Can you walk in the mountain for 2 days with no food?The story of Myanmar's refugee children

This article is open to the public. Please donate to support for the Myanmarese refugee children's centre

(Interviewed in May 2019)

What would you if you were suddenly told that there is no place for you to stay in this country?

If gunfire was exchanged and combat started right next to your house?
Children, same age or even younger than us have experienced this.
This time, I interviewed Shalom Education Centre, a refugee centre for Myanmarese refugee children!

Where is Myanmar?

Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar/ Burma) is a country located on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The capital is Naypyidaw, 70% of the population is Burmese and many other ethnic minorities.

Currently, fighting is taking place in Chin State, west of Myanmar,
so many Chin State villagers have fled across the border to Thailand and Malaysia.

From Chin State, Myanmar to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

How I met the home for Myanmarese refugee children

I first learned that there was a civil war in Myanmar during the “Christmas Surprise Project for Refugee Children” at school and that refugee children were coming to Malaysia. My friends and I prepared ideas for Christmas so that refugee children could have fun when they came to our school.
For example, we decorated cookies with chocolate pens, prepared many board games and Lego blocks, and decorated the venue for Christmas parties. Also, with the help of parents and teachers, we bought gifts such as stationery and bags to welcome the children. On the day of the game, the cookies were cutely decorated, and the children aged 10-12 were able to speak a little English so we had fun together. The children in these centres are not always able to do what they want to do like we did, so we had a great time at Christmas.

The children I met all refugees have escaped from Myanmar to avoid persecution. They all come from Chin State in western Myanmar and live away from their parents. When the fighting started at their villages they fled with nothing.
This time, for the TANQ-JOB article, I went to the centre and interviewed the person in charge.

Interview with Centre Manager Julian

Our group photo: The children at the centre, Julian (Head of SEC) and I

Why did you start this centre?

The centre is the only safe place for refugee children in Malaysia. These children do not have citizenship in any country. So without this centre, the children lose their place to go and will have to beg on the road.
Also, by educating children at the centre, they can get out of poverty. I hope that education will help their lives in the future.
However, since the number of volunteers who teach children is small, it would be nice if volunteers could come to teach the children even if it is only a short time.

Why did the children come to Malaysia?

Because in our opinion, Malaysia is the most developed and the fastest developing country in Southeast Asia and is safer than Myanmar. Also, Chin State people are mostly Christians, and other states in Myanmar come to Malaysia because Malaysia is a multicultural country, different religions and beliefs are more welcome, however in Myanmar, there are many Buddhists and Christians can be subject to religious discrimination. Also, it may be difficult to imagine what the situation is, but in Myanmar, the army is still powerful and the prime minister and government do not control the country like Japan and Malaysia.

Why did you change your centre's name to "Shalom Education Centre"?

(When I went to the interview, the name was changed to “Shalom Education Centre” instead of “United Learning Centre”)

Initially, it operated a facility for refugee children as United Learning Centre. However, since April 2019 the Singaporean who supported us economically could no longer continue, and also, the owner of the house that we lived in so far wanted to lend the place to another person, and the house was torn down. So we had to change our name and move to a smaller house. Now we rely on support and donations from Christian churches and volunteers.

A day for the children in the centre

1. Wake up at 7am
2. Shower (They only use a little water at the beginning and end to save money)
3. Cleaning
4. Making breakfast
5. Breakfast
6. Praying
7. Lessons (Conducted by volunteers)
8. Lunch
9. Lessons (Conducted by volunteers)
10. Play time
11. Making dinner
12. Study
13. Sleep

Their teachers are mostly volunteers and there are about 70 children in total.
The oldest child is 17 years old and the youngest child is 4 years old. The children cannot go to a Malaysian government school. At the age of 19, they need to go and work, but often work is in an illegal environment, often with low wages and 3D (dirty, dangerous, and demeaning) work. Most of the children are Christians.
According to Julian, the Malaysian government only allows temporary stays, so refugees will apply for visas for Australia or the United States after living in Malaysia. Julian has also filed his application with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have been interviewed many times, and have been waiting for years for his confirmation.

We need your support!

The Shalom Education Centre is in trouble with no sponsors!
If you support the money below, I will bring that money to the centre with responsibility.
Sending children's clothes (summer clothes), stationery, colouring books, origami, notebooks, English and calculation drills, food, etc. will be very helpful.
If you read this article and send us support, the children of the centre will be encouraged and happy.
Please be active to raise funds and supplies between schools and friends. If you are a college student or an adult, if you have a chance to travel to Malaysia, please visit the centre as a volunteer.
Any kind of support is welcome!

I can't support them alone, so I ask for your cooperation!

* Application for polca has been closed. See the following report for details.

Click here for contact information

Shalom Education Centre Facebook-Link is here 
More info on Shalom Education Centre's home page
(The home page was opened after I wrote this article.)

The reason for the title is that Julian actually walked in the jungle for two days without water or food while escaping from Myanmar to Malaysia. They had to flee and make sure that the Myanmarese police and the army didn't find them.

If you want to know more about the situation in Myanmar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs JPN: Fighting in southern Chin State
A story from Myanmar and Chin State in Japan
(These articles are in Japanese.)
Radio Free Asia (RFA) Article

Reporting

On June 9th, we donated 2,000 Malaysian Ringgits to the centre, together with the donations we have collected at school and the support we have received from Polca! Also, I donated toys from my home. (Lol)
Thank you for your support at Polca!
Thank you for your continued cooperation!
Sending children's clothes (summer clothes), stationery, colouring books, origami, notebooks, English and calculation drills, food, etc. will be very helpful.
If you read this article and send us support, the children in the centre will be so happy!!

Money handed to Julian!

 we opened the toys and played

receipt