Hope Thailand

A brutal civil war in Burma drove many Burmese citizens to seek refuge along the Burma/Thailand border. When the first refugees arrived in 1984, no one could have imaged that they would still be there over 30 years later without any hope of leaving the refugee camps and/or garbage dump villages dotted along the border.

Many children have grown up and are raising their own families in these terrible conditions without hope.

The majority of refugees in the camps are from the Karen tribes who have fled armed conflicts and/or horrendous human rights abuse and persecution by the Burmese military. There villages were burned to the ground, villagers were tortured, women raped and children orphaned and abused.

In 1995, after the DKBA attacks, the village-type settlements were merged into large sprawling camps that become increasingly dependent on outside aid as residents became more and more restricted on space and freedom of movement.

Refugees who break their rules of confinement are often detained, deported or even killed. The continued conflict has resulted in a large number of orphaned, displaced and/or abandoned children. These children are at high risk of being exploited by human traffickers, abused, homeless and malnourished. Hope Thailand is committed to providing hope to these children through a network of home environments led by Christian house parents and support by donations from people like you.