Cooperation for Human Rights and Environment (ECHRE) and served as a training coordinator in the organization. He also co-founded Karenni Student Union (KSU) in 2000 and served as its organizer.

In 2001, he was awarded a full scholarship to pursue college education in the U.S. While studying at Colby College, he co-founded Colby Burma Club and raised awareness for human rights and political issues in Burma and raised funds to support Karenni internally displaced people (IDPs). He graduated from Colby College in May 2005 with a major in Government.

After graduation, he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and has been actively engaged in the Karen community. Saw Sunshine Timothy works as a Cultural Liaison for Saint Paul Public Schools. He is also the general secretary of Emmanuel Karen Baptist Church in St. Paul.

He joined KOM’s board on February 14, 2017.