Beneficiaries
Many children living in boarding houses along the border have one or both parents still living. There are many reasons these children are separated from their families including flight from conflict areas in Burma/Myanmar, a lack of educational opportunities in their village areas, parents who work as seasonal labourers following crop harvests from place to place who cannot provide a stable location for their children to go to school, and parents, especially single parents, who work long hours and are unable to provide supervision and safety to their children at the same time.
Family networks often provide care for orphaned children, and as a result, there are few children who have lost both parents living in the boarding houses we support. However, with migration increasing, family and social networks are increasingly unable to provide care for children, particularly vulnerable children such as those orphaned by HIV/AIDS or who have disabilities or special needs.
Children who have fled from situations of abuse and exploitation are particularly vulnerable. Those who do not speak Thai or who do not have documents allowing them to stay legally in Thailand cannot access medical, legal or social assistance from Thai service providers. At the same time, Burmese service providers struggle to provide assistance to children in crisis as they are understaffed and underfunded. Many children are forced to leave home abruptly in order to find safety, sometimes leaving without shoes or clothes. Emergency assistance to children in distress allows these children a small measure of stability during a difficult time, a clean set of clothes, a good meal and a safe place to spend the night. During a crisis, even a small amount of assistance can make an important difference.
Room to Grow works with community groups who support any child in need, with a particular focus on those children who are separated from their parents, and those who are experiencing crisis or vulnerability.
Where We Work
Umphiem Mai refugee camp
Tak Province
Thailand
Mae Sot
Tak Province
Thailand
Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp
Mae Hong Son Province
Thailand
Umphiem Mai refugee campTak Province
Thailand
Mae SotTak Province
Thailand
Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee campMae Hong Son Province
Thailand
We first began working in Umphium Mai refugee camp and continue to support programs in some of the refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border through our partner organizations. Most of our work now is focused on the migrant community as they are the most in need. We work anywhere we are needed, seeking to serve the most vulnerable, including those displaced by crisis situations.
Unparented children from Myanmar/Burma in Thailand
The children living in boarding houses on the Thai-Burmese border are orphans, unaccompanied minors or have parents who have gone to other parts of Thailand in search of employment. Some have come to Thailand fleeing from structural violence at the hands of the Burmese army, pro-government militias and ethnic armed groups. Others left with their parents and entered refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border or neighbouring towns, while others left parents behind in search of sanctuary and schooling.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is now undergoing the transition from military rule to democracy. For more than 45 years under various military regimes, widespread human rights violations occurred against civilians, particularly in the country’s ethnic areas. Popular protests took place in 1988 and a refusal to uphold the election results in 1990 in which the Aung San Suu Kyi-headed National League for Democracy won led to a severe crackdown on demonstrators by the junta. On top of that, the failed economic policies created poverty and unemployment throughout the country. As a result, many people fled political persecution and economic penury, becaming Southeast Asia’s largest refugee population.
Under military rule, opportunities to receive an education were severely limited. There were very few schools built by the military regime in the ethnic areas, and even fewer teacher salaries provided to those who taught there. The local communities in the military controlled areas were hampered in their ability to provide their children with an education, as the military placed heavy demands on them in terms of forced labor and taxes. Students who became internally displaced were constantly on the run and while there are many cases of education being provided in IDP communities, it is often disjointed and limited in scope. As a result, students often cross the border to Thailand looking for a stable environment and a place to go to school.