Last week I was back in Mae Khlong Mae, a village in Umphang district, for the opening of the new dormitory for Karen children run by the Xaverian Mission in Thailand. Not a “flagship” publishable project, but a very pleasant improvement of the living conditions of the many children fleeing from the war in Myanmar. These kids lack any legal Thai Id and this are left out of the formal school system, becoming prey for all sorts of traffickers. The new building provides safe, cross-ventilated bedrooms, ample kitches and burmese-style bathrooms with good sanitary conditions. All surrounded by teak trees and the lustrous mountains of Northwest Thailand.
Soon after the opening, I visited one of the refugee camps in the region, which hosts about 8,000 people in the vicinity of the Burmese border, accompanied by various community leaders. An entirely different world.
