Meet the 12th Graders

Go to this link to see the pictures and read essays from the students:

http://hsathooleigradetwelve2008.blogspot.com/

July 21-28 in Maesot

As the turmoil in Burma continues - parents, families, and villages are destroyed across the gorgeous rain-soaked plains and mountains of the Thai-Burmese border. The light and smiles of the faces of these children are just another sharp contrast in this dynamic place. It has been a year since I was here and taught these children. The children of Maesot are eager students who easily capture one’s heart.
Unlike many schools, the Burmese and Karen staff remains unchanged. Their hearts and their hope are invested in these children, whose education and faith is the only weapon they have against a brutal regime. The refugee camps, where many of their families live, are breeding grounds for political angst. The school is a place where sharp edges are smoothed by Christian love and fellowship – for both Burmese Buddhists and Karen Christian children and adolescents. Soon the stories of the 12th grade class will be posted on this blog so that you yourself might become invested in the lives of these students and the plight of their people.

Budget Crisis

The needs are great.
Imagine:
Being a student without a national identity
Being a teacher with little or no pay
Living in a foreign country illegally
The Saturday (Daily) School operates with a monthly budge of $6000 (June 2008)
Salary (for teachers and workers) $3800
Transportation $1333
Teaching Supplies $115
Utilities $55
Food for children (Not in budget)
So far Fortress International has given $500 this month and hopes to raise $2000 (matching last year).
All donations will go straight to the BMWEC Emergency Fund
You can send checks to Calvary Chapel Escondido or deposit in Wells Fargo Account (Contact me for details)

Online University?

The focus of my energy for the next couple of years will be to help start programs for student graduates of Saturday School.
This month I will give a proficiency exam for 13 Twelfth Graders and 27 Eleventh Graders in Four Skills of English. I will also interview the Twelfth Graders to gauge their skills
Plans include:
Online writing blog and teaching (while I’m in Saudi Arabia)
Improving English curriculum to reach TOEFL Exam standards (For application to universities or studying abroad)
April Leadership and Management Skills Workshop
June 2010 six-month “On-line University”
25 New desktop or notebook computers are needed—Contact me if you have any leads for donations

First Students of Saturday School to Graduate

Currently Saturday School in Maesot has 636 students. 13 of these students will graduate in April. After graduation students will go back to Burma to serve their communities in many different ways

July 9th Visit Maesot

I arrived with little notice and was fortunate to be able to have a two -hour meeting with all the principle people:
Naw Paw Ray (Chairperson of Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee)
Sa Eh (Saturday School Principal)
Also a group of teachers from Burma, Canada, and India.
In this past year there has been a constant crisis mode in Maesot due to the food price inflation / freedom riots, the cyclone disaster, and continual brutalization against the tribal groups in Burma by the military junta.
Despite being in financial crisis because of lack of dependable sponsors— the committee has been giving to individuals who cross the border in Maesot and distribute aid across Burma. Also they have adopted 100 cyclone victims which include 13 orphans.
However the committee that oversees 10,000 students in five districts of Thailand now must to draw from emergency funds to meet their monthly budget for the schools and orphanage. Most of the students have parents that are migrant workers trying to cope with a difficult situation in Burma by trying to make a living as refugees in Thailand.
The number of students has risen by 2,000 students just this year. Each district is supervised by different Thai authorities. The Maesot district is sympathetic to the Karin and Burmese displaced people, but other districts try to shut down the schools.
The situation is always at a critical state, but most of the Karin are devout Christians who although they fight for political rights, they are thankful to Thailand for safe harbor. Their tenacity to strive for a better future for their children and the hope they have in their Christian faith are both formidable.
If there is a future for Burma (Myanmar) of political peace and religious freedom, these students perhaps are the greatest resource to see that happen.
In this newsletter several proposals to support the children of Burma are presented.

July 2008 Plans

I hope all is well with you. I've been working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the past 8 months. It has been quite an experience living in a very strict Muslim culture. The university is new and there are severe growing pains; i.e., there's a very high rate of turnover and stress. Fortunately I do get a lot of time off. I've had an opportunity to meet a soulmate (Lenai) and visit her in the Philippines several times. Another benefit with the schedule is that I can continue to volunteer in Maesot in the summer.

Now I'm making plans for this coming July. I already have my tickets reserved and my time set aside for another trip. I plan to teach 1-3 weeks and deliver another load of donations. So I'm asking for your help again after a great response last year. Forthcoming will be donation information.

I do have a lot of plans for the future (God willing):

1. Scholarships for the best students

2. English and language center

3. Summer camps for American kids

I hope to dedicate the latter part of my life towards these endeavors...

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

July 2007

Before leaving my job as an instructor of English Communications at Payap University in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Thailand for a new job in Jubail, Saudi Arabia - I wanted to do some volunteer work.

One of my Karen students was doing a practicum as a translator at a United Nations refugee camp in Maesot. She offered to introduce me to some people working in Maesot with children of Burmese migrant workers. After meeting the principal of a school (located at an orphanage), I decided to volunteer one week of teaching.

Lacking in funds to support myself, I made a call out people who have supported me in previous humanitarian aid and Christian missionary work. The donations came in quickly and I was soon buying English curriculum and resources at bookstores in Chiang Mai.

The week at the orphanage in Maesot was challenging: teaching a full load and preparing curriculum for a weekend English camp. In fact I got so sick I never made it to the last couple days of the camp. However after seeing the hard work of the volunteers and administration - as well as the appreciation from the hundreds of children (see pic) - I became committed to assisting these beautiful people.

Introduction

The Burmese Migrant Worders Education Committee is an organization to assist the education of children of migrant workers living in the area of Thailand bordering Burma. The goal is to assist some 20,000 children displaced without any other possibility of getting an education in Thailand.

This blog is dedicated to assist these incredible people by means of English language teaching and providing resources to improve curriculum at the schools and orphanages associated.