“Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” – Brian Tracy
It was the third time that I went back to Karen State (Kaw Thoo Lei). I was happy when I met my students and teachers there and even happier when I heard the students, teachers and villagers calling, ‘’Oh, you are back!” or “Our teachers are back!“ I was still able to support their education and help them to improve their Thai and English.
This year, I went with two volunteers from my university who wanted to help the people who lived in Karen State. Both of them are from ethnic minorities: Ms Darin is Karen and Mr Puwadol is Lahu. Both of them live in Thailand. Interestingly, Mr Puwadol could not speak Karen, which was quite rare. I was so proud of them both because they wanted to help the people that had to escape from the war and they wanted to use their language experience with the displaced people of Karen State.
“The whole time I never thought I was really in Karen State. It was like I was in a dream, but it was real and I was excited, especially when I met a lot of students at the school and I didn’t know how to start to teach, but I loved it,” Ms Darin said.
Mr Puwadol shared: “For me, I love this job and many students are so cute. I promised them I would be back one day. It was the first time that I thought about the volunteer project for the displaced people in Karen State and how important education is for their lives. It was obvious that I should be doing this for them.”
While I was starting this project that I called “The Salween Volunteer Teacher Project”, I thought of my mum’s words when she said, “We are among the poorest but we can share something with our neighbours, even if it’s just our smiles which money can’t buy. This will bring you happiness, my son.”
I have always believed that throughout most of my life many people have helped me. The time has come for me to return the favour to others and the Earth for peace and love. As long as I am alive, I will not stop helping the Karen people. Volunteer life isn’t easy because we have to work among people with different backgrounds from ours and have to learn to understand them. I believe in the power of teenagers because they have ambition and commitment to their duties. There is no predicting what they will achieve.
I certainly believe that everything that I do with the Karen people who stay in Karen State will be useful for their sons or daughters. They are waiting for helpers and supporters. The world will be beautiful if we are not selfish. I often thought about human rights while I was starting this project. I thought: “Why does humanity have social classes? Why do we have the poor and the rich?” Working in Karen State and the border between Myanmar and Thailand is a challenge because of the influence of politics and the conflict with the ethnic minority groups and the Burmese government. I still believe that one day the Karen people who are in Myanmar and other ethnic groups will obtain peace and freedom. For me, they are innocent victims of the war and conflict, which is why I decided to help them. I hope peace will return to Myanmar.
Narongdet Chuanchuenchom is a student at Xavier Learning Community, a Jesuit institution of higher learning in Chiang Rai, Thailand. He first wrote about his volunteer experience in Karen State here.