Burmese refugee children put on a show for visitors

traditional Burmese dance

At the Hsa Mu Htaw School in Mae Sot on the Thai border with Burma children living at the boarding house are always happy to put on a show for visitors. Many of them are talented singers and dancers. But behind their cheerful faces are some very sad stories. Most of these students are in Thailand without their families. They live in very basic conditions, with the added worry that if they were to return home they may be forced into the army, or worse, shot on site trying to re-enter their own country.

And the teachers looking after them are struggling to keep school running, after the government cut funding for school meals - often the only food the children receive in a day. Many teachers, mostly on salaries of about a dollar a day, have been paying for the meals themselves. The Thai Children's Trust has pledged to pay for lunches for a thousand children. These cost just £3 a month per child.

To watch a short film on the children of Hsa Mu Htaw see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9wPW9Q3EXw&feature=g-all-u

To make a donation to their lunches see: www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/hungerbusters/?utm_source=Campaign%252B-%252BHungerBusters%252B2012&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email%252BClick&dm_i=67W,TDZA,1C90BN,2EHK9,1