We met with the Director of the TBBC to get another view on what is happening with refugees. What I took from this discussion is how this organization is changing its strategy to help refugees. Previous strategy was to deliver food while the camp leaders and organizational structures were responsible for distribution and storage of the food.
The new strategy is to make sure that the folks in the camps learn a skill since more than a 1/3 of the population in the camp were born there. So now the focus is on creating sustainable jobs through weaving projects (I have benefited from this project. I have bought more than a few items made in the camps.); agriculture programs teaching farming techniques; shelter which is a better and more sustainable way to build the homes in the camps - this skill could also be used outside the camps; and micro-loan programs to help people start businesses.
The phrase he used for the new strategic response is 'Instead of WAITING, we have to PROMOTE change.' Their website is http://www.tbbc.org/.
For more information about the camps, read my entries on Mae Sot Day 1 and Mae Sot Day 2.
 |
| Jack Dunford, Director |
 |
| How the food distribution has changed from 1984 to the 2011 levels of food distributed per adult. |
No comments:
Post a Comment