By Kristin Moreau, MS, CCC-SLP | International Volunteer/Department Coordinator
Background of Literacy Program:
The Community Learning Centre in Mae Sai, under direction of DEPDC/GMS, strives to provide human rights education and literacy training in Thai, Burmese, and English languages for undocumented migrants, refugees and other community members living along the Thai-Burmese border. The CLC officially opened its doors in February 2005 and has been operating ever since, alternating teachers between current DEPDC staff members, community tutors, and volunteers.
The center is open to young people who are at risk of being sold into the commercial sex industry as well as to their parents and other adult community members.Many of the current CLC students have an ethnic background belonging to the Shan or Akha minorities and many of them are originally from Myanmar. The remaining students come from local Thai government schools and are unable to afford tutors in the English or Burmese language, the CLC’s two primary classes at this time.
Kru Mai is the current CLC teacher. She speaks Thai, Burmese, and English. English Language Class is taught Monday through Thursday and Burmese Language Class is on Friday and Saturday due to limited human resources.
Typically, DEPDC/GMS has 2 to 3 volunteers who are able to assist teaching classes, especially for the more advanced English students. However, DEPDC/GMS currently only has one volunteer to meet the needs of the entire International Department and the Half Day School English Language Program. This shortage of volunteers requires all English language students of the CLC to study at one time, from beginning to advanced learners.
Kru Mai was recently provided with several workbooks belonging to DEPDC/GMS’s Half Day School (HDS) for the CLC students to use. Students at the HDS share the workbooks in groups of 3-4 at this time but the CLC center was also in desperate need of basic classroom books. This will hopefully increase Kru Mai’s management of the many different learning levels of students in her daily classes and improve the learning experience of CLC students. However, it does not allow students to study English outside of class as there are not enough books to go around to the current 17 students. Specifically, seven students have expressed their desire to study outside of class time. This would also allow Kru Mai to give them tests, quizzes, and homework to further advance their literacy skills and save money on printing and copying each day.
We are very interested in receiving donations for study materials during this time of need. If donors would prefer donating study books, we currently use the third edition of “Let’s Go” (Cross, Nakata, Frazier, and Hoskins). Let’s get started, level 1, 2, and 3 are used by the largest number of students with several using levels 4 and 5 as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read our update about the Community Learning Center. We appreciate your time and support beyond what words can express! I want to thank you on behalf of all our staff members, educators, community learners, and especially our children who benefit from the thoughtfulness of people like you.
Please, keep DEPDC/GMS in mind during #GivingTuesday. Your donations go further on November 28th, 2017 thanks to the generosity of GlobalGiving.
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