Tenaganita

Founded in 1992 by prominent Malaysian rights activist Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita (Women’s Force) works for the rights of migrant labourers who are severely exploited in Malaysia, particularly women. Tenaganita uses Inter Pares support to provide mentoring and assistance to the Coalition of Burma Ethnics Malaysia (COBEM), an alliance of seven community groups formed by refugees from Burma in Malaysia. COBEM provides services to over 60,000 refugees, including health and education services, help in cases of arbitrary detention, and help applying for refugee status. COBEM also acts as intermediary between the refugee population and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).