JRS has been present in two of the four refugee camps in Mae Hong Son since 1997. Located in northwest Thailand on the Burma border, the two camps host more than 15,000 people, largely of the Karenni and Karen ethnic groups from Burma. JRS partners with the Karenni Education Department (KnED) to implement and deliver educational services, including basic education, special education, vocational training and adult literacy programmes.
Teacher training
Providing skilled and well trained teachers to schools is a priority in Mae Hong Son. JRS and KnED are revamping the training programme to provide long term assistance to younger, less experienced teachers, hired when the previous teachers are resettled from Thailand to developed nations.
For students with poor attendance rates, JRS has developed the Home School Liaison Programme. The liaison meets with the students and family in their home, to discuss their education and any factors causing to poor attendance or explain why he or she is leaving school early.
Special education
JRS is also dedicated to providing education to those often excluded. This programme assists students both in the classroom and at home, and in some cases volunteers also help with physical therapy. This programme has helped encourage parents and community members become more accepting of children with disabilities.
Asia Pacific
Fr. Bambang A. Sipayung SJ
apdirector@jrs.or.th
+66 2 640 9590
http://www.jrsap.org
JRS Asia Pacific is one of 10 geographic regions of the Jesuit Refugee Service. JRS offers a human and pastoral service to refugees and the communities who host them through a wide range of rehabilitation and relief activities. Services – including programmes of pastoral care, education for children and adults, social services and counselling, and healthcare - are tailored to meet local needs according to available resources. The regional office serves refugees and other displaced persons in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste.
Thailand: post-fire relief efforts underway in Mae Surin refugee camp
Bangkok, 26 March 2013 – A fire that swept through Mae Surin refugee camp in northern Thailand on Friday has been met with swift relief by NGOs and community-based organisations. According to JRS staff, 37 Burmese refugees and asylum seekers lost their lives and several thousands have been made homeless.
>>>
Thailand: post-fire relief efforts underway in Mae Surin refugee camp
Bangkok, 26 March 2013 – A fire that swept through Mae Surin refugee camp in northern Thailand on Friday has been met with swift relief by NGOs and community-based organisations. According to JRS staff, 37 Burmese refugees and asylum seekers lost their lives and several thousands have been made homeless.
>>>
Thailand: funding shortfall leads to education gaps
Mae Hong Son, 28 August 2012 – A funding pitfall in education for the Burmese refugees along the Thai border may negatively affect their preparedness to go home.
>>>
Thailand: funding shortfall leads to education gaps
(Mae Hong Son, Thailand) August 27, 2012 — Funding shortages for the education of refugees along the Thai-Burma border may negatively affect preparedness for return. The focus of the international donor community is shifting from the camps towards inside Burma, and a lack of sufficient resources has forced organizations in the camps, such as Jesuit Refugee Service, to make cutbacks to critical programs.
>>>
Thailand: funding shortfall leads to education gaps
Mae Hong Son, 28 August 2012 – A funding pitfall in education for the Burmese refugees along the Thai border may negatively affect their preparedness to home.
>>>
USA: Expanding higher education at the margins
Denver, 7 March 2012 — Fr Peter Balleis, SJ, International Director of Jesuit Refugee Service, was one of several presenters offering initial remarks at the opening of the first international Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins (JC:HEM) conference at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.
>>>
USA: Expanding higher education at the margins
Denver, 7 March 2012 — Fr Peter Balleis, SJ, International Director of Jesuit Refugee Service, was one of several presenters offering initial remarks at the opening of the first international Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins (JC:HEM) conference at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.
>>>
Thailand: Resettlement makes training teachers a challenege
Mae Hong Son, 18 December, 2010 -- With thousands of people resettled a year and new people arriving in the Mae Hong Son camps regularly, retaining and constantly training new staff are almost impossible tasks.
>>>
Australia
Cambodia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Ethiopia
Kenya
South Sudan
Sudan
Uganda
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Croatia
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Macedonia
Malta
Portugal
Romania
Slovenia
Sweden
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Burundi
Democratic Republic of Congo
Rwanda
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Haiti
Panama
Venezuela
Jordan
Syria
Turkey
Afghanistan
India
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Angola
Katanga Province, DRC
Malawi
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Canada
United States of America
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Côte d’Ivoire