Thoughts from Alicia, Our Newest Intern

Here is an update from one of our field interns, Alicia Jacobs, who is researching about higher education opportunities for our scholarship students! She arrived in Pai a few days ago and is already getting to know our communities and helping us learn more about potential future options for our students.

Researching university prices and scholarships has been a lot harder than I had expected. What's really struck me is just how much more expensive it is for a non-Thai national to attend.... sometimes around 20 - 30,000 THB more a semester! They also usually have two categories: Thai citizens and English speaking international students. There is no in-between that the Shan students really fit into. I've worked with students who are living illegally in the US, and their road to higher education definitely wasn't easy. However, after doing research about schools in Thailand, it's putting even that into perspective.

The other night, Portia and I spent almost four hours talking with one of the teenagers in the community and her older sister. I learned a lot from her about growing up in Burma and Pai and what it's like to be stateless. It was wonderful to speak with her and see her open up, although sometimes hard to hear her stories. I'm hoping to work with her and a few other teenagers in the community, and to learn more about what they hope for after high school.

Two years in a row!

This time last year we reported that Artit, one of our scholarship students, had received an award for distinguishing himself in his field of study. Well, he’s done it again!

Each year the Thai schools finish in March, and although Artit has just completed Grade 11 and still has one more year to go, he was again invited to his school’s graduation ceremony – held at the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Gardens in Chiang Mai – to receive a special award, this year as Best Out-Going Student. Only a few select students from each year receive extra honours, so to achieve this for a second year is fantastic.

Additionally, at the beginning of the month he was entered into a regional competition for vocational schools in Northern Thailand. Along with the 13 of the best students from other schools across the region, he was chosen to compete in his chosen field of study, electronics. The challenge was to build a functioning radio in the fastest amount of time, and Artit won, receiving a gold medal and certificate of achievement. He is now waiting to hear if he will be selected to go and compete again in Bangkok.

Artit is now going to visit his family and share his achievements with his mother, then plans to return to Chiang Mai for the school holidays and hopefully to gain paid work experience. He’s also thinking about his options following graduation next year and maybe continuing his studies. We are obviously very proud of Artit as he continues to excel and add to his list of achievements year on year, and are excited to further support him and watch him grow.

Weekends at the Banyan Centre

For the last few months we’ve been using the Banyan Centre space on the weekends to hold our extra-curricular classes and thought it was time to share some of the photos and projects we’ve been able to undertake as a result.

Previously our after-school tutoring program has been held exclusively in the communities we work in, with our staff and interns teaching and holding activities on bamboo platforms, on mats on the ground and if we’re lucky in a small room in someone’s house. We feel we have achieved a lot operating like this and it keeps us very close to community members, however it does present certain challenges and restrictions on what we can do.

Learning English

Being able to use the Banyan Centre for the weekends has provided a bigger teaching space and opened up a whole new range of possibilities of activities and crafts we can provide for the kids. It gives them a safe place to play, toys and equipment they don’t normally have access to as well as the internet, and just the opportunity to go out for the afternoon on the weekend while most of their parents are working hard every day.

Making papier mache masks

We’ve also started a trial run of teaching Shan literacy to the kids, as although it’s their first spoken language none of them can read and write. Tankee, one of our older students, was fortunate enough to have been taught Shan already so she has very kindly agreed to volunteer teaching them for the time being.

Learning Shan with Tankee

Making bowls from string and glue

Valentines Day cards

Testing out the keyboard

In fact, the kids have enjoyed the weekends so much that we’ve made the sessions longer – after 3-4 hours some of them still don’t want to go home! Over the next few months we’re looking forward to using this space even more and together with interns coming over the summer giving the kids the opportunity to continue learning and trying out new activities.



Nuan's Graduation!

We are very excited to announce the first graduation of one of the BRP students from high school! We have been working to support Nuan, one of our scholarship students, for over 10 years, the last 3 of which she has spent completing her studies at a private school in Chiang Mai.

Nuan has not had an easy journey to get to this point (read more about her in our profiles section) but has worked incredibly hard and shown great determination over the years, coupled with a wonderful attitude and appreciation for everything in life. We are so proud of her and look forward to continuing to support her through university, where she will be studying Chinese and Business starting in June.

CONGRATUALATIONS NUAN!

Happy New Year!

We have just held our annual New Year’s party which was a great success and lots of fun for the kids.

We’re excited to report that over the last few months we’ve been making more and more use of the Banyan Centre by holding weekend English classes and craft sessions there. With such a large space, we thought it would be the perfect venue to celebrate the New Year.

Jo, one of our BRP workers, very kindly made the food and delicious banana chocolate muffins for everybody. After eating snacks, we held a presents ‘raffle’ and all the kids got a fun toy to take home.

The highlight of the party for many was definitely the balloons – made into hats, swords, flowers and animals, we got through over 200 in the space of a few short hours!

We’d like to thank all BRP friends and supporters and wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2013. We have lots of exciting projects planned for the year ahead and can’t wait to get started!

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Comes to New York City

On September 22, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi returned to New York City for the first time in about 40 years. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her courage to continue to take a stand against a repressive military regime in Burma, was impressed with the progress that the city had made in that time. She really loved the diverse city at the time, but she also found it a bit frightening because of the prevalent poverty and high rates of crime.

 [Image is from Wikicommons.]

Today things have changed. Along her route through the city, she gave a talk at the City University of New York’s Queens College, a borough that is now a bustling immigrant neighborhood. She also stopped at Columbia University, where she appeared to glow as she talked about the support that she received from those who struggled for Burma’s freedom both within and outside her country. She made 15 years of house arrest seem easy, contrasting her struggles with those who suffered under harsh conditions as political prisoners in Insein Prison in Burma. (She was too humble to mention that she herself spent time there, or that her health suffered as a result.) But she also believes the suffering of Burmese dissidents worldwide was worth it, noting that the courageous dissidents encouraged other nations to pressure the junta with economic sanctions. See feels that the economic sanctions placed on Burma by the United States and other nations helped bring about democratic reform.

Her trip coincided with a visit by the current leader of Burma, President U Thein Sein, who has ushered through many of the political and economic reforms that brought Ms. Daw Aung Suu Kyi her freedom (and to office as a member of parlament). Together, they pushed for, and won, further lifting of sanctions against their nation just a few days after their visit.

Burma, it seems, is solidly on a path to participating in the global economy. Unfortunately, there are very few people within Burma’s borders who have a formal education in politics, business, or science to help the nation flourish. Organizations like the Burmese Refugee Project are working hard to help put Burma back on the track of human and economic development. Perhaps Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi will live not just to see New York transformed from an impoverished city to the flourishing metropolis it once was, but to also see Burma grow into the healthy and wealthy nation it once was.

US Repeals Sanctions

2012 marks a big year in the history of Myanmar. Along with other influential powers in the European Union, the US lifted the long-standing investment ban on the country. In the wake of democratic changes, President Obama has stated that the easing of sanctions is evidence of the recognition of these efforts and encouragement for further reform.

Within the US government, there has been much debate as to the extent to which sanctions should be eased. While some argue that a full repeal is essential to support the country’s democratization, others caution that the military still controls the majority of the economy.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest last year and won a seat in parliament in April, requested that foreign governments maintain sanctions, especially those that do allow corporations to partner with the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, which is the state-controlled and military-influenced organization that controls all energy sector business. Despite the Obama administration’s assurances that it would follow Suu Kyi’s advice throughout the democratization, the US ended up approving broad repeal to the investment ban. They justified the repeal saying that it will contribute to growing tourism, banking, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The opposition, however, claim the move is politically and economically motivated. They credit the broad repeal to the fact that the US government feels threatened by the presence of European corporations in Myanmar working with the growing energy and mining sectors. Human rights advocates and politicians have expressed great concern and disapproval of the repeal, claiming that the Obama administration is sacrificing protecting human rights in order to cater to powerful special interest groups in the US. 

The debate will undoubtedly continue as US corporations enter Myanmar and the economic and political climate shift or remain stagnant.

Further information can be found at: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/11/obama_breaks_with_aung_san_suu_kyi_lifts_burmese_investment_ban