So you’re wondering what in the world will we be doing in Thailand?  …….That’s a great question!

First of all, we are going to be learners, and observers.  It would be foolish to enter a new culture for the first time with expectations of solving all the problems.  We will spend a considerable amount of time getting to know Mae Sot and the people of Mae Sot, especially the children.  Our friends, Peter and Cavelle have asked us to oversee a few of the projects that they have started and initiate some things that are only in the “dream” stage right now…waiting for someone to have more time to dedicate to the town of Mae Sot.  They have sent us to be the “people on the ground”!

That’s the general answer, but for those of you who like to know specifics:

1.Clean Water Filtration Systems

~the children in the migrant schools have trouble staying in school because of poor health, due to dirty water.  Already,  there have been water purification sytems installed so that  8 of the 58 schools have access to clean water.

~the great thing about the water systems, is that they not only benefit the students, but also the people in the surrounding community have access to the water too.

~our mandate is to oversee the installation of 8 more systems during our one year in Mae Sot.

2. Mobile Teacher Resource Unit

~we have been asked to assess and resource the migrant schools that are without educational tools.  

~most schools have very little in the way of teacher supplies,  resources, and children’s equipment

~this will be in the form of a “loaner system”  where kits can be borrowed and then passed on to other schools.

~Math,  Health and Safety, and English are among the types of kits that we hope to put together

3. “Who Am I?  Student Life Book Project

~the issue of statelessness is huge-most Burmese refugee children are without any type of national identity, so they cannot attend gov’t schools, gain access to health care, jobs, driver’s licences, etc.  This makes them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking

~many Burmese children come to Thailand alone or with other children because of war or tragedy, such as Cyclone Nargis. Many have parents who have died because of the ongoing war in Myanmar/Burma.  These children have no ducumentation or identity papers.

~through research, interviewing and compiling information, we hope to create profiles for these children that will be updated regularly into “Life books”

~our hope is that, in the future, these books can be helpful to verify their identity and assist them in being granted national status in Burma or Thailand.