We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
On November 22 we started a Benefit Sale of drawings and water colors from the Relocation Center in Mae Sot/ Thailand. The art is available in our online shop and at the JFK Friendship Center in Berlin. All proceeds will go The Best Friend’s projects with the people on the rubbish dump of Mae Sot.
Along the Thai-Burma border the rubbish dump of Mae Sot, Thailand has become a refuge for migrant families, fleeing civil war, persecution and extreme poverty in Burma. They came to Thailand with the hope of finding a better and secure place but living conditions are bleak for the families with lack of access to basic needs and services, such as clean water and medical facilities.
The Best Friend has been working with the people on the dump since 2007. Our main role is to provide basic services to the migrants living at the rubbish dump like supply medicine to individuals who cannot go into town for medical treatment and distribute food to families at the dump site. We also provide opportunities for families to send their children to school. In January 2010 we opened our Relocation Center near the dump with a place for children to live and sewing classes for adults.
In addition to that we are currently searching for another land to rent near the dump. We want to give the families on the dump the opportunity to live there and be able to still work on the dump. It is for most of them the only way to make a living for their family.
All proceeds from the Benefit Sale will go directly to our work with the people on the rubbish dump of Mae Sot and will give us the possibility to continue our work and support the refugees that have given up their home in Burma in hope of finding a better and secure place in Thailand.
Related posts:
- Teddies for the Children on the Rubbish Dump of Mae Sot
- The Scavengers (Burmese at the rubbish dump)
- KIng Zero visits rubbish dump
- Visit on The Rubbish Dump of Mae Sot
- Relocation Center & Peace Factory
- Kids Day on the Rubbish Dumpsite
- Press Release: The Best Friend Helps Families Move Away From Rubbish Dump
- The Children of the Mae Sot Dump
- Bake Sale for The Best Friend in Berlin
- Two Friends in Action: The Best Friend project work with Migrants of the Mae Sot Rubbish Dump