Visiting to Our Amazing CBOs

Visiting to Our Amazing CBOs

In WH school, the school uses experiential learning style. It means that we are learning from class and also learning from visiting CBOs (Community Based Organizations).

In CD class, for example, we are learning about project cycle such as situational analysis, implementation and reporting. We also learn about how to collect information. There are 4 skills at collecting information, those are interview, questionnaire, mapping and small group discussion skills. To practice those skills, we visit to Khom Loy, Mae Tao Clinic, Hsa Too Lei School, AAPP (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners).

Khom Loy is a non-profit, non-denominational foundation that has been working with Burmese refugee and ethnic minority communities along the Thai-Burma border since 2003 to improve both self-empowerment and equality. The program provides 3 things such as Montessori Preschool Literacy Project for refugees and minority children. For example, they train many teachers from different schools who prepare non-Thai speaking children to help assimilation into Thai society.

Mae Tao Clinic is a hospital in Mae Sot which provides good quality of healthcare to the Burmese migrants, refugee and other people who go to Mae Tao clinic. It was founded by Dr. Cynthia Maung in 1989. Since the hospital was founded, it was continuing to the wide size of building, health care services, social services, training, outreach programs. Furthermore, it provided child protection and health education as well.

Hsa Too Lei School was founded by Naw Paw Ray in 1999. Now it is in one of the biggest learning centers in Mae Sot area. There are about 900 enrolled students for nursery, primary and high grades. Their mission is to impart education to the students especially orphaned, IDP, migrant workers' children and children who are separated from their parents or whose parents are imprisoned and as a whole. The school is to help them to continue their education and encourage them from the challenges of their life, the way for them in order to enter into the field of life and work.

AAPP is a human rights organization based in Mae Sot. AAPP was founded in 2000 by former political prisoners living in exile on the Thai/Burma border. Since then, the organization has been run by former political prisoners, with two offices being opened inside Burma in 2012. They advocate for the release of remaining political prisoners for political prisoners and their family members are aimed at ensuring they have access to education, vocational trainings, mental health counseling and healthcare.

Students are learning many things in WH school. Furthermore, we are improving very well throughout the lessons because we learn in the class and also can practice in the CBOs. Moreover, we know about the organizations background, mission and what do the organizations do for the communities. Visiting to the CBOs is interesting which can give so many things because we have seen their organization had been in the difficulties but they tried their best to help the communities. It gives so much power not to give up. We can adapt and apply for our own communities such as TBC (The Border of Consortium), Hsa Too Lei school, SGBV (Sexual and Gender Based Violence) when we return back.

                                                                                                                        Written by: A V Yar