Krungjaw Camp
Long Monkham was amongst the first group of refugees to live in the Krungjaw camp, being forced to flee from her native in 2003. Everyday continued to be a struggle as she sought to find labour work to support her family. 13 years ago, a charity group arrived at the camp to teach weaving. Long Monkham along with a group of 20 villagers learnt the skills. She then put those skills into practice and began making table runners and wallets. Some NGOs and church groups bought the products from them. However, as the orders were not regular and incomes were insufficient, most women who learnt stopped weaving. They had to find labour work to survive. Long Monkham, though, found her purpose in preserving Shan’s culture through weaving. On top of labor works, she continues to weave whenever she can.
About Krungjaw Camp Krungjaw camp is situated about 500 meters from the Shan border, in Wiang Haeng district of Chiang Mai province. The refugees in the camp fled to Thailand in May 2002 from fighting between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Burma Army. Over 600 refugees were given shelter in temples on the Thai side, where they lived in cramped conditions for one year. In mid-2003 they were allowed to set up a camp in the grounds of Wat Fah Wiang Inn Temple, close to the border crossing of Lak Teng. The refugees live in simple bamboo shelters and receive food, medical and education support from humanitarian aid agencies, but have never been able to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Krungjaw is the only camp for Shan refugees in Thailand. Even though Long Monkham and other refugees have stayed in Thailand for 16 years now, and their children went to schools in Thailand, they remain stateless. They are not entitled to any official identity and residency.
Meikswe Myanmar
To avoid armed conflicts and forced recruitment into armed military, villagers from Namtu, Mon Ton and Kutkhi Township in Northern Shan State, Myanmar fled their homes. They took shelter in Hka Shi new village, which is 40 to 100 miles away from home. These internal displaced communities find daily work in the farm by planting corn, paddles and vegetables. They do not have enough money to rent any land. On a good day, they make US$4. When weather is bad, and harvest is affected, they have no income. They can only live on a day-to-day basis. Meikswe Myanmar is the only NGO caring for them since 2016. Meikswe Myanmar witnessed the kindness and struggle of the host community at Hka Shi village. Besides providing shelter and food with strangers, they even have to handle Government interference. Meikswe Myanmar are inspired to take over the responsibility with its experience in community building and Government relations. They started ECCD community and caregivers group. 15 villagers from ECCD community, mostly women, were trained with sewing skills. The toys and napkins are made by them in the hope of creating source of income to improve the quality of living for the villagers.
About Meikswe Myanmar Meikswe Myanmar (MM) was established in 2004, formerly known as Myanmar Friendship Foundation (MFF), a local non-governmental organization, operating in the Northern Shan State. Seeing villagers fall into extreme poverty because of armed conflicts in the regions, MM was set up to support women and children, to break the vicious cycle they found themselves in. MM is implementing Health, Education, Community Development, and Emergency Relief. Their major activities include: Health intervention (emphasis on HIV/AIDS related women and children’s issues, Malaria, DHF, Hepatitis B and Family planning, Hypertension); Education supports to Teachers and Students (Build up skills and knowledge and support); Women empowerment; Creating livelihoods opportunities for vulnerable people, emergency relief and resettlement.