The plight of ethnic nationalities has been ignored by the Burmese government since independence in 1948. The result has been constant war and conflict between armed ethnic opposition and the Burmese military.
The Thai-Myanmar border is home to over 120,000 Karen refugees who are fleeing persecution to avoid the violence of the Burmese military dictatorship. The Marist Karen Mission supported by the Marist Mission Centre in partnership with AMS operates four boarding hostels located in four different refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. The hostels cater for a range of people however, all have similar stories of war and hardship:
Mae La camp is located eight kilometers from the Thai-Myanmar border and is the largest of 13 similar refugee camps. It was established in 1984 and many people have lived in Mae La Camp for up to 15 years.
Maera Moo (established 1995) is slightly further north in a remote jungle valley about 4 kilometers from the border.
Maela Oon (established 2003-2004) is close by a mere 2 kilometers from the border.
The Marist Mission Centre Hostel was established at Maera Moo in 1999 to provide a safe haven for 60 children from inside Myanmar. Many of them were orphans or had lost at least one parent through military violence or disease.
158 Karen students live in these hostels as they do not have parents or relatives in the camps. They are aged between 10 and 23 years old and live at the hostels while they attend school or post-school courses in the camps. Chit is a resident and student at the St Champagnat hostel in Maela Oon Camp and recently recounted his story for us.
In 2002, Chit began primary school at the age of 5. An avid learner Chit took every opportunity afforded to him to attend school whilst living in Myanmar. However, as conflict broke out in his little border village, he and his class mates often found themselves hiding in the jungle to avoid capture. His mother seeing little choice, sent him away to the refugee camp on the Thai side of the Thai-Myanmar border. Leaving his widowed mother behind, Chit set about re-engaging in study. But with no money or family and no way to make money he found it very difficult to afford the nominal fees to attend school in Maela Oon Camp.
Eventually finishing grade 10 in 2012, it was 2 years before Chit was able to find a school to continue his studies. In 2015, Chit enrolled into the Karen Youth Leadership Management & Training Centre (KYLMTC), a basic vocational skills course for refugees. Older students are eligible to attend “Post-Ten” programs, for example leadership training courses, personal development courses, vocational skills training, etc. With nearby accommodation provided at St Champagnat hostel, there are over 50 students enrolled into this course. All Post-Ten courses aim to prepare youths with qualifications to help boost their future job prospects when they return to Karen state. For the younger students in the hostel they attend school at primary and secondary schools (to grade ten) in the camp. Food for the students in the hostels is supplied in rations by international agencies working in each camp. Clothing, medicines and educational costs are met by the project.