Hsa Thoo Lei Schools Campaign
What is the purpose of the campaign?
The Thai border town of Mae Sot is home to thousands of Burmese refugees, about one third of them children. Children flee Burma because their lives are in danger. Many have had parents shot or killed by landmines: schools and villages have been burned. Children are forcibly enlisted into the army as porters or child soldiers. Families send them to Thailand in the hope safety and education, a passport to a better life.
Our campaign is to raise funds for a school called Hsa Thoo Lei which gives an education and much more to 700 Burmese refugee children.
How will the children benefit
Almost all the children at Hsa Thoo Lei are in Thailand illegally and are at risk of arrest deportation to Burma. Has Thoo Lei offers them a safe haven where they can come to learn. There is also an orphanage attached to the school that takes care of 200 children. Another 35 informal schools draw on Hsa Thoo Lei’s resources of teachers and materials.
Hsa Thoo Lei provides students with two school dinners each week (when they can afford to). The school also supplies school uniforms. A child who is wearing a uniform and carrying an id card (Hsa Thoo Lei issues its own) is less likely to be stopped and send back to possible slavery or trafficking in the sex trade.
What does it cost?
To run at a very basic level Hsa Thoo Lei costs £70,000 each year. The best-paid members of staff draw just £1,000 per year, most of the teachers are paid just £60 a month – when they are paid at all! Lunch for a child costs 5 baht (less than 10p). A uniform costs £5. A text book is £2. Even a small amount of money from your school can make a huge difference to the lives of these desperately poor children. More money will mean more school dinners and better medical care. Hungry children don’t learn well.
What does POT provide for my school?
On this page there are lesson plans, a film about Hsa Thoo Lei, and access to photos of the school and pupils. There are links to information on our site about the work of the Trust in the border area.
Extra lesson plans and resources are available on request. If you would like to book a school speaker to come and talk with your students about Hsa Thoo Lei then please contact us. We will also be able to support your school in your much-appreciated fundraising.
What can we do to help?
Tell your pupils about the difficulties faced by refugee children on the Thai-Burma border. By raising awareness your students can show the children at Hsa Thoo Lei that they are not forgotten. By fundraising you can ensure that the good work at Hsa Thoo Lei continues.