There are a number of organisations which provide funding for education but BEP sees its role as being specifically linked to professional educational support. This is an element which is highly valued on the Thai border and is frequently in short supply. Over the last seven years we have built up the organisation gradually and have mainly been involved in the provision of short courses for teachers and students in the camps. More recently we have become involved in the placement of individual volunteers. All in all we have taken out nearly forty volunteers to work in the camps. These volunteers have worked and travelled mainly in small teams but in 2007 we had four volunteers working in individual placements on the Thai border. We do not work inside Burma itself due to the obvious dangers posed by the situation. We have, however, provided funding for schools inside war – torn areas.
In 2008 BEP initiated a Mobile Teaching Progamme to provide professional English Language support for schools in the scattered migrant communities on the Thai-Burma border.
A Professional Network 'Teachers talking to Teachers'
Education is by its very nature a long term developmental process and as an organisation we are involved with Burma and its people for the long term. It is difficult to say exactly how the future of Burma will develop but it is clear that education will play a key role. Currently there is much debate on the form that this will take. One way we see our role as developing is providing Burmese educational groups with alternatives which they can accept, reject or adapt . In order to do this we would like to build in the UK a network of professional educationalists who can at some point contribute to this process.
Who do we work with?
BEP works with a range of organisations and places its volunteers in conjunction with these organisations.
Burmese organisations:
The Karen Education Department
The Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee
The Karen Women's Organisation
NGOs
World Education [USA]
ZOA [Holland]
Help Without Frontiers [ Pan-European]