Thailand

A reason to smile for Saw October Wah

Nine-year-old Saw October Wah was born in the Mae La Oon refugee camp and knows no life outside its borders. When he talks about his most prized possession, he proudly shows off his toothbrush - a small but significant gift as part of Malteser International's health programs. He uses it daily with his school friends and reminds us how important the basics of healthcare are for the people in the camp.

Find out more about Saw's story and the vital support we provide at Mae La Oon Camp.

Naw Bu Gaw's hope for a better future

Naw Bu Gaw belongs to the Karen ethnic group, which has endured persecution and conflict in the border regions of Myanmar and Thailand for decades. Her story is one of many in the Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camps, where around 20,000 people have sought refuge for decades. Despite the safety of the Mae La Oon camp, life remains challenging. Food is often scarce and infectious diseases are widespread. Because her two young children often fall ill, she frequently visits Malteser International's health facility, where her family receives essential medical care.

New prospects for Ray Mo and Naw Eh Say Paw

For as long as he can remember, Ray Mo, 46, was interested in working in the medical field. He now fulfills his vision to help his community as one of currently over 300 camp-based Community Volunteers working for Malteser International (MI) in Thailand. Like hundreds of other refugees, he had received training by MI as part of a comprehensive project intended to increase the self-sufficiency of the camp residents, and which saw its 30-year anniversary in 2023.

Lah Ku Paw works as a midwife in a refugee camp - and is a refugee herself

Lah Ku Paw has been living in the Mae Ma Ra Luang refugee camp close to the Myanmar border since she fled her home village almost 15 years ago. At the camp, she takes part in a Malteser International training project that aims to make the residents largely self-sufficient in the field of medical care as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene. The dedicated young woman was initially active as a Community Health Worker before training to become a midwife. This is her story.

From womb to world – Two stories from mothers in a refugee camp in Thailand

28-year-old Eh Nee K'Mwee Paw and 32-year-old Naw Tae Paw are well aware that pregnancy and childbirth can be associated not only with the joy of new life, but also with concerns about illness and death. Both women share the experience of pregnancy in a refugee camp in Thailand. Both women know the daunting worry for the life of their child and their own lives. The stories of Eh Nee K'Mwee Paw and Naw Tae Paw and their babies have a happy ending - thanks to thorough healthcare before, during and after birth in Malteser International's health facility.   

Breaking the Cycle of Mental Health Stigma - Psychosocial Support for Refugees in Thailand

Interview with psychosocial support supervisor Chitlada Kankeow

How does the experience of displacement affect people and their mental health? And how can these people be accompanied and supported, even if or precisely because the hopeless conditions and circumstances are not going to change anytime soon? Chitlada Kankeow and her psychosocial support team are addressing those very questions and are available with various psychosocial services for people in the camps.

A glimmer of hope away from home

For over 20 years, Malteser International has been working to provide improved medical care for thousands of Myanmar refugees living in refugee camps in Thailand. Many of these refuges have lived in these camps for so long that they can hardly remember their homeland. In the face of difficulties faced by the refugees, a bright glimmer of hope can be seen in the story of two women in Mae La Oon refugee camp.