Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. It should encourage children to respect others, human rights and their own and other cultures. It should also help them learn to live peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people. - from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 29

All children have the right to a primary education, which should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this right. Young people should be encouraged to reach the highest level of education of which they are capable. -from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 28

Education is critical to our future. Either here, or if they go back to Burma, many of our next generation of leaders are certain to emerge from our migrant schools. Together their combined wisdom and strength is necessary for peace and community building.

With help from donors, we are currently providing education for just under four thousand students. We depend on you to be able to continue to do this.

Currently, it is estimated that between 30 and 35 percent of migrant children living in the Mae Sot area do not attend school. While this represents a huge improvement in school attendance in the past few years, it also represents the urgency of the work still to be done.

Our three night schools provide education in the very poorest communities. Some children are unable to attend school in the day because they must work; others do not have a place to study or do homework after school because their homes are overcrowded, have no electricity or are unsafe.

For many children, school is not just a source of learning, but the one place where they can be assured of getting a healthy meal:

• $5 (US) / £3 (GBP) provides school lunches for a month for one child
• $20 (US) / £13 (GBP) provides a child living in one of our boarding houses with three basic meals a day for a month