The Build Project Australia works with the communities of Burmese people in exile in Thailand. Our education programme at IAPS is targetted at young people aged 17-23 who have completed high-school and who have demonstrated a drive to improve their level of education and participate actively in their communities. Students at a high school for Burmese migrants provided the inspiration for this project. In their lessons and outside the classroom, they showed an incredible eagerness to learn new things, understand the world they live in, and develop new skills.
On-going interviews and workshops with these students were integral to the planning and design of this programme. By working with a small, student-lead working group in Mae Sot we were been able to gauge the direction the programme should take, from subjects to be offered to the type of uniform they want to wear. We currently have a assisting in the practical set-up aspects of the programme. Their input and enthusiasm is invaluable to the process.
Depending on the success of the programme and the support of donors it is envisaged that the programme will in the future extend beyond Mae Sot to other border communities.
Burma has a long history of political instability. However since 1988, living conditions have descended from poor to impossible.
Education, long highly prized within Burmese society, is now only available to a select few and study choices are limited.
People who are compelled to leave Burma often find themselves either trying to survive with limited or no legal status, in the border regions of neighbouring countries or living in refugee camps where they can stay for many years waiting for resettlement in a third country. Whilst this is more secure than remaining in Burma, life is extremely difficult and opportunities are few.
Mae Sot (alternate spelling Mae Sod) is in Tak province, in North Western Thailand. It is home to many Burmese migrants, from a broad range of Burmese ethnic groups.
There are many non-governmental organisations based in Mae Sot who work with Burmese refugees and migrants.