I was recently connected with the director of the Bangkok Refugee Center (BRC) who told me they are desperately seeking teachers to volunteer their time in classrooms. The BRC is an organization that was formed by the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees. The cetner supports refugees from all over the world. Many of these refugees have had to flee their native countries due to persecution, violence, famine and natural disasters. Most of them are here without any means of support and rely on the Bangkok Refugee Centre for assistance with medical care, legal assistance, social services, education and vocational training. It is quite amazing to walk through the gates of this center see a small community of people who will do whatever it takes to provide a better life for themselves and their families.
The class I am teaching is the beginning English class. I have 15 students who are from Sri Lanka or Somalia. They range from ages 5-12 and barely speak English. It can be a bit of a challenge to try and explain certain concepts, but pictures and acting things out seems to work best. Their parents usually sit outside the classroom (which looks like a cement bunker) and watch to see what their children are learning. I even have one father who writes down everything I put on the board in his notebook. These are people who desperately want to learn English so that they may one day receive citizenship in a country that offers them a better life.
It has been an amazing and eye-opening experience working here. It broke my heart when I recently read some of the quotes on the BRC website from some of the refugees.
“I want to live like other people”
“My country I love, it is my country, it had my family, but I cannot return. I fear persecution. If the government changes and it is secure I will return…Me, I want to live like other people, recover my life. I lost my family; I do not know where my wife and children are. I want to work and live without persecution. I want to see my family, my children, and my wife. The UN…is my only hope.”
“The police were waiting”
“A human trafficker promised to take me to the United Kingdom. Then he sent me to Qatar where I was arrested. The Qatar officials saw that I was traveling with a fake passport and just sent me to my final destination, Bangkok, where the police were waiting for me.”
Feel free to check out the website if you want to read more. http://brcthai.org/index.html
Entrance to the center
Refugee receiving health care services
Art Class
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