james tan

Refugees & Education - Thailand

 

the adventures

 

"I never knew that rural Thailand is so rich in culture and diversity!"

 

Rural Thailand - ruggedly beautiful and made up of diverse tribes and ethnicities. My humanitarian adventures in Thailand have so far been focused on helping marginalised and impoverished rural communities in the North and North-West.

 

Some of these communities, like the Karen, prefer to fluidly criss-cross the Thai-Burmese border as necessary. Others have decided to make Northern Thailand their permanent home.

 

While most of these tribal communities desire to modernise, many remain impoverished and in need of development assistance. Essential areas, such as comprehensive education, clean water, good hygiene and sanitation, access to medical help, are often luxuries that are out of reach for them. 

 

At the same time, these ethnic tribes have much to offer in terms of their rich cultural heritage, tribal traditions and skills. Each time I visit an ethnic community, I come away amazed at how little I know about the people's ways, and how much more there is to discover and learn. 

 

Hopefully, the two community outreach and exploration adventures presented here offer a glimpse of the prospects for greater engagement and mutual learning.