#migrant support

"Despite a surface-level change in rhetoric, President Biden continues and has even expanded many of the most inhumane Trump-era border policies. FRSO San José sees it as imperative to continue to advocate for changes at the border and in our community, even if we have a Democratic administration in the White House.

Money raised will go directly to organizing the delegation and travel expenses. Any money we raise beyond our expenses will be donated to organizations we meet with who are doing brave and crucial work fighting border militarization and supporting migrants."

Partners Thailand recently had a team visit for member care of one of our staff, Adrianna. These were their impressions after their time with us.

We arrived in Thailand on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Adrianna picked us up at the airport and took us to the staff office (Partner Relief & Development). We met the staff and were given a brief idea of what everyone does. The following day we picked up Andrew and his wife Jackie (new volunteers at Partners) and drove to Mae Sot to visit the refugee camp. We went to the offices in Mae Sot and met the staff there. Two of the staff members accompanied us to the refugee camp (Nal Hsa, KhuHtoo).

Upon arriving at the Mae La refugee camp we met Henry who is the principal of the school located there. He took us on a tour of the camp and introduced us to people along the way. His wife cooked a delicious lunch after we took the tour. He explained the struggles they face living in the camp. School was out at the time we were there so we didn't get to see any of the classes in session. We toured the buildings where classes are held and their church. Henry had been in this refugee camp for 20 years and didn't see any path in which he could be out. He advised that the Burmese government publicly says that refugees are welcome back, but there is violence still going on in Burma where they are from, so they don't feel safe returning to Burma, but at the same time they have been in the refugee camps so long that they don't feel there is anything to return to. Getting medical care is also an issue. We were advised that sometimes refugees die or suffer worse harm because they are not able to get medical care. Later we visited a house in Mae Sot that is used to house patients from Burma while they need or are recovering from medical procedures.

The refugees live in wood huts with no windows or beds. All of the roofs on their huts are made out of leaves. There is no indoor plumbing and appears to have minimal electricity. The bathrooms we used were inside a room but was only a porcelain opening in the ground. This was an example of the extremely difficult conditions the refugees are forced to live in.

We also went to the Moei river that borders Myanmar and Thailand. There were little shacks on the Myanmar side that people live in. Most of them only had a sheet or blanket as a roof. There was a market and shops on the Thailand side and armed soldiers patrolled the border.

We returned to Chiang Mai and were able to again visit the offices where Adrianna works. We sat in on their staff meeting and listened to reports from different staff. We were advised of displaced refugees in Western Myanmar, near Bangladesh. There are an estimated 700,000 (since Aug. 2017) Rohingya refugees from Burma displaced there. There was a report of a man dying while trying to board a boat for Malaysia (I think). He would rather risk his life trying to leave rather than continue living under the conditions he had been facing.

The staff in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot support the refugees and migrants with language (English & Thai), education, and healthcare. They try to help those caught in the conflicts regardless of their religious beliefs.

Upon visiting the Partner offices in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot, it was very evident that Adrianna and the staff of both offices were dedicated, hardworking, passionate, and knowledgeable about their mission.

This trip reinforces to us just how blessed we are with the freedom and comforts we enjoy in our lives. How we may take for granted the basic necessities of life that people in conflict areas don't have.