March 20, 2008
The Government of Japan is extending Grant Assistance under the Grassroots Human Security Projects scheme (GGP) to the project "Educating the Burmese communities in remote areas of Phang Nga".
H.E. Mr. Hideaki Kobayashi, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Thailand, and Mr. Htoo Chit, Managing Director of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), signed a contract on March 14, 2008 at the Embassy of Japan.
Rubber plantations constitute the major industry of Phang Nga province in southern Thailand. Many of them are located in hilly regions which are difficult to access. Most of the workers are migrants from Myanmar, forming small-scale communities at each plantation. The majority of them can speak neither Burmese, the official language of their home country, nor Thai. Consequently, they remain shut out from Thai society and deprived of opportunities to improve their technical skills, despite residing in Thailand. Because of their limited knowledge about health and hygiene, they are generally disease-prone and exposed to the danger of HIV/AIDS infection.
Moreover, while many children are living in these communities, they are not receiving even a basic education. They just spend their time at home or work with their parents as so-called child laborers. As a consequence, not only do they fail to adapt to Thai society, but there are also cases where some of them take to delinquency and even become implicated in drug-related crime. In order to tackle these problems, the Foundation established learning centers in five places in July 2005, through which it has been offering to the children a basic education covering Thai, Burmese, English, arithmetic and health guidance, and to the adults, advice on health/hygiene, HIV/AIDS, and human rights etc., twice a month on average.
The Japanese Government has decided to support the Foundation in establishing learning centers in four different places to a total of 2,561,800 baht. This covers the cost of building the four centers to provide the children of Burmese migrant workers with opportunities for a basic education, and guidance about health/hygiene, HIV/AIDS, and human rights, as well as the cost of purchasing necessary equipment and a pick-up vehicle.
The Japanese Government is willing to continue its support for projects which contribute to the enhancement of human security for the socially vulnerable and for the expansion of educational opportunities through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects scheme (GGP).
