The challenge of providing education in Ban Mai Soi Camp

Mae Hong Son, 1 January 2011 – Mu Reh has an infectious smile. Finishing her post-secondary education in leadership training, she beams at the thought of someday becoming a community leader.

How a school can be more than just a place of learning

In some ways vulnerability and the need for protection define the refugee experience. It is vulnerability and the need for protection that initially prompt people to seek refuge away from their homes. And, whatever the reason for fleeing, that need for protection typically continues after escape. By providing education to children, as well as adults, we help equip refugees with the tools needed to better protect themselves and others from the dangers intrinsic to vulnerable populations.

Montagnards, ethnic Vietnamese, form the largest group of refugees in Cambodia. Unlike other refugees in the country, known as urban refugees, Montagnards are held in a number of closed sites guarded by police officers in the capital, Phnom Penh. The sites are practically detention centres as residents are only permitted to leave for medical reasons. This policy hinders the provision of education services to this group, and consequently negatively affects their mental health.