Support Community Development in South-East Asia

Hello Friends, 

We hope this update finds you safe and well. Things have picked up at TBF HQ in the last few months and we have some exciting developments to tell you about. 

We have a new project LIVE on GlobalGiving called Computers for Refugee Children! As many of you know we have supported the computer classes at Koung Jor refugee camp for many years now but the computers have long been in need of updating and replacing. This project aims to fund new computers and connect more of them to the internet - both vital for the teachers and the students. Please check out the project here: http://goto.gg/49378

In November we also plan to do another Teacher Training workshop at Koung Jor and are delighted to have the same trainer as last time who will be joined by his friend who is a master in embroidery and will also run a workshop again in the camp. We are so pleased that we can still run one or two teacher training sessions per year and can see just how helpful they are to build the teacher's skills and confidence. 

Since our last report we also held our Annual General Meeting and as usual it was a great chance to reflect on the previous year and plan ahead. We are so thankful for all your help and support, without you our work simply would not be possible! 

With gratitude, 

Iona Proebst

Links:

• Our website

Dear Friend, 

Who would of imagined that even as we wrote to you last we, our collective global communtiy, would find ourselves here! We sincerly hope that you are safe and well and riding out these uncertain times as best as you can. Despite all the challenges we are hopeful that maybe good things will come out of all of this too, we've seen more compassion, understanding and respect amongst our local community - have you too? 

As the world was paused for the past few months we do not have much to update you on but simply wanted to send you a message to see how you are and let you know how our friends are doing. We've been in regular contact with the communities we work with in South-East Asia and whilst Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the availablilty of seasonal work they heavily rely on there have so far been no active casses in Koung Jor or in our out reach education project villages in Myanmar. Harvesting garlic is for most families the only income opportunity available and seeing as restrictions were put in place so camp residents could not leave the camp to work in the fields many missed out on this seasonal work for this year.

We totally appreciate these a rough and for many tight times BUT if you do find yourself in a position with a little extra to spare please consider donating so we can help those that are vulnerable and struggling with the support they need during this time. 

Keep well and safe,

Iona

Dear Friends,

First of all I'd love to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you've had a good start to 2020 so far and that a fun, healthy and happy year lies ahead for you. 

This report is particularly exciting because since our last update we visited the community at Koung Jor Refugee Camp in Northern Thailand. It was a special visit as we introduced our friends in the community to our daughter for the first time. We were welcomed with a delicious Shan noodle lunch (our favourite) and caught up with the Headman, Education Coordinator and teachers over delicious local green tea. As always it was like visiting old friends and was such a pleasure to see everyone again. 

Shan people are known for their hospitality and also for their love of children, so bringing Amelia to the community was definitely the highlight of our trip. It was also so lovely to introduce her to the oldest resident, who we affectionately call Grandma. 

During our stay we asked the Education Coordinator if there was anything else they needed. He said it would be good to start the year off with giving each of the students a new fresh notebook and pencil, so for 2,000 Thai Baht (£50/$63) we were able to make that wish come true. It's AMAZING what a small amount of money can do and the joy it can bring! Please consider donating (if you already do, THANK YOU) and/or telling your friends about our work so we can continue to make big and small dreams come true. 

With gratitude, 

Iona and the TBF team.

Dear Friends, 

We hope this message finds you well. 

What's new?

In the last few months we've been preparing for our 2019 AGM, coordinating our on going projects in Thailand and Myanmar and taking stock after our short hiatus. 

In our last report we updated you about our new project, the Pu Dooplaya Junior College (PDJC)'s Summer School Programme. We are delighted to report back that the Summer School Programme was a great success and we are excited to work closely with the team on an on going basis. 

Want to donate to this exciting project?

If you want to help us support this refugee leadership and education project you can easily do so by donating to our GlobalGiving project. As before our GlobalGiving project is a collection pot from which we fund all of our education projects. 

What's coming up? 

On the first week in November we'll be hosting another Teacher Training Workshop at Koung Jor refugee camp. This will be faciliated by the same trainer as last time and is geared to build on the content from the previous training. We've been informed that there are now more teachers and teacher assistants who are eager to learn the tricks of the trade. 

Tom and myself will be visiting New Zealand in December and Thailand in January to touch base with our supporters, projects and fellow organisations. Our youngest team member, Amelia will be joining us and we are really excited to introduce her to everyone! 

If you want to keep up-to-date on our social media. Find us on Facebook. Or if you fancy sending us a message, we're always available at info@thebranchfoundation.org!

With all our gratitude for your ongoing support, 

The Branch Foundation team