A Corner of the Refugee Camps for Children Without Parents Ta Lah Say* and Me Dwe*

Late one morning, the ‘With You’ team visited another group of children without parents who stay in a girls’ boarding house. There are about 46 girls without parents and their ages range from 10-20 years old. Ta Lah Say and Me Dwe are two girls who spoke to us, and gave us a glimpse of their lives. They have different backgrounds but share a common goal. They yearn for a safe and secure life.

Ta Lah Say said she moved to this camp four years ago, when she was 12 years old. She came with other six friends after her parents passed away.

“I don’t have parents any more. My mom was not well and passed away since I was small. My dad was shot dead by a soldier at a farm.” Ta Lah Say said

Ta Lah Say has eight siblings, but they lost contact with each other when they fled for safety. Three elder siblings are in the village, another two are in an internally displaced person camp in Karen state and another two live in other refugee camps in Thailand.

“Living here, I am taken care of. There are soap, shampoo and other necessary things. I have friends to talk to and study with.”

She told us about her daily life and being taken care of by the social workers supported by UNHCR. Her face became lively when talking about the weaving which she learned from her mother when she was young. She took us to see a corner where the weaving takes places. She is making a bag and Karen-style top for herself out of hand-woven cloth. Another girl called Me Dwe is 17 years old and arrived here just over a year ago. Like many children in camps, Me Dwe lost her parents when she was young.

Me Dwe said when she was young she saw soldiers attacking her village, taking rice, chickens or vegetables. When the soldiers attacked, villagers had to flee and hide in a jungle. She and her grandmother tried to stay quietly in their house. They did not dare to go out. Her mother passed away when Me Dwe was young. She does not have other siblings. Her father ran away to another village leaving her with the grandmother. Me Dwe has a strong bond with her grandmother as her grandmother raised her. Because of the severe situation in their village, her grandmother told her to flee to a refugee camp together with other villagers. Her grandmother could not flee because the journey was too far for her.

“When I first arrived, I cried every night. Now I can adjust myself because there are social workers and friends to talk to. The happiest moment for me is when studying. I am now in Grade ten.”

Me Dwe tries to be the best she can be in the camp, to meet her grandmother’s expectation for her to have a better life than those old days.