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FREEDOM HOUSE
MISSION STATEMENT:
Freedom House’s mission is to provide opportunities for displaced peoples that have slipped through the cracks of society; living almost invisibly around us. They are Refugees from war torn countries, Indigenous People who have been denied basic human rights and those who are impoverished and crushed by their societies’ demands. We educate, train, nurture and inspire them to make the most of their circumstances in life by showing them how to locate and use the resources available to them, within themselves and their communities.
GOALS IN THAILAND:
-To shed some light on the plight of refugees from Burma and Indigenous People from Thailand by providing community and international education about their situation. -To locate and share resources through a network for information about education, health care, job training, Refugee registration and basic housing for Refugees and Indigenous People in Thailand. -To run a language program dedicated to creating dual literacy in our target population. They are taught how to read and write in the national language of their country of residence; Thailand (Thai) and also English to further their chances of getting a job and extending their education in the future.
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Language Projects:
Freedom House on-site language school:
We currently have 34 students from the outskirts of the city who live in construction camps and have no access to public education because of their illegal refugee status. They have no I.D. card or registration for this country or any other; they are truly displaced by the turmoil in their own country, Burma and have come to Thailand for more opportunities. Their parents work in the construction industry of Chiang Mai, toiling for 12 hours a day in the tropical heat of Thailand while the children stay at the camp (literally lean-to shacks made from salvaged materials) and take care of each other, including the babies. These children may have a chance to go to a free temple school in the future but not if they do not speak/read/write the national language; Thai. Our most important goal is to teach them fluency in Thai and then as a further incentive we teach them English. There are many opportunities in the rapidly growing tourism industry of Thailand and SE Asia and learning English could be a great advantage for them.
At this time we have two classes per day, one in the morning, (ages 5-8) 9am-11:30am and one in the evening, (ages 9-12) 6pm-8:30pm. Half of the class is dedicated to Thai instruction from a Thai teacher and the other half to English study from a Western teacher. The students are also provided with a nutritional snack everyday and milk, something that is a luxury for many of them.
Freedom House off-site language school:
We currently service our student’s parents by teaching them Thai Language in the evenings. We have a Thai teacher that travels to their construction camp with teaching materials at the same time their children are learning at our on-site language school. This makes sure their time is free to focus on their own studies. Because of the tiring nature of their work, both at the construction site and when they return to camp (washing clothes, carrying water, cooking, cleaning and caring for their children) we limit class to one hour, three times a week. This class developed from a keen interest from the parents in what their children were learning. Many of them received basic education in Burmese language before coming to Thailand but that does not help them here. In the future we hope to offer them English classes as well.
UPDATE: 09/07 We now offer three different level English classes a week for adults at the on-site language school.
Community Education:
Knowledge of the problem is the first step to a solution.
We are working with two communities here, one being the workers themselves; Internally Displaced People,Refugees and Indigenous Peoples and the tourists who come to Thailand on holiday and are unaware of the disparages here. For the IDP’s we are creating a network of resources for them in their own languages so they know where to get help for certain issues and what exactly their rights are in Thailand.
For the tourists we distribute brochures in English, educating them about the status and treatment of Refugees and Indigenous people in Thailand and how they can help, both while they are here and when they return to their own countries.