Foundation for Education and Development (FED)

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The Foundation for Education and Development (FED) is a Burmese-led grassroots organisation working to support Burmese migrants in Southern Thailand and was founded in 2000 in Sankalaburi, Kanchanaburi province under the name Grassroots Human Rights Education & Development (GHRE). Soon after the 2004 Tsunami the organization relocated to Phang Nga province to offer emergency assistance to Tsunami-affected Burmese migrants whose needs had been largely ignored by the Thai government and NGO’s. Since then FED has been addressing the long term needs of marginalized Burmese migrant workers and their families, working towards building trust among the disaffected Burmese community.

We aim to achieve our mission by carrying out the following 7 objectives:
• Provide education to the children of Burmese migrant workers in southern Thailand.
• Promoting job opportunities and foster a safe and lawful environment for Burmese migrant workers in Southern Thailand.
• Provide migrant children with a safe and happy environment.
• Build bridges between Thai and Burmese communities.
• Educate Burmese migrant communities on Human Rights, Economic, Social and Culture Rights.
• Empower Burmese migrant women to improve their situation.

Our programs are focused on our most important objectives:
• Providing education and a safe environment for Burmese children,
• Supporting and developing the Burmese migrant community, and
• Providing health care and training to Burmese Families.

Programs:
• Education Program:
Access to education for the children of Burmese migrant workers in Southern Thailand is very difficult for a number of reasons: such as poverty, inability to speak the Thai language, fear of discrimination and a very basic educational level.
FED’s drive for providing an education to Burmese migrants is so that education can be used as a tool to break the cycle of poverty that afflicts these children and their parents
Unified Learning Center: The Unified Learning Center (ULC) is located in Khuk Khak, Takuapa near popular Khao Lak. It provides education for over 350 Burmese children in the area.
Kuraburi Learning Center: The Kuraburi Learning Center (KLC) is equipped to provide education for 80 Burmese migrant children living in the Kuraburi district of Phang Nga Province.
• Migrant Program
Burmese migrant rights are abused on a daily basis. Whilst most migrants are unaware of their human and labor rights, often they are also too scared to seek help, which is in any case near impossible for them to access due to a lack of legal assistance.
FED’s Migrant Development program targets different segments of migrant communities; women, youth, community leaders, and community activists amongst others. The Program activities engage and empower migrant communities to lead and organize themselves effectively taking responsibility in the accomplishment of justice and social inclusion for them and their communities by raising awareness of their rights with a significantly increased utilization of the legal system to protect those rights. In addition, FED strives to raise the awareness of Thai civil society regarding the situation faced by Burmese migrants in Thailand for the purpose of cultivating a peaceful society in Thailand and a unified civil society promoting human rights, for Burmese migrants in Thailand.
• Health Program
FED has created a comprehensive health program that runs a number of projects striving to answer to the needs of the Burmese community.
FED’s dedicated team of health workers supports the migrant community within the limits of its resources and skill. The team is always “on call” to assist migrants and provide long term care to those with chronic health problems such as TB and HIV. The medics provide monthly health checks to all students at the Learning Centers and nurseries. They work alongside staff from MSF at Takuapa Hospital to track and help finance hospitalizations for migrant workers when they do occur. They also disseminate information to local migrant populations on health, hygiene and disease prevention.

Philippe van Gammeren is the IT & Marketing Manager of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.