Helping those who can't help themselves

Bangkok Post Tuesday April 29, 2008

Life for the children at the Ban Tham Hin refugee camp has become less grim now that they have a playground and learning centre where they can have fun and develop new skills, opportunities that should be available to all children. Located about 12km from the Thai-Burmese border, Ban Tham Hin in Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district has become home to more than 9,000 ethnic Karen refugees who have fled the fighting and poverty in Burma. Over 3,500 of them are small children and young people. Among them is an eight-year-old who was sitting near the playground with his friends to cool down after a game of basketball. ''I love playing basketball,'' he said with a big smile. ''It helps me to grow strong. I come here to play with my friends every day.''

At the newly-built learning centre, a young man was touching the computer equipment with joy and excitement. ''I want to be a computer engineer. I want to be like Bill Gates. The teacher told me that I can do it ... I want my parents to be proud of me,'' he said.


The playground, learning centre and sports equipment were donated by Manpower, an international recruitment company, together with corporate partners including Microsoft, Nike, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Merce and Co., and Right to Play, and are part of the company's support for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).


According to UNHCR, there are currently more than 21 million refugees in 116 countries, and more than nine million of them are children and young people who have fled their homelands.


UNHCR started the ''Nine Million'' campaign to encourage support for education, health care and sport for refugee children around the world.


According to general manager Simon Anthony Matthews of Manpower (Thailand), Manpower is one of the main supporters of the Nine Million campaign. Its offices in 73 countries have joined forces with customers and local communities to hold charity events to raise funds for refugee children.


According to Htoo Saw, vice-president of the Ban Tham Hin refugee camp, the children there face many hardships. ''Despite their despair, the thing that can bring them a better future is the chance for them to learn and play,'' he said. ''The power of education will provide the opportunity to unlock their imagination and inner creativity.''


The learning centre, playground and sports equipment are like a testing ground for children at Ban Tham Hin because they help them learn new things, see the beauty of the things around them and learn how to live with others, said Matthews.


''In addition, the children realise that they still have people in this world who care, and want to help them, and particularly to give them the opportunity to develop their skills. Their efforts will give these unfortunate children the inspiration to live their lives with purpose, hopes and dreams for their futures.''

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