Karen Boy
All over Northern Thailand, bright-faced “Hilltribe” children approach their school day with enthusiasm.
“I am not the same, having seen the moon on the other side of the world.”
– Mary Anne Radmacher
Travel is such an eyeopener. There are parts of the world that fill me with joy and humble gratitude.
I love Thailand, and I especially love trips into Mae Hong Son in Thailand’s north. It is gorgeous country: green jungle-draped mountains that rise steeply into the clouds, cold waters tumbling down the hills into the river valleys below, and picturesque thatched-roofed wooden houses punctuating terraces of cabbages and rice for market.
What makes The Hills special, though, is the welcoming warmth of the people. People who work hard and have little, but who are still willing to share.
Many of the people here belong to one of several “Hilltribes” – the ethnic minority groups that live in remote villages across Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. These communities are often well beyond the reach of basic infrastructure, like electricity and/or running water, and people support their families through subsistence farming.
Across Thailand, schooling is free to all its young citizens and the Department of Education provides classrooms and teachers. It does not, however, provide funding for auxiliary infrastructure, like libraries, canteens and dormitories, and does not help with other school expenses, like books, uniforms and (required) extra-curricular activities.
Schools in “The Hills” – especially beyond the earliest grades – might be a long, difficult walk away. Without dormitory accommodation during the school week and help with school expenses, historically, many Hilltribe children dropped out of school early, and the poverty cycle continued.
It has been ages since I’ve forayed into the remote and rugged hills of Mae Hong Son on the wild border with Myanmar. My last trip was with Susan Race, several years ago. She was on one of her many excursions north to interview students who were recipients (or wanted to be) of modest scholarships, and to oversee one of the many projects she helps manage through THEP, the Thailand Hilltribe Education Projects. I’ve mentioned THEP and the work it does several times before (Budding Potentials 1, Building Better Futures, Schools at the End of the Road, True Thai Colours, and For the Children).
THEP operates completely transparently, and Susan is always happy to have companions on her trips. You just have to be able to keep up! The attached pictures are only a sampling of the projects we visited and the students we interviewed on just one day.
Plants in the Watering Garden
One of the most effective ways of helping traditional communities is to help them do what they are already doing just a little bit better. One of the first projects Susan was involved with was a hillside irrigation system. Our first stop on this particular day was at a school where the headmaster (Khru Apichart) had built a small shade house.
Girls Reading
On special days, Karen Hilltribe children wear their traditional hand-woven clothing.
Teacher
All the teachers I’ve met at Hilltribe schools work extra hard, looking after children’s needs, well beyond the educational.
Tree Planting
Khru Apichart (in the background) has worked tirelessly to improve every school he has been part of. He’d not been Principal at this school long, but had already organised a tree-planting day to help provide much needed shade.
Karen Girl with Amulets
Unlike other Hilltribe groups, most Karen are Christian. This little girl, however, was wearing Buddhist/Animist amulets.
Weaving the Royal Purple
Behind the school, there is a weaving area – one of the Queen’s projects – where Karen women weave cloth for export to the city.
Karen Weaver
Khru Sunthorn
One of the first teacher/principals to work with Susan on THEP projects, Sunthorn Ananchai still takes an active interest.
Susan and a Student
Our next stop was at Department of Educations offices, where Susan and her colleagues conducted student interviews. In spite of handling a large number of sponsored Student Scholarships, she remembers students’ names and details about their families.
Khru Usa
Another tireless worker, Usa Intra knows the value of education and leads by example: she was working hard on her Masters degree when this was taken. She always has a smile for us and her students.
Sponsor Interview
Susan is always happy for people – especially student or project sponsors – to come along on trips. With a local teacher acting as an interpreter, a sponsor chats with two scholarship students.
Boys on the Pond
Back outside in the sunshine, a group of boys in their delightful school uniforms play in the pond.
Opening the Dormitory
Because of the remoteness of many Hilltribe communities, students – especially at Mathayom (High) School level – travel great distances to get to class. So, to keep them from dropping out, school dormitories allow them to stay overnight. Many then go home on weekends. The building of this dorm was sponsored by ANZWG.
Inside the Dormitory
Conditions are simple: a tiled room with metal-framed beds, and a string for hanging clothing…
Portrait of a Karen ‘Tween
The girls in their dormitory are happy to show off their space.
Karen Girl
Beds are bought through sponsorship; there is little other furnishing.
Susan and Visitors
Susan explains processes and projects to some of the ANZWG visitors.
Boys in the Yard
School Canteen
Our next visit was to a school canteen – also built with donated project funding.
Meal in the Canteen
There are no extra employees to look after the kids who stay at school: teachers and older students all pitch in to keep things running smoothly.
“Gin Khao”
With no furniture, everyone sits neatly on the floor…
“Eat Rice”
… to gin khao, or “eat rice”.
Eventually, we head off to find our own meals, and tuck into our beds to recharge batteries for the next day’s round of school visits and student interviews.
The indefatigable Susan will be sitting at a table somewhere, going over the accounts and making sure projects are on time and within budget…
With her down-to-earth efforts through THEP, a lot of Hilltribe children can continue their educations and improve the future of their communities. These pictures were taken some years ago, and these children are all older now. THEP recently had its first University graduate!
With our help, the work can continue.
To the Future!
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
– Gustave Flaubert
I was doing more research today to reduce the 13 villages I had on my list to visit. I was able to narrow it down to those in the Mae Hong Son province. As I reviewed internet information, I came across an article that blew my mind and changed my attitude of how to help the children there. It was on a UNICEF 2022 news article: https://www.unicef.org/thailand/media/9546/file/Closing%20the%20learning%20gap%20in%20Mae%20Hong%20Son%20EN.pdf
I downloaded some of the information I can send if you do not want to read the whole 56 pages. Now I have to rethink my trip length, locations, and how best to help the children. Wilai’s suggestion about helping with a place to stay for those students a long ways from home to school got me rethinking also. The more I know what to expect will help me more before the trip.
Do you have more information to share about this area?
Cal
Hi Cal,
Thanks for touching base. The Thailand Hilltribe Education Projects website seems to be out of action, but you can get further information through their Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=thep%20thailand%20hilltribe%20education%20projects
Cheers, Ursula