By Lawrence Belanger
Local Journalism Initiative
The Mae Sot Education Project is a youth volunteer project working in Thailand, assisting Burmese refugees from Myanmar along the Thai-Burmese border. For the past 18 years, the Lennoxville-based project has supported youth education programs for migrants in nine refugee camps, teaching English and fostering cross-cultural links between students from Bishop’s University and Champlain College with Thai and Burmese youth.
Recently, Bishop’s student Sara Watson penned an article about her experiences in Thailand for the Record, published under the “Hand in Hand” section of Wednesday’s paper.
This year, the project held its first “holiday raffle” fundraiser, giving away a vacation package to Manoir Hovey, a lakeside resort in nearby North Hatley. Mary Purkey, coordinator of the Mae Sot project, credited Stephen and Katherine Stafford, longtime friends of the program, for making the event possible with their donation of the prize. The raffle, which according to Purkey, included a “deluxe lakeside room, dinner and breakfast”, was won by Carol McCormack.
