meet our team members
Sharing Hope embodies community in action. We represent a decade of partnership with Karen refugees in Victoria and their Australian neighbours. We are a dynamic, relational and grassroots NGO that partners in community led aid and reconstruction projects in refugee camps, IDP camps, schools and villages in Thailand and Karen State, Burma.
Aussie Team
Sharing Hope’s Australia team has dedicated workers from a range of backgrounds. All members of our team work with the Karen people, either directly through Sharing Hope or in other capacities. Our board of directors have extensive experience in community development, aid and refugee support, administration and policy development, and financial management.
In April of 2019 Sharing Hope received a local award for our work in the community. Additionally, two members of our board also received awards for their involvement in other community engagement activities. Leadership responsibilities primarily rest on our two Co-Directors; Jordan, a Karen refugee who had become an outspoken advocate for the Karen people and Kathy, who has extensive experience in administration, capacity building, and policy development.
Border Team
Our border team comprises of Karen community development workers who live along the Thai-Burma border. All of our projects are managed by local community leaders, with our team liaising with them regularly to report back to us how our publicly funded projects are progressing.
Sharing Hope would not exist without the dedication and professionalism of our border team.
GenHope
GenHope is an organisation within Sharing Hope that works to empower Karen young adults in Australia and on the Thai-Burma border to share the story of the Karen people. They are frequently called on to speak at schools, churches and conferences and have so far raised over $15,000 for Sharing Hope’s aid programs.
Jordan 
Director
After coming to Victoria from Mae La Refugee Camp, Jordan quickly established himself as an advocate and leader for the Karen refugee community. Jordan is now well known in the community and has received multiple awards in recognition of his tireless work.
Kathy
Director
With an extensive background in administration and organisational management, Kathy has worked hard behind the scenes to build Sharing Hope from a small group of concerned community members into a legitimate and effective NGO.
Gitta
Director
Gitta has worked with the Karen and other refugee groups for over two decades, helping them settle in Victoria and find employment opportunities. This led to Gitta receiving the Knox Citizen of the Year award for her work with refugee communities.
Ben
Director
Through his love of sport and passion to see young people thrive, Ben has made strong connections with Karen of all ages. His particular joy is seeing young Karen people retain their cultural heritage, while also embracing their new lives in Australia.
Calvin
Director
From day one Calvin has enthusiastically welcomed Karen refugees into the community. His trips to the Thai-Burma border have led him to fall in love with the Karen culture and people. He hopes to move to Thailand soon, in order to better engage with our team there.
Luke 
Director
Luke quickly befriended Karen young people when they began to come to Croydon Hills. A mutual love for soccer did the rest. Now Luke speaks Karen, and has extremely good relationships with Karen people in Australia and on the Thai-Burma border. Currently Luke is the Team Leader of GenHope.
Tim
Community Team
Tim is a community leader for the Karen people here in Victoria, currently Chairing the Eastern Karen Community Association of Victoria. He has worked hard to help Karen refugees find a place in Australia, and remain connected with other Karen throughout the country.
JAck
Community Team
Early in life, Jack’s received support through Compassion, resulting in his deep passion for seeing young people supported. He is a firm advocate for mentoring and leadership development.
Matt
Community Team
Matt has used his role as a pastor to bring together Karen young people with their counterparts in the wider Australian community. He loves seeing young people find an identity within themselves that is vibrant, caring and informed.
Deb
Community Team
Deb has spent a great deal of time befriending Karen women, and working with them as they get used to life in Australia. Alongside her husband Calvin, Deb is planning on moving to the Thai-Burma border and there hopes to work in the area of maternal health.
Moo Hei
Community Team
Born and raised in Mae La Refugee Camp, Pastor Moo Hei is now a leading figure among the Karen community in Maroondah, and has worked tirelessly alongside newly arrived families for decades as they settle into their new lives in Australia.
Mu Naw Shee
Border Team Administrator
Mu Naw Shee began working with us in early 2021, after completing her studies with support from Sharing Hope’s Leaders of Hope program. Mu Naw Shee has been instrumental in keeping the lines of communication open between us and our projects, an especially difficult process during the COVID lockdowns and following the military coup.
Peacefully
Border Team
Pastor Peacefully is a community advocate, with a particular passion for holistic education. Alongside his work with Sharing Hope, he is the director of a Thai based migrant learning center which educates hundreds of Karen displaced students. Peacefully is also an articulate and authoritative voice for justice and peace.
Tee Toh
Border Team
Tee Toh has done a great deal to ensure many young people living in Mae La Refugee camp receive an education. Additionally, he has worked to ensure Karen Christians have a safe place to peacefully worship, and that students who wish to train as pastors gain the required training and support.
Dan
Border Team
Having worked with the International Rescue Committee and other recognised NGOs, Dan has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. Dan has also worked very hard to build up schools and safe zones for students still living in Karen State.
Thaku
Border Team
Administrating some of our most remote projects, Taku has also been heavily involved in supporting malaria clinics and other medical outposts. His work has taken him all over Karen State.
David
Programs Director
David joined the Sharing Hope team after completing his degree in International Development. Five years later he is our Programs Director, overseeing project management and development.
caitlin
Communications Coordinator & Projects Support
Caitlin brings experiences in grants, research and strategy development in international development and refugee support organisations, and a passion for writing and storytelling, to her role with Sharing Hope. Caitlin holds a degree in Global Studies, specialising in human rights.