By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Mae Sot Education Project (MSEP) celebrated 20 years of operation April 6 at its annual benefit dinner held at the Old Lennox Golf & Ski clubhouse. Over 80 supporters attended the event, which included traditional Burmese and Thai food, volunteer testimonials and a video presentation, a raffle, and live music.
MSEP is a youth volunteer project that assists refugee and migrant children from Myanmar (Burma) living in Mae Sot, Thailand, and helps Canadians better understand the plight of people displaced by repression and conflict.
“We’ve been doing this dinner since 2010,” said Project Coordinator Mary Purkey in an April 6 interview with The Record. She added that a few years were missed during the pandemic and MSEP has found supporters “really look forward to it.”
This is the first time the event has been held at the Lennoxville Golf Course. Previously, it took place at Lennoxville’s Oasis Christian Centre.
The MSEP Team, with assistance from friends, created and prepared a menu featuring creamy Thai green curry pea soup with coconut, lime, and coriander; classic Burmese ginger salad (Gin Thok) and traditional pickled tealeaf salad (Lephetoe) with tomatoes and cabbage; Thai Panang Curry with chicken, peanuts, and sweet peppers, along with Burmese Golden Egg Curry with coconut milk for main courses, served with jasmine rice; and mango pudding with cashews and a hint of cardamom for dessert.
