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| Photos & Words © Mae Sot Education Project |
Who Can Apply?
Project volunteers are selected from among students at Champlain College - Lennoxville and Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. This year we are reaching out to University of Sherbrooke students with strong English backgrounds (or those enrolled in the TESL program)!
- Be aged 18 to 26;
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Make A Difference! - Have good spoken and written English [Because we are based in Québec, some of our volunteers will be native French speakers, but they too must have good English skills.];
- Be independent, self-reliant and resourceful, show maturity and good judgment;
- Work well in a team;
- Be adaptable and sensitive to different cultures;
- Care about social justice issues and world affairs;
- Be effective and energetic in working with children;
- Have a desire to learn about the situation in Burma and the problems of displaced people and of the Thai and Burmese communities in Mae Sot.
Making A Difference Since 2004!
By William Bryson, 2014 Volunteer!
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| The Garden |
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| BHSOH School Bus |
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| One of Hsa Thoo Ley’s Buildings |
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| MSEP Volunteer With BHSOH Students |
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| Students Doing Traditional Karen Dance |
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| Hle Bee’s Playground |
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| Kids At Work! |
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| Naw Tha Zin with MSEP Volunteer |
Testimonials
"The first time I saw the poster for the Mae Sot Project was one week before the closure date. I knew I had to apply. I was at a point in my life when I knew what one of my important goals in life was, but I had to confirm this idea with a concrete experience. And the Mae Sot Education Project was that concrete experience."
"Mae Sot's appeal is very real but it is not visual. It is the focus of a truly impressive number of humanitarian projects dealing with the human rights, health and education of the thousands of displaced Burmese who live here to escape persecution in their homeland. Staying at one of the innumerable guesthouses means encountering volunteers from all over the world who have been in Mae Sot for weeks, months or years."
"As childish as it sounds, the first time I went to Mae Sot, I frequently referred to it as Thai Narnia (the fantasy world from C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) because walking through the doors of the Bangkok airport was like walking into an entirely other realm where even time seemed to move differently. I returned to Canada feeling utterly changed, but at home it was like no one had moved since I left ten months earlier. I felt like I had experienced an entire lifetime in Thailand with so much personal growth and more adventures and details than I could ever explain to everyone."
"In Mae Sot, educational institutions aren't simply changing lives; they’re saving them. While in Mae Sot I have watched as students sat cross-legged on the floor and listened to morning discussions about the dangers of touring the market place on their own and the possible loitering of human traffickers. In these instances I am often made aware of the power and possible impact of the education these students are receiving."
Donations
It is now possible to donate to the Mae Sot Education Project on line. If you prefer to donate to MSEP through Bishop’s University, the link below will take you to the Bishop’s University Foundation’s site for making donations. Click on the link. For the designation, choose “other” from the list of options and then manually type in “MaeSot”. You can then complete the rest of the form. Your donation to MSEP will be processed through the Bishop’s Foundation. You will automatically receive an e-receipt and then the Foundation will send a thank you card in the mail.
Click: Bishop University Donation
OR
Donate by cheque at our project address: Box 67, Champlain College – Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 2A1. Be sure to include the name of the Foundation and MSEP on your cheque.
For more information, contact us at
maesoteducationproject@gmail.com or see www.maesot.ubishops.ca.
You may also contact Mary Purkey
at mpurkey@crc-lennox.qc.ca or marypurkey@gmail.com
or by telephone at (819) 564-3666, ext. 210
maesoteducationproject@gmail.com or see www.maesot.ubishops.ca.
You may also contact Mary Purkey
at mpurkey@crc-lennox.qc.ca or marypurkey@gmail.com
or by telephone at (819) 564-3666, ext. 210