Category: Partner Stories

Working with purpose and heart

by admin@partnersasia.orgin Community development, Partner Stories

Working with purpose and heart

A Myanmar military attack some 25 years ago forced a group of villagers to flee across the border to Thailand. Among them were four young women who had been teachers in the area that was targeted. When nearly 50 children in their group were unable to enroll in the country’s education system at that time because they lacked Thai identity documents, they did not wait for an outside intervention—they took action as a community to ensure the youngest were not left behind.

Together, with help from other adults and the parents of the children, they built a one-room structure with a roof but no walls, on muddy ground: their first school. It moved several times, once every few years, often due to security threats. They often worked without financial support, sharing the responsibilities and costs amongst one another.

Their first grant, from a local Buddhist temple, was for $200.

“It was supposed to be a month’s salary for two teachers, but we divided it between six teachers because it was all we had,” one of the women recalled, describing how they looked out for one another.

Today their school has more than 130 children from a new generation. Among the teachers are some of the original volunteers who stepped forward and took action years before—now they prepare children for Thai school, which they are allowed to attend.

“We have gained a strong reputation in the community for preserving the culture of our people, even in a new country. Our school ensures that ethnic minority children don’t fall behind,” one of the teachers explained. “Parents trust us, and they support us with what they can, even if they can only afford a few dollars a year from their salaries as migrant workers,” she said.

We are proud to say that Partners Asia, with the help of the John P. Hussman Foundation, were among this school’s earliest supporters. Still an integral institution within their community, they remain a partner of ours and of the Foundation’s more than two decades later.

“If we hadn’t had long-term flexible funding, this school wouldn’t be what it is today,” the teacher said, reflecting on the relationship with Partners Asia. “This support helps us work with purpose, and with our hearts.”

Tools that build understanding

by admin@partnersasia.orgin Gender equality, Partner Stories

Tools that build understanding

The task of addressing the diverse needs of even a fraction of the more than 4 million migrant workers in Thailand is not something that can be done alone.

That’s why our partners were among the local leaders—men and women—who formed a coalition of 10 organizations representing provinces from north to south focused on advancing the rights of those in the migrant community. Within this consortium, they then formed thematic working groups on citizenship and statelessness, education, and reproductive health.

In a one-week meeting of the third working group, an idea emerged to create a groundbreaking sexual and reproductive health curriculum that could be used to improve comprehension of the topic specifically among migrant youth, to broach the topic of gender, and to introduce issues affecting the LGBTQI community. Members of the working group explained that while other reproductive health education materials existed, they had not been geared towards the unique challenges facing the young non-Thai population residing in the country. This curriculum, they proposed, would address this contextual gap, and be translated into at least four local languages to be used across their networks.

One of the activists behind the initiative described it to us as a “tool to educate and build understanding.”

Upon the request of these groups, Partners Asia provided the financial support required for the development of this work. This included learning about the topic internally, selecting areas of focus most relevant to their respective communities, creating materials and piloting activities, meeting three times a year to review these materials, as well as creating support networks that would provide consulting and mentoring for one another both in-person and remotely.

“Involvement in this working group has increased solidarity, improved advocacy efforts and brought other local leaders to the table from across the country who share a resolve to improve the awareness of youth who have limited access to information on reproductive health and what it means to be LGBTQI,” one of our staff members overseeing our support for the initiative said.

International guidance from a local perspective

by admin@partnersasia.orgin Leadership, Partner Stories

International guidance from a local perspective

Most grant-making organizations like Partners Asia do their work by consulting with a Board of Directors throughout the year, and we have an excellent one.

But we also have something that most organizations don’t—an Advisory Council (AC) giving guidance and insight from a local perspective.

The AC is made up of six established local human rights leaders, representing communities that include migrant workers, ethnic minorities, youth activists, and more.

They meet annually as a group, and they remain in close contact with Partners Asia throughout the year. In this role, the AC members do two things that are invaluable:

  • They advise our Board and staff on our organizational strategy and how to work in contexts that they know best. This is one way we ensure that our work advances local initiatives and visions, rather than interfering with them.
  • They mentor the next generation of leaders in the region. They select individuals and build their skills and confidence with the aim of increasing their credibility and influence.

Through site visits and workshops, the AC members can also engage with other organizations in the Partners Asia network. This has created opportunities to forge new partnerships and alliances.

It also means AC members are in a position to stand with and empower less experienced leaders during times of crisis and emergency.

By being a member of this council, these leaders have a new avenue to pay their expertise forward to others who need and value it most.

We are happy to say that this includes us.

Hope comes from actions

by admin@partnersasia.orgin Education, Partner Stories

Hope comes from actions

Cultivating the orange orchards of northern Thailand are thousands of people from the ethnic Shan community who fled decades of military violence and economic deprivation in neighboring Myanmar—recently and in generations past.

Among these forced migrants are many who have been directly denied or unable to procure identity documents, making it difficult to access social welfare services in their new home.

Our Partner, a local Thai group, acts as a bridge, running learning centers teaching primary and secondary education to children and adults. They are part of a community-based network that helps secure legal documents such as birth certificates, school IDs, and diplomas for migrant workers. They are committed to ensuring that this community is able to practice their rights and build better lives.

But establishing the first school wasn’t easy.

Our Partner first built relationships with the owners of orange orchards in the region to gain access to the scores of workers employed there. After months of meetings, four of these sites offered the use of their land and buildings to help make the first outreach program a reality.

Trust was built between parents of out-of-school children and representatives from our Partner. Messages about the importance of education resonated, and gained support.

Our Partner now operates four learning centers in this area, teaching over 120 children and adults. In recent years, the Thai government allowed our Partner’s learning centers to officially register as “non-formal education centers” within the state education system—an important breakthrough in recognition for their work.

Partners Asia’s support for this organization is made possible by funding from The John P. Hussman Foundation. We are proud of the path they forged in solidarity with these workers and their families, and the opportunities that grew from their patience and collaboration.