Burmese Refugees: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Prevention education is as important as the treatment provided in the centres.

Teams of community workers provide support in the camps, spreading information about the dangers of addiction, how to work with family members who are addicted and addressing the problems of domestic abuse.

The youth teams gain from this work in so many ways through their sports activities, musical performances and presentations. These teenagers are so proud of their contribution to the community and appreciate the difference they can make.
They learn leadership skills, how to face challenges and solve problems. Through music and sport they are able to motivate their peers to handle stress and the despair they feel living in camps.
These adolescents represent the future leaders and show a resilience that will mark them out in years to come.

One teenager said: “In the team I share the addiction knowledge and how to play ultimate Frisbee. I feel proud of myself that my friends are respect to me listen to me.”

All the community workers acquire skills that will take them beyond life in the camps. One former client who trained as a community worker later took resettlement to the US where he found a role supporting Myanmar refugees who face problems settling into the US. He was spotted by a doctor at the local hospital who arranged for him to become a registered case worker.

Once again we see there is hope that people can find a way out of the ‘hard place’.