Old Wanka - Thailand mission trip (20 April to 25 April)

Finally have some time to just sit down and write a very short write up on the Old Wanka , Mae Sot, Thailand Mission trip(20 April to 25 April) that I went with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). This mission is was slightly different from the Banda Aceh trip that I had went to. Other than helping out with the building of the clinic, boarding house, and a new school block for higher standard students, we had to carry out interviews and find out any further future projects to we can work on.

This time round the team was a small team, made up of 8 people(Doris, Philip, Peter, Tricia, Michael, Cyril, Matt, and me ). Philip was our photographer again. And this time round I was the video camera man (well had to learn how to use the video camera in a few days). Matt was my room mate again… which is good as we got along well.

Our trip objectives was mix of helping out on the construction and facts finding (future needs...). Below are the projects that we help out on (mostly focus on the school):

1. One new class room block

Since Rocky Mountain School was founded, student numbers have expanded each year and will reach the 6th Standard in the 2006-07 academic year. One new classroom, desks and benches must be constructed.

2. A boarding school

Since there are many of the students who crossed the border and came to study, the community also hosts a boarding school for 40 orphans and other vulnerable children. Now, there is an urgent need for gender-segregated boarding to accommodate the students as they reach adolescence.

3. Reconstruction for the clinic

The primary health clinic is in dire need of renovation after six years in a bamboo hut. The medics plan to create 2 patient rooms, an examination room and reception area in a more permanent structure, with cement floors and brick walls.

The building work was faster here as we had more skill workers (and teachers) and building structure was more of wood as compare to Banda Aceh house. The mission started with a more physical work (building the buildings) and then later more into interviews and facts/needs findings.

(A group photo with the builders and teachers, behind is the partly done new school block)

We manage to also pop into the Old Wanka village to see the condition and situation of the families there. Most of the families there have many children (about 4 to 6 kids). And some of the families both the parents are at work and the kids are left alone to take care of themselves.

This trip was an eye opener for me. We had an opportunity to talk and interview ex-political prisoners which are involve in the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners [AAPP]) that came over to Thailand and also to refugees that were staying in the “safe house” (a temporary house for refugees) which was quite near our guest house we were staying. As such I was able to hear first hand the issues that the people of Burma were facing and the kind of oppression they had to face by the military government in their country. There was a very strong feeling of injustice as I listen to their story.

This family had to run away from Burma as the husband had taken a photo for a friend who was kill by the military.

The struggles here face by the immigrants and refugees are slightly different here. Here they run away from their country and hope for a better future in Thailand. And tend to take things day to day as they live their life in the village or camp.

I’m really thankful that we generally have good governments in Malaysia and Singapore. Looking at the kids… makes me want to adopt one of them. Pray and hope that they will be guided and grow into good adults.

For now I'll be busy doing up the video editing on the videos taken on the trip. Hope I can get the proper tools, hardware and software to do it in a way that will tell a good story and advocate their needs. And hopefully be able to create a blog on the trip too.

Me with Dadu (one of the teacher's younger brother)

Me and Matt helping to clear off the ants on the kids legs (had step near ant nest).