Expanding our work along the Thai-Burma border
Children on the Edge's work continues to grow and develop on the Thai/Burma border.
In November two representatives from Children on the Edge UK were joined by one representative from Children on the Edge New Zealand to research the ever-changing needs of refugees, illegal migrants and internally displaced people in and around the Thai/Burma border area.
Visits were made to four camps for Internally Displaced People living within Burma. The people in these camps have been forced from their homes by the Burmese military junta and all their stories are of a similar nature whether they be children, adults or the elderly and infirm. Many have walked literally for months to get to the border area to seek safety in Thailand only to be refused entry by the Thai Government. One of the camps visited is on the river bank, here the border is the river, the camp is surrounded by the Burmese Army and on the other side of the river the Thai Army are watching the camp to make sure no one crosses. These people are literally trapped between two armies living in constant fear for their lives.
As with all the children we work with internationally the more structure and normality you can introduce to a child's life regardless of their sometimes desperate living conditions the better. This is why we are choosing to fund a number of nursery schools within the camps we visited. Alongside preschool education these schools will provide one nutritious meal a day, an essential element to ensure the wellbeing of these young people who are expected to survive on pitifully meagre food handouts given by the already overstretched Thai Burma Border Consortium.
Alongside the new programmes we identified we will be continuing and expanding our support of migrant schools and boarding houses along the border, both within and outside of the refugee camps.
One of the most challenging situations currently facing the refugee population is a move by UNHCR to resettle people to a third country. Basically their first country would be their homeland of Burma from which they have been forced to flee, their second country would be Thailand where they have been accepted as a refugee and their third country is one that has agreed to accept them as a new citizen, for instance Canada, Norway and the UK. Many people who are offered resettlement accept it because they can see no alternative, even though they will be abandoning any hope of returning to Burma should the situation change. The sad reality is that most of the people leaving are highly trained and well respected members of their community, who will struggle to gain the recognition and respect that they deserve in their new home.
It costs just 10 pence a day to provide one child with a nutritional meal that is £3.00 a month and £36.00 a year. Children on the Edge will not walk away from these vulnerable children when it takes so little to make a difference, can you? To help us make a difference to the lives of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable children in the world today please click here to make your donation.
In November two representatives from Children on the Edge UK were joined by one representative from Children on the Edge New Zealand to research the ever-changing needs of refugees, illegal migrants and internally displaced people in and around the Thai/Burma border area.
Visits were made to four camps for Internally Displaced People living within Burma. The people in these camps have been forced from their homes by the Burmese military junta and all their stories are of a similar nature whether they be children, adults or the elderly and infirm. Many have walked literally for months to get to the border area to seek safety in Thailand only to be refused entry by the Thai Government. One of the camps visited is on the river bank, here the border is the river, the camp is surrounded by the Burmese Army and on the other side of the river the Thai Army are watching the camp to make sure no one crosses. These people are literally trapped between two armies living in constant fear for their lives.
As with all the children we work with internationally the more structure and normality you can introduce to a child's life regardless of their sometimes desperate living conditions the better. This is why we are choosing to fund a number of nursery schools within the camps we visited. Alongside preschool education these schools will provide one nutritious meal a day, an essential element to ensure the wellbeing of these young people who are expected to survive on pitifully meagre food handouts given by the already overstretched Thai Burma Border Consortium.
Alongside the new programmes we identified we will be continuing and expanding our support of migrant schools and boarding houses along the border, both within and outside of the refugee camps.
One of the most challenging situations currently facing the refugee population is a move by UNHCR to resettle people to a third country. Basically their first country would be their homeland of Burma from which they have been forced to flee, their second country would be Thailand where they have been accepted as a refugee and their third country is one that has agreed to accept them as a new citizen, for instance Canada, Norway and the UK. Many people who are offered resettlement accept it because they can see no alternative, even though they will be abandoning any hope of returning to Burma should the situation change. The sad reality is that most of the people leaving are highly trained and well respected members of their community, who will struggle to gain the recognition and respect that they deserve in their new home.
It costs just 10 pence a day to provide one child with a nutritional meal that is £3.00 a month and £36.00 a year. Children on the Edge will not walk away from these vulnerable children when it takes so little to make a difference, can you? To help us make a difference to the lives of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable children in the world today please click here to make your donation.
