Lahu village - Nong Tao

This is Misii, always happy!




Girls are having the responsibility to look after their siblings.









The mother of one of the girls in Free Schools is curious what her daughter is learning in school.

Fang july

Palong girls in their colourful dresses.












This gecko lives on the walls outside our house. He is doing a good job eating all the bugs! Inside we have an army of smaller house lizards who are taking care of the smaller insects who sneaked pass this big one.




Ben teaching at the English teachers training week in Mae Sai district. A lot of preperation





Jildou handing out some uniforms at Huay Luwang school to some of the poorest children in the Free School class.

Website for more info Hilltribes

Here a link from a website where you can read more about the various Hilltribes. If you click in the right top part of the home page on 'The Tribes' you find an explanation about them.

http://www.hilltribe.org/


If you like to read something about the Palong (also called Palaung or Ta-Ang) go to the following page:

http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org/text?people=Palaung

Shan students in Ban's and Dee's school

This is our teacher Dee whom I wrote about before. She just started a new school with mainly Shan students in the temple from the village. It's a great success and we love to visit. The students were all waiting to show us their work they have done lately and were very proud to show their first attempts to learn to write. On the left you see Dee correcting work and next to her a adult who is also taking this opportunity to develop literacy. She is a serious student and is coming every day. She is a lovely person.

The next photo shows another adult attending Dee's school. He is learning together with his daughter.






This is the new location from teacher Ban! Finally, with the help of Pui, we found a orange farm with a more suitable place for her class. The orange farm also has many Shan workers who are now attending the school as well. None of these Shan people has received education before so the adults, teenagers and children are all learning together. Some of Ban's students who studied with her in the old location are learning in a separate small group because they are a level ahead.
In de previous post (under this one) I collected some reading material about the Shan People. A lot of people think they are a tribal group like Lahu or Lisu; they are not. The Shan or also called Tai Ai are the Burmese refugees fleeing their regime in Burma or now called Myanmar. So for some background info read the following text copied from a web site.

Background Shan people

The text below is taken from the site from the SWAN group; Shan Woman Action Network. The organisation has one of their 12 Shan schools nearby some of our schools and we made contact with the headmaster Terry Brown who comes from Myanmar/ Burma himself.
Free Schools is now supporting 6 children with their transport cost so they can go to that school.

http://www.shanwoman.org/ :
The Shan State is over 64,000 square kilometers in size and forms the eastern part of the Union of Burma bordering China, Laos and Thailand. The people of the Shan State, like in other areas of Burma, suffer from abuse inflicted by the Burmese military regime, which according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Asia is amongst the worst in the world. The abuse inflicted on the Shan people by the Burmese military has forced many people to flee for their lives to Thailand.The Thai government, however, does not recognize the Shan people as refugees and unlike the Karen and Karenni refugees, has not allowed them to set up refugees camps along the Thai-Burmese border. Consequently the Shans are forced to enter Thailand illegally, which leaves them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Despite this, Shan people are still coming to take refuge in Thailand. The estimated number of Shans working illegally in Thailand is at least 300,000. Among them are many girls and young women who have been trafficked into Thai brothels, where they face a wide range of abuse including sexual and other physical violence, debt bondage, exposure to HIV/AIDS, forced labor without payment and illegal confinement.

Shan refugees fleeing from civil war and ongoing human rights abuses are not recognised as “refugees” in Thailand. They are thus being denied safe refuge and assistance from international aid agencies. Most vulnerable in this situation are the children. As their parents are forced to find work as migrant labourers, often illegally, many of the children end up receiving no schooling whatsoever. Since they are not recognised as “refugees”, they have not been allowed to set up camps and consequently proper schools. Technically all children in Thailand have the right to attend Thai schools. However, there are many difficulties accessing them. Parents doing the “3Ds” job (Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous), are paid so little that sending children to Thai schools is difficult to afford. Parents are often on the move due to the irregularity of work. Also, having illegal status, and confined to the workplace, parents are afraid to leave their work-sites to arrange schooling, fearing arrest. Even if children manage to attend schools, there is a risk to young girls whilst travelling to and from school of being abducted and trafficked. In addition to all these factors, Thai schools teach in Thai only, which Shan children usually do not speak. With children mixing and learning from Thai people, it is possible that Shan language and identity may be lost. The Shan refugee community has strongly expressed wishes to preserve their language and identity for when all Shan people return home.

To all readers of the Blog: Please leave a message

Please leave some sort of comment or message after visiting the Blog.
Just write something about what you have been up to, it doesn't need to be related to the blog at all. I look every day!
Leave you comment by preference in one of the last posted blogs, those are the ones on the top of the page. Click on: 'Leave here a reaction' under the photo's and the text. Than choose 'anonymous' to keep it simple and don't forget to end with your name with your message.
Only takes a few minutes and it makes me very happy to really see that people read the blog.
Thanks!
Love Jildou

A mix of photo's

Jildou, Poy and Ben. Poy is a Free School teacher in Huay Chonu, Palong tribe. During the day she is a kindergarten teacher at Pui's school in Mouang Choum. In the weekend she continues her studies (last part of high school) so she can get e real degree after that.












I think we live in the most beautiful part of Thailand!!!































Evening school in Me Pa Py, a Lahu village, with teacher Suri.













Jildou at teacher training a few weeks ago at Som Diau's school Banwiangfang in Fang.
This week we will prepare to do another teacher training camp in another district. We train the teachers from about 12 different primary and secondary school in the aria. Only some can speak reasonably English so it's not a easy job. But they see us as real professionals so we shouldn't worry to much! Last time I got a serious question about where I went to university to study the subject we just did 'critical thinking',,, well I decided not to be honest to tell them that nothing was prepared because we had no idea what was going to happen until just before the start of that lesson! Use your imagination and think critical!!! Great experience I guess.

Son Char - Government School

The government school Son Char with teacher Kung is a school with only tribal children like Palong and Burmese children; called Tai-Ai or Shan. Because of these demographics the quality of the education is significantly below other government schools with mainly Thai students.


Here not all the students wear uniforms or any clean clothes. Because the rules or not as strict it is more accessible for the children to come to school. But with no real rules you can imagine that the teachers are neither having real rules to follow in their teaching position. It still is great that there are schools, but it is sad that these group children are not taken seriously and are not getting a proper education like Thai children. Free Schools has one teacher in that school to look after the young ones and to teach them the Thai language at the most basic level.

Son Char school is close to Pui's school Mouang Choum were the Nong Tao Six are now going to school. That school has mainly Thai students with a much smaller percentage hill tribes and Shan. The quality of education and the care in Mouang Choum school is really good in comparison with Son Char and even though they fall under the same principles etc, the two schools are worlds apart.












So how are these children getting out of the visiouse circle? The teachers say that 'these groups' do not care to be educated and the hill tribes and Shan say that the Thai teacher do not care for them to be educated.
The tribes are only able to attend 'low quality' school for 'their groups' where they do not need need to wear expensive uniforms and buy schoolbooks. But that means there is no up to date material to really educate them. That doesn't give them a great feeling of belonging in the Thai society and it explains why they stay negative or indifferent towards education and to the Thai people.

The Nong Tao Six getting ready to go to school for the first time

For this group of six Lahu children this was a special day... last saturday they were taken shopping to buy school clothes and supplies to go to the government school for the first time in their lives! These children have either parents who are too poor or have none at all. See the June report for some more details.







Most of these kids are used to walk barefoot or wear slippers/ thongs and most of them never even wore a pair of shoes before. Pui was again of great help.
















This is Darika, living alone with her mom. Father gone. She was really over the moon with her new school bag!

















Monday, the first day at school. On the couch you see Pratoom, their new teacher and next to her is Pui. On Monday all students, teachers and government workers have to wear a yellow shirt out of respect for The King. Even Ben has adopted this sunny look ;)







This is Darrin, she has no parents anymore. Her father left before she was born and her mother left for Bangkok to work as a prostitute. She was taken in by a lady in the village with whom she has lived with ever since she was a baby. Napa, her new mother, also had the care of a boy with no parents left. His name is Nougen, now 25, married with Nassii, 15, and they have a 2 year old. Nassii was 12 years old when she married and she never had any education.

Darrin is 12 years old and starts in grade 1 with the 6 year olds. She doesn't mind it because she wants to work hard so she might be able to go to grade 2 in a few months. Darrin is lucky that she always went to Free School for the last 1.5 year so she learned so much already. She knows the Thai alphabet, can speak, write and read quite well.

Her health is not good but she is a fighter; she has TBC and will be on strong medication for the next 6 months. We took her to the hospital last month for treatment. Darrin was already ill last year and went to the hospital but wasn't able to pay the medical bill. So she could not go back to follow up on her TBC treatment because she was too scared. Because she was abandoned she has no papers and no ID card.

Knowing you are seriously ill,,, but no one can not do anything because you don't have a Thai ID card..... Yes people... Even in a modern country like Thailand... this is our world...

Monks school and a new school for Shan children

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went to spend the afternoon at a temple school were Charin works. He is the only English teacher there and like most English teachers here, he founds it hard to get the students to talk and practice the language. We had more success with the younger students who were less shy. Wow, hard work to get a 'lesson' going when the students don't dare to speak! Good afternoon it was.




















School in making...

Late in the afternoon we went with teacher Dee up to a Shan village called Delluang. Her old school won't continue so now we are finding villages were lots of children do not attend a government school so FS can help them to learn the Thai language. Here Dee found a village with way too many children not going to school. All the children sat down while we were discussing all involved.

Dee asked the parents if they wish to have a school in the village and if so, that the children will have to come every day of the week. The school will be held in the temple.











There was a English speaking monk just arrived from Myanmar who helped us translate. Also he will attend the school because he neither speaks the Thai language.
A good days work!

Monthly Report - June

FSWL - Thailand Monthly Report June 2007


i) GENERAL REPORT

During the middle of June we welcomed Sue and Brennen to Fang. During the next nine days we all participated in a hectic schedule visiting all the schools, meeting many different individuals and generally making sure we made the most of the time we had together. During this time we were all able to come to a deeper appreciation of the situation here and feel like we can now make some suitable adjustments regarding the future direction of FSWL in Thailand. With Sue’s support we were able to resolve together a number of issues and during this time we held several important meetings with education department officials, all of which reinforced the value that Free Schools represents to the community here. Additionally Brennen showed great determination and professionalism, working long hours in the villages, heading out to shoot the workers in the fields and even spending the night in a Lahu village. He has some great photos and we look forward to their publication and the ensuing promotional benefit to FSWL sometime soon. So all in all it was a very successful visit.

On the schools front everything is going steadily. We have hired a 3rd teacher at the day school Huay Luwang where Pikun and Yohn were having to content with 80-90 students on their own. We are also seeking an alternative location for Ban’s school of Shan students of Muang Choum Rd. At the moment she is teaching in an open shed so the sooner we can relocate the school the better especially now the monsoon has officially begun.

Nui’s replacement at day school Huay Nam Yen, Suwannee is settling in well. With more than 25 predominately Lahu students this school is progressing along nicely.
Suri’s evening school at Me Pa Py has bloomed recently; there are a lot of new faces and a really good atmosphere. On our last visit there were 30 children present. Again these are Lahu children and only 6 of them attend the government school.

At Boom’s evening school in Pachu Lahu village numbers are down due to an outbreak of typhoid. We are currently looking into their drinking water situation to see what can be done to avoid this problem in the future.

As part of FSWL public relations and for our friend Som Diau we participated for 2 days in an English teacher training camp. This was held for 40 English teachers in the region and as we were the only native speakers (in Jildou’s case semi-native) in attendance we were kept busy leading classes and supporting the overall process.

ii) BACKGROUND UPDATE

It is important at this stage to convey some of the changing attitudes of the Thais towards the Hill Tribal and Shan children that FSWL is helping in this region. Previously there has been something of an ad hoc approach to these non-Thai groups and their right to attend a local Thai school. Certainly many have been refused because they lack the Thai I.D. card whereas others have been accepted whether through a sympathetic principle or perhaps through financial persuasion. In any case it is fair to say that there has been a considerable thawing of the general approach to the education of these resident non-Thais. Indeed while Sue was here one of the school supervisors we wished to talk to was absent at a conference specifically designed to address the issue of getting increased numbers of this group into school.

So the landscape here has changed, slowly, gradually and yet significantly. The local authorities now wish, at least in principle, to aid the process of educating all children residing here whether Shan, Lahu, Palong or any other group. For FSWL this is great news, for as vital as the evening Free Schools certainly are, in our estimation it is far more desirable both academically and socially for children to attend a full day of education at an appropriate school institution.

A natural question here would be; if the government has opened the door wider for these groups to attend school then why don’t they all go?

The answer, in general terms is economic. Working as young as seven years old some children have parents who do not wish them to attend school during the day as it would take them out of the fields. Furthermore whilst by and large the school fees are low, there are other costs involved which can be prohibitive for poor families. The cost of books, lunches and uniforms does vary but is reasonably consistent around US$30 - $50 per child per year. The cost of transport varies greatly depending on the location of the village, in some cases the students can walk to school in other cases transport will cost up to an additional $50 per child per year.


iii) INITIAL SCHOLARSHIPS – THE NONG TAO 6

We are very excited to announce that FSWL now has six students from Nong Tau who as part of a pilot project have been accepted to go to Moung Choum government school.

Darin Sompet F age 12
Nanga Jala F age 12
Naying Jaaie F age 10
Darika Suriya F age 8
Channon Krongkrawpana M age 8
Tatpol Jaopongpai M age 8

It has been through the great efforts of Pui that these children have been selected and approved to attend full time school. These are children who either have lost their parents or whose family are too poor to send them to school .Having received their uniforms, bags and books, they are incredibly excited and on Monday 2nd July they will go off to school for the very first time in their lives. Initially they will be tested so as to ascertain which grade they will begin though we expect most of them to start in grade 1. Everyone involved here is very enthusiastic about this development and the life changing opportunities for these young ones.

Below we include the initial costs for this pilot project to send these children to school for a year.

School uniforms:
1 child: 796 Bht (average from the 6 students)

For the money they receive: a school bag; white shirt; skirt or trousers; pair of shoes; 2 pair of socks; sport trousers; yellow shirt to show for respect for the King to be worn on Monday; scouting scarf and hat; traditional shirt to be worn on Friday.
Note that the Muang Choum School require several different clothing items for different school days. In other schools there are less strict requirements which mean it will cost less.

Annual School fee:
1 child: 550 Bht

100 Bht for library; 200 Bht for computer studies; 100 Bht for toothbrush and paste, cup and towel; 150 Bht for art materials.
This cost is very similar to other schools, what varies is what the money is used for. Other schools don’t have free lunches or free schoolbooks but will give each student a uniform for free.

Schoolbooks:
1 child: 213 Bht

Books are normally provided by Muang Choum School but because the children enter during the school year the school has no budget for them. When they continue next school year the books will be provided for them by the school.

Transport:
1 child: 150 Bht each month and 1500 for a school year

This is a variable cost because in other cases the children would be able to walk to school unlike these 6 children. A big reason why children in general would not be able to attend a government school is this comparatively large transport cost. For these children from Nong Tao the cost just to get to school represents one half of the total costs for one year.

Total costs: 3059 Bht (cost for a year for this school and these children)