GHRE-FED

Roll Cameras

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:27:36 -0400

As we have come to learn Htoo Chit has created a wide wake in his path doing great things for many individuals and the Burmese community as a whole. Apparently we are not the only ones to recognize this as today a Burmese film crew arrived to begin filming a movie based on Htoo Chit’s life.

May 11, 2012

euronews names FED top three for Migrant Children

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:05:43 -0400

May 7, 2012 euronews.com

Thailand: Hope for Burmese children There are an estimated two million Burmese migrants in Thailand but only a quarter of them are officially registered. According to the International Organisation for Migration, 200,000 of them are children. They come to Thailand to escape political persecution or to find better paid work.

Since 2005 The Foundation for Education and Development has been running an education project for Burmese children in Thailand. It costs seven dollars a month to send a child to this school, and the fees also cover transport and lunch.

As well as Thai, the children learn English, maths, science and social sciences. In 2006, the Thai government allowed around 100 young Burmese children to enrol at state schools but it was not easy.

Who knows how long these children will stay in Thailand? It could be weeks, months or even years. But with programmes like these, at least some of them will get an education.

School's Open!

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:59:00 -0400

Phang Nga Province, May 9, 2012: Over 350 people gathered today in Khao Lak to celebrate the opening of the United Learning Center- a center dedicated to educating the children of Burmese migrant workers here in Thailand. The school will serve the needs of over 300 children ages 4-17 with the goal of integrating them into the Thai community.

Two of the new students reported that the new facilities swept them off their feet.

Kindness of strangers

Sat, 05 May 2012 23:27:00 -0400

May 5, 2012 (or 5/5/55, 2555, in the Buddhist calendar - - very auspicious)

Just returning from the blessing of the house of the Learning Center’s Director; Burmese monks offered prayers for peace and harmony and the community celebrated with a traditional Burmese breakfast……yum.

On the way home, we passed a fruit vendor that had stopped to offer an elephant two pineapples.

Exchanging wide smiles with the driver as we passed, we shared the spirit and feel lucky to be enjoying the love of the people around us.

Of course we stopped to take some elephant close-ups and even posed with the amazing creature.

Just another morning on our lovely adventure.

T&E

April 25, 2012 Who thought building a playground would be so...

Wed, 02 May 2012 04:25:00 -0400

April 25, 2012

Who thought building a playground would be so much fun or would take such an interesting path? We are in week two of our time with FED and every day we continue to appreciate the rich mix of people gathered together with the common purpose of improving the lives of Burmese migrant workers here in Thailand.

Today started with a visit to a rubber plantation; when we arrived the women were congregated in the meeting space with a facilitator from FED’s WEDA (Woman Empowerment and Development Association) program. We were greeted by the patient patriarch, Kin Maung Oo, of the small community (about four families) who answered our many questions and gave us a comprehensive tour of the facilities and plantation. During our tour he was very positive about his relationship with the plantation owner and explained the 40 / 60 split of proceeds from the sale of rubber harvested (40% to the community / 60% to the owner). We also learned about the healthcare services available to him with Thai work permits (he showed us his) and the challenges of a plantation that due to aging trees, produces less rubber.

As we were loading up to leave, Kin Maung Oo stepped into the entrance of a small building and began speaking loudly. We heard younger voices responding and after some animated “back and forth” between the parties, three adolescent boys emerged and jumped into the back of the truck with us. Ah, how I remember my father stirring my brother and me to get out of the house!

We arrived at the new learning center and met with the designer of the playground, Tah Wah. The company he works for, Child’s Dream, had arranged to work directly with the local Burmese community to construct the project. Our three new pals from the rubber plantation tumbled out of the truck and took instruction, picking up grinders and taking the rough edges off the newly installed playground equipment. We all pitched in and just as we were in full swing the sky opened with a huge downpour. All the adults (five) picked up the tools and ran into the building; all the children (twelve) placed their tools under shelter then ran into the center of the school yard to play a spirited game of soccer in the heavy rain. What a sight! But at the end we were able to construct some amazing things and made sure to test every one out…

Who thought building a playground would be so much fun or would take such an interesting path?

Tim Walch and Edmund Sulzman

International World AIDS Day Event- Phang Nga

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:32:00 -0500

December 1st, 2011 was a GREAT day! It began with an one hour drive to the town of Pang Nga at 6am, before the sun was awake. We arrived at a field with a stage and tents. Each tent was reserve for one of the eight NGO’s participating in/sponsoring the day’s events. After setting up the FED booth with hand made HIV/AIDS posters and FED banners, we were driven to a nearby Thai school to “walk.”

It was 8am, the time at which all students sing the national anthem. Trucks with students from different schools (both Thai and Burmese) unloaded and the students lined up. I finally realize that this “walk” was like a parade/fundraising walk that happen in the states…such as the Revlon Run/Walk or AIDS Walk, but in full force! Students held banners and hand made posters, dressed up as condoms, and wore hats adorned with blown up condoms. The long line was lead by a marching band and the sections were conjoined by Thai dancers. The students cheered as they passed out pamphlets and condoms to onlookers.

As we arrived on the field, the festivities began. Youth groups from around the area performed various dances and the NGO’s hosted informational booths, handing out condoms and providing activities for the students. The activities included answering questions, in relation to HIV/AIDS, for prizes and painting shirts to spread awareness.

It is amazing to see mobilization in action, especially when the mobilizers are children bringing together a community for a “HEALTHY THAILAND.” This isn’t anything I expected when I first signed on to work with FED…what a great surprise!

FOR PICTURES, CLICK HERE

-Christina LeRubio, Volunteer (Los Angeles, California- USA)

A Day at the Phuket Zoo On Saturday, December 3, 2011, a group...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:30:00 -0500

A Day at the Phuket Zoo

Students arriving at the zoo

Students watching the Monkey Show

Student playing with a monkey

Student playing with a snake

Me and the students posing w/ King Kong

Students enjoying the Koi Pond

Students playing in the giant Crocodile

After a day at the Phuket Zoo

Friends hanging out at the Phuket Zoo

A Day at the Phuket Zoo

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, a group of the students, approximately 50, headed to the Phuket zoo. Since I don’t get to work with the kids the often, I jumped at the opportunity to tag along as a chaperon. As we drove up, after a 3 hour ride, the children excitedly jumped off the bus to enter the gates of the zoo.

We ventured through the small zoo and headed to the three different animal shows: Crocodile, Elephant and Monkey shows. The trainers poked at the animals to aggravate them and show their notoriously vicious chomp. When the show was over, we headed to the elephant show. The show brought a smile to my face, but not as big as the smile on the children’s face. The elephants played instrument, painted a picture, played basketball and gave some of the audience members massages…it amazing how smart these animals are! Our last show of the day was the monkey show. Throughout the show, you could tell the trainers really loved the monkeys, stroking and kissing them. The children sat in aww as the monkey did trick after trick.

The ride back home didn’t feel as long as the ride there. The three of us decided to ride back on the bus. As I entered the bus, thinking of the cool air coming from the AC running through the bus, my Westernized bubble burst. The disco painted bus was lined with fans on the roof. However, there was entertainment! The children were entertained by the numerous music videos playing during the ride. Since some of them don’t get out of their immediate area often, some of them couldn’t keep their eyes off of the scenery that was scrolling by outside. Others were exhausted from the day’s excitement that they passed out.

-Christina LeRubio, Volunteer (Los Angeles, California- USA)

Sketchbook Project with Learning Center Students

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:26:02 -0400

Last Friday and Saturday, September 30th and October 1st, 30 students from Tonkamin and Parkweep learning centers braved torrential rains to join FED staff and volunteers at the Youth Outreach Center. The students began with some exercises and games to get to know each other, and then they made drawings of their houses, favorite food, favorite animal, and families. All of the activities the students participated in on Friday helped them brainstorm what they would draw in their sketchbooks on Saturday.

The above photo is of students drawing their “brainstorm diagrams” to prepare for making their sketchbooks on Saturday.

In the picture below students draw in their sketchbooks and decorate them with stickers and glitter.

The sketchbooks are part of a project undertaken by a group of schools in the UK. The students in these schools are exchanging sketchbooks of their own making for sketchbooks made by students in Southeast Asia. Many schools are exchanging sketchbooks with students in India and the sketchbooks created by FED learning center students will be the only sketchbooks representing Burmese students. The sketchbooks will then be displayed in the UK in an exhibit aimed to raise awareness about the differences between the lives of children living in the UK and those living in Southeast Asia. The exhibit aims to draw attention to the lives of students like those at FED’s learning centers, promoting an interest in the issues that face Burmese migrants among individuals living in the UK.

FED Aids Burmese Migrants Affected by Local Flooding

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:37:45 -0400

The heavy rains that started Wednesday night and continued through Thursday led to the flooding of a number of local communities from the Khao Lak to the Takuapa areas. FED has visited a number of these communities, supplying them with food and water and other necessary support.

The community at the Thokamin rubber plantation was affected most severely, as flooding washed away a bridge, isolating the community from access to town even after the heavy rains had subsided.

FED Executive Director, Htoo Chit, continues to visit communities affected by the flooding, ensuring that they receive support during the floods, whether that entails a need to relocate or access to food or health care.

Women's Exchange at Thokamin Community

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:26:53 -0400

Today, Miléna and I (two volunteers) engaged in a Women’s Exchange at Thokamin community, aided by our translator Nini Win. Mi Sein, a WEDA employee, led the workshop. She began the morning with a role playing game to bring everyone together, and then taught the women about proper hygiene and healthcare. She covered topics from puberty to birth control to pregnancy. The women’s exchange provides women with a safe environment of women in which they can ask questions about topics in a private space where men are not involved.

Inga was there, taking note of the exchange for her doctoral dissertation, and there was much chatting and smiling among the women. Talking about these topics in an open and dynamic way is important when it comes to spreading knowledge and making sure the women retain the information they have learned. Mi Sein is a very engaging speaker and she was visibly able to reach the women in a significant and enduring way. Of course, there are certainly ingrained cultural habits that may interfere with the proper use of birth control, but gaining an understanding of their personal healthcare options is a very important first step for the Burmese migrant women living in communities like the Thokamin rubber plantation.

The Language of Kindness

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:14:00 -0400

Friday evening was a great cultural experience for all involved. We gathered for a traditional Burmese dinner at Executive Director, Htoo Chit’s house and while the food was wonderful, what made the experience was the people. While the language barrier can at times prove difficult, this evening there were Thai, Burmese, and English speakers partaking in the festivities, and a few individuals did a good job translating from Burmese to Thai and Burmese to English, or Thai to English and Thai to Burmese, depending on the person leading the conversation.

It was amazing to spend some time with our ED, some of the volunteers chatted with Htoo Chit for a while about the organization and it was clear that volunteers play a vital role not only in helping out FED while they are in Thailand, but also spreading the word about FED’s mission and sending their friends in this direction when they get home. Many FED volunteers return back to FED after their intial visit, and even more recommend voluntering here to friends and family when they return home. I am already thinking of ideas of how to raise money for FED when I return to the USA, getting to know people here on a personal level is what really ties you to a place, and getting to know people outside of the office really helps. I met the children of different employees and learned about their families, hearing so many stories about lives so different than my own.

When I leave FED in a week I will take with me the memories of so many wonderful and caring people. They treat each other like family here, and the way they welcome volunteers is no different. There is always more work to be done, but it is wonderful to see people smiling and having fun at the same time as they work to bring change and improve the lives of the community around them.

Community Visit to Kuraburi Learning Center With the Health Team

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:08:00 -0400

Visiting Kuraburi Learning Center was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Aung Kyi and Aye Ho were the two community health workers that I spent time with, and while their thick accents make it somewhathard for me to understand them, their attitudes are something to learn from. Both are smiling, welcoming, and eager to practice their English. These are all traits I admire, and I am sheepish when my efforts are visibly lesser.

In the morning we went into the “Kinder Garden” to conduct some physical check ups. As I sat down in the back with my pen and paper I was swarmed by a dozen interested little guys. Touching my arm, hugging me, sticking their faces up to mine. Giggling, so much giggling. This is why FED does the work it does. It’s all for these little sponges, grabbing my pen to write their own names in English for me, playing paddy cake with me, literally clinging to me—3, 4, 9 at a time. It was so fun, and maybe even moreso because words weren’t needed. For that period of time, sheer humanity conveyed by body language and laughter was enough to keep me more than happy.

Playing with kids was energizing and rejuvenating in a way I would have previously thought impossible. Seeing all of those smiles and all of that potential… I finally got it. This is what everyone is talking about. This is why we work to educate children—they are eager and interested in learning and at this age, everything is fun and inviting, and not one child is jaded yet.

Walking along the pier in the afternoon, seeing teenagers smoking between shifts on the fishing boats, I realize that FED’s policy is a super important part of the improvement process too. Policy raising the wages received by migrant workers must be passed, so children do not have to help the family financially by starting work as young as thirteen. Schooling should not end at age 12, those bright smiling students should be given the chance and the time to keep learning. I hope someday soon that opportunity will be theirs.

-Alyssa Devlin

FED Celebrates Mother's Day

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:17:28 -0400

On the Queen’s Birthday, Friday August 12th, FED employees and volunteers gathered at Executive Director Htoo Chit’s house for a celebration in honor of Her Majesty. Local Burmese and Thai community members were also in attendance.

Guests sampled Burmese food and listened to FED band members play contemporary Burmese and Thai pop hits. The atmosphere was jovial and there was much laughter and mingling. Events like this educate volunteers as well as local Thai community members about Burmese culture, promoting respect and understanding across cultures.

We look forward to the next chance for such a celebration!

-Alyssa Devlin, volunteer from NY, USA

Community Visit to Bang Sai

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:32:53 -0400

I just joined FED as a new volunteer and have been given the opportunity to join various teams on different community visits. Yesterday Miléna and I went to Bang Sai with the Health Team in the evening. Below is an account of my visit.

Arriving at the “village” I am faced with a number of shacks made with corrugated metal siding or wood paneling. They’re meager and dark structures but they do have electricity and there are water spigots outside. The health team is greeted by one woman whom I later find out is the community health leader and they all enter one of the shacks, soon followed by four pregnant women and a couple of curious children. The workers are providing prenatal education to the mothers, drawing diagrams and pointing to spots on the diagram and then the women’s bodies. It’s hard to know exactly what is going on because I do not understand Burmese, but reading peoples’ faces and watching how their body language converses I can gather some feeling for what is going on.

Our driver (whose name escapes me now, unfortunately) told Miléna and I that FED provides the villages with family planning education and supplies. They teach the women about birth control and provide them with condoms. But noticing us scan the faces of the many children around us he comments that they don’t seem to use their new knowledge or the condoms all that often. I don’t know the numbers on these sorts of things (has the birth rate gone down since FED has begun working with them?) and those are important figures to know when appealing to donors. Furthermore, I am beset with questions about the sustainability of FED’s programs with these immigrants. How many have been able to successfully matriculate into the Thai community? Since FED was founded have they seen any improvement in Thai-Burmese relations? I may start to gain answers to these questions as I do more visits and start to understand the situation a bit better, but currently my observations have handed me far more questions than answers.

However, while many questions have surfaced (and will continue to, I am sure), there are some that have been answered. The first is on the work FED has been doing. It is without a doubt, unbelievably helpful for these Burmese migrants who would absolutely not have access to healthcare or education otherwise. I don’t think words can fully cover how helpful FED has been for the lives of many Burmese immigrants living in Thailand. Secondly, while I may have know the above information intellectually, it is a whole new thing to actually realize it personally by seeing it firsthand. The Burmese migrants we met yesterday were genuinely excited and happy for the aid the health team was giving them. The appreciation of their presence in the hospital afterwards was palpable. I could continue on about how influential seeing these interactions was for me (because it was absolutely unforgettable), but putting myself in the shoes of a donor I couldn’t help but ask questions. Will things improve from here? What happens after the first steps? What are FED’s future plans, and how does their past work with both its successes and failures fit into these future plans? These are the questions I hope to find some answers to as I visit more communities, yet for now I am confident in FED’s abilities.

-Alyssa Devlin

Community Clean Up Day

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:03:00 -0400

On Tuesday, August 9th, individuals from the local Burmese and Thai communities cooperated to clear the roadsides of accumulated debris in honor of the Queen’s Birthday (coming up on Friday, August 12th!).

The Queen’s Birthday is not just a time to honor her Majesty but also a day for all Thai individuals to honor their own mothers as well. However, while Mother’s Day is not widely acknowledged in this region of Thailand, community service is another way to honor Thailand’s Queen Sirikit. FED took to the challenge by rallying many local community members to help improve the landscapes of the surrounding area.

Individuals spent all morning picking up rubbish along Petkasem Road. By the end of the morning there was a noticeable improvement along the roadside. The Queen’s Birthday provided us with an excuse to help the community by fostering cooperation between local Thai and Burmese people, not to mention help out the environment. This cooperative spirit is something we continue to encourage in the local communities.

2010 Annual Report

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:54:49 -0400

2010 Annual Report:

We are pleased to present to you our 2010 Annual Report, hoping that it gives you a greater sense of the work and the accomplishments of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED) in the past year. These results could have not been achieved without the support of individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments from around the world. On behalf of the Board of Directors, our staff and the Burmese community we would like to thank our supporters who have enable us to achieve so much this last year, and to extend a warm welcome to those who are reading about our work for the first time.

Over 200,000 Migrant Workers have applied for a new work permit in one week

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:37:49 -0400

Ms. Su Thetsarni Subong Phet, an employee of the Employment Agencies Administration of Labor Department, said there were over 200,000 migrant workers who had applied for a new work permit in Thailand from 15.June.2011 to 22.June.2011.

Over a period of one week a total number of 32,323 employers have registered for 206,299 migrant workers.

According to the statistics, the number of Burmese migrant workers is the highest at 149,990 workers, then Cambodians and Laos (36,605 and 19,704 respectively).

This statistic came from 68 different registration offices of the 86 offices across Thailand.

In an article from INN News (Thailand’s Independent News) it was estimated that more migrant workers would apply for a new work permit because of the extra 22 days they had to finish their application.

From GHRE Website

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:33:13 -0400

From GHRE Website

“If I were asked what I would wish on my birthday, I wish for...

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:34:00 -0400

“If I were asked what I would wish on my birthday, I wish for peace, stability and prosperity in the country.” Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

On Sunday June 19 2011, FED in partnership with I am child celebrated Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 66th Birthday as well as Myanmar Women’s Day. The Deputy Director of FED Daw Po Po said: “We are so proud of this ceremony, because this is the first celebration for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday after she has been released from house arrest. I believe that people who live in Burma also want to celebrate such a ceremony, but they can only celebrate in some places due to their safety problems. We want to give honor to the woman who has struggled and fought for democracy and human rights in Burma”.

During the ceremony, a video about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s personal history and political activities was shown and a song and best wishes for her birthday was performed. Furthermore, dance performances included dances by FED students, a traditional Moken dance, U Shew Yo dancing, Daw Moe dancing, Yane dancing and Thain Chut dancing.

A migrant worker said: “I am very thankful to (FED) for celebrating Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday every year, so that our children will know about Aung San Suu Kyi’s personal history, how much she struggled and sacrificed for our country and about the new government that merely changes its uniforms.”

FED student Maung Thain Lin (10 years old) said: “I am so proud for Daw Aung Suu Kyi. When I am a grown-up, I will try as hard as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for my country.”

More than 300 people came to celebrate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday including migrants, students, Thai (Moken) and foreigners. This is the 6th time that FED celebrates Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday.

Women's Empowerment and Development Association

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:31:54 -0400

Women's Empowerment and Development Association:

In recent years, millions of people from Burma[1] have migrated to Thailand. The Thai Ministry of Labor registered close to 812,984 migrants from Burma in 2010[2]. Many more Burmese enter Thailand illegally and do not register with the government. The latest academic research estimates a total number of four million migrants[3]. Most have left Burma in search of security and safety as a result of internal conflict, militarization and minority persecution. They enter Thailand seeking a better life, hoping to send money back to the families they have left behind in Burma.

When in Thailand, and despite the relative economic security of the Thai labor market, migrants remain in a highly vulnerable position. Work opportunities are extremely limited for unskilled Burmese migrants. They tend to do the jobs that Thai people do not want to do, such as rubber tapping, construction work and working in fisheries. These jobs are also referred to as the 3D’s: Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult. Salaries are very low, often falling far below the statutory minimum, and are not enough to earn a decent living wage. Additionally, employment is often very unstable. Many migrants have experienced discrimination and racially motivated violence or attempted murder, which has on occasion proven to be instigated by their employers.

Yet, Burmese migrant women’s situations are even more troubling. In Phang Nga Province, the list of non qualified jobs to what Burmese women can hope for is not very long. The fate of many women is to live in the rubber plantation sites that are overly abundant in this region, where they are easily hired. Some women also work in fishing villages, often where their husbands are employed. Others get some opportunities working in construction sites or in touristic service work such as in restaurants, hotels, or local markets. Not only does gender discrimination play a significant role in female migration, but it also multiplies their vulnerability within Thailand, resulting in a twofold marginalization. Women are pushed to migrate for a number of gender-specific reasons such as sexual violence, domestic abuse, traditional responsibility for family support and lack of educational opportunities in Burma. Additionally, they are pushed into employment opportunities that constitute a gendered demand in low-skilled occupations in factories and private households. But many of these work situations involve severe exploitation, confinement, work without legal or any pay and violence. Given these conditions, Burmese migrants are one of the most vulnerable populations as well as an easy target for human trafficking, specifically the sex industry for the women and slave labor[4].

[1] Officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, for the purpose of this paper will refer to it as Burma.

[2] http://jcwalsh.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/myanmar-migrant-workers/

[3] “La monnaie des frontières, Migrations birmanes dans le sud de la Thaïlande, structure des réseaux et internationalisation des frontières” (Frontiers business, Burmese migrations in Southern Thailand, Networks structure and borders internationalization), Maxime Boutry and Jacques Ivanoff, Bangkok, IRASEC, 2010

[4] 157.000 Burmese migrants are trafficked according to IOM