A Busy Weekend

Families fishing

Although it was the weekend for us , Pho Cho and his wife take no holidays and would be happily caring for some children at school , as their parents have to work . They really have an extended family of 109 children. We decided that the boys had worked hard since they arrived and we would take them swimming for an afternoon. We tracked down a local Tuk Tuk and headed for the Mae Sot Hill Resort where we used the swimming pool but it seemed such a decadent thing to be doing , considering the struggles of our families at Say Ta Nar . On the return journey we decided to meander through the local Mae Sot countryside.We passed the local fire station, then a group of men chopping down trees by the roadside and further along came across what looked like a large cattle barn ,but as we passed we heard the sound of machines and what seemed like hundreds of voices all talking at the same time. The door was slightly ajar and when we moved forward to investigate , a small child standing by the door was instructed to shut it. As we turned we could see two men on motorbikes quietly ensuring we moved on , following us to the river a few hundred yards away. We assumed we had come across an illegal factory and we couldn`t help worrying about the age group of the workers inside.

The factory

We had our best meal so far in a traditional Burmese restaurant , where we were all adventurous and had a selection of quite spicy curries, noodles and stir fry meals. We met a lady called Diane who has lived here for five years and has opened a small orphanage , is also supporting a Burmese migrant school (there are now fifty schools in total) as well as finding ways to rescue children from child prostitution. It is remarkable and humbling to come across so many selfless people like this who are committed to improving the lives of others. She has just opened an internet cafe to try and fund her work.

On Sunday heavy rain came down from early morning throughout the day and we were forced to buy big raincoats with a difference. We decided to make our way to the Friendship Bridge where you can cross over to Myawaddy in Burma but the only transport that we could find was a small , slow Tuk Tuk which laboured with our great weight on board.People were almost passing us on foot!

No need for suntan lotion, just big raincoats

We went to the market there and bought the school a CD player to play some of the Fischy music we had brought over to teach the children.

Friendship Bridge to Burma

The sights that met us at the Border were harrowing to say the least and words could not describe the abject poverty and misery we saw in what some refer to as `no mans land`. Families with small babies living in squalor surrounded by filthy rubbish , people trying to sell us anything they could get their hands on, shouting up to us and in the distance many more people who looked like they were struggling to survive. This is just a snapshot of the plight of Burmese families and helps us understand why they want to flee to Thailand by any means possible to make a better life for their children. Even although in Thailand they have no status and are always going to be illegal unless there is much more world wide political pressure which brings much needed change .They have to take some of the worst and poorest paid jobs here to help them exist. This is part of the Burmese story that has to be told and shouted from the rooftops because millions of Burmese families who have escaped a ruthless regime are now stateless and their amazing children have a future full of uncertainty.This visit has been about building a strong friendship with Say Ta Nar, one of the migrant schools that provide them with dignity, education, and a reason to stay strong and hopeful.

Here are some pictures that hopefully tell their own story: