“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Proverbs 31:8
It has been three years since my colleagues and I started working in Karen State as volunteer teachers. We are happy that our work has developed and is supported by many people. All of our students are displaced people who live in the refugee camp in the said state. Our students are now able to read Thai and English.
Every time we returned to Karen State, we never forgot our goal. We never only wanted to teach but also to be a part of our students’ lives. Working as volunteers hasn’t been easy because we often meet a lot of problems, but we never surrender to them.
We work hard for the people of Karen State as we try to find God in all things in this journey. I will tell our story through our pictures.
The boats on the Salween river are symbols of our friendship with the people of Karen State.
Travelling is fun, but sometimes it’s not. However, we push through for our students.
The students study Thai and English, and we are proud of them who focus on their education.
We are proud to wear our beautiful traditional Karen attire. “Don’t worry, be happy, and go for it!” is our philosophy.
This is a photo with our brothers and sisters in Karen State. We miss them so much.
Goodbye, our dear students! We will be back one day.
Narongdet Chuanchuenchom is a student at Xavier Learning Community, a Jesuit institution of higher learning in Chiang Rai, Thailand.