Hope grows in the forest

Hope grows in the forest

A foundation along the Thai-Myanmar border is making sure stateless children have access to education and the right to a full life

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Hope grows in the forest

The children's faces, white with powder, looked eager as a big modified truck picks them up for school. It was a cool, foggy morning in Sangkhla Buri and we had the sunrise in the background as we cruised along the Thai-Myanmar border zone in Kanchanaburi province.

Children of the Forest, a foundation based in Sangkhla Buri, aims to enrich lives of stateless children.

We passed through different border checkpoints along the way and the children put their hands up and chorused "sawaddee" to the patrol officers. Their pronunciation was clear and loud, even though they're not Thai. They're of Karen and Mon ethnic groups and they live in a community along the border.

Going to school, for these children, takes dedication. Even with a free ride, some of them have to walk close to 10km daily just to catch their ride.

Almost 100 children filled the back of the truck and get off outside an entryway which leads to Children of the Forest (COF) — a foundation which helps stateless Karen, Mon and Myanmar children gain their rights to a full life and education.

The foundation offers free education — as a branch of Sangkhla Buri kindergarten — to almost 300 stateless children in order to enable them to enter local Thai schools. It also provides shelter for more than 100 stateless children who are at risk of being exploited.

School is not always an option for these youngsters when they have to battle with their stateless status and poverty. Even if they are fortunate enough to finish high school, some faced trouble trying to get into universities as some faculties only accept Thai nationals. Problems follow them even as they enter the workforce.

Less fortunate children drop out to work odd jobs to provide for their family. Some travel to Bangkok and end up becoming maids, or worse, prostitutes.

"There were kids who wonder why they should bother with education. They won't get Thai citizenship and would still be Karen," said Napat Wattanawongsi, a coordinating officer and youth worker at COF.

"Some children got sick and came close to dying, as their parents weren't able to pay for the medicine. For Thai children, they have the 30 baht healthcare card. They wouldn't die. Nobody would allow it. But for kids who can't gain access to these rights, it's completely different."

Lost opportunities — education, health, and others that come with being stateless — mean the children continue to live in an infinite cycle of poor living condition. They also risk being exploited, sold and prostituted.

Though they may live in Thailand, they are not Thai and thus are not entitled to the benefits Thai citizens have.

With these problems surrounding most stateless children, Children of the Forest — aside from providing free education and shelter — also has been trying to help them to apply for Thai citizenship. The process should be easy since many of these children were born in Thailand. So far, however, there have been only two successful applicants from COF.

"I guess we have to ask the government institutions why it's taking so long," said Saranporn Taweemongkonchai, a member of the foundation. "It shouldn't have taken longer than six months. And now six years have passed. I also have no idea where everything gets stuck."

With the latest news out in September last year that the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) may consider revoking the free education programme for stateless children, it is almost clear that these children are not really on top of the authority's priority list.

"Children are children. Whether they are Thai, Myanmar or Karen, they are still children — they are still human beings," said Napat, hoping the authority would hear her plea. "They deserve to get what every other human gets."

The youth worker went on to say: "These children have a right to live, to be protected and educated." The citizenship application process moves at a sluggish pace, out of the foundation's control, and the wait is discouraging to the children and foundation staff alike. Still, they don't let it undermine their determination to enhance the stateless lives of both the students at the free school and, especially, those seeking shelter at the foundation.

Lives inside Children of the Forest go on in the sleepy town of Sangkhla Buri. They have their own set of rules and ideals to look after more than 100 — from toddlers to young adults, and mothers with young children — living in the fenceless, village-like foundation grounds. These children — better adapted to Thai language and culture — attend local schools within the district. The staff, believing in the children's free will, trust their judgement to make choices for themselves.

"We try to get the children to pursue what they're good at and choose what they want to do," said Saranporn, whose main task is to manage the children's houses.

"If you only tell them what to do or force them, they will never grow up. And they wouldn't be able to think for themselves or think outside of the box."

There are a few older kids who are being trained to become youth leaders. They assist the staff in looking out for their younger brothers and sisters within the foundation, help organising events and even participate at national youth forums. "We want to educate them and their family that life is not just about growing up and working in rubber plantations or finding bamboo shoots. The children could do more, even though they're not Thai," said Napat, who works closely with the young adults. "They have the right to grow up and move forward, or even to continue the legacy and help others in need."

Due to the children's statelessness, they cannot leave the province without receiving permission from the governor's office. Getting that approval is also a tiresome process, which requires a stack of documents. Should the children be found outside the province without permission, they risk going to jail.

Since it is difficult to take the children elsewhere, Mark Curragh, project manager at COF, and his staff have been trying to make up for what he considers a lost experience for the children. From organising Borderland — COF's optional art session outside the foundation grounds — to boxing classes and outdoor cinema, he hopes it would enrich the young lives and enable them to look beyond the obstacles they face.

"The children are stuck in this border zone," said Curragh, "They live in a little world and their lives carry on, but I think it's very helpful for them to remember that there's a big world out there with lots of opportunities and experiences, even if they can't go there just yet."

Curragh explained that some of the children face identity issues. They seem to lose self esteem and pride in their mother tongue and culture. Some are even embarrassed by it.

"Maybe it's because they're in Thailand, they feel that they have to integrate themselves to fit in. Sometimes, they forget that they have a unique culture, as well," said Curragh. "Because of their statelessness, they block their ethnicity. They then become not as proud or as strong as they could and should be."

Curragh compared local ethnic children to the indigenous Maori people — Polynesian settlers of New Zealand, his native country. Around the world, the treatment minority groups receive seem to mirror one another though, fortunately, the Maori people are getting equal rights after the New Zealand government decided to embrace the Maori culture and make it a part of life and experience in the country.

"Why not celebrate it instead of pushing it aside?" suggested Curragh. "I've been in a country that has been through this and we emerged much stronger because we've now embraced the minority culture and celebrate that we have two languages, and not just one."


For video of this story, visit www.bangkokpost.com/multimedia.

A packed truck takes the children to school.

Napat Wattanawongsi with a group of stateless children at the foundation.

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