Children at Tham Hin Refugee Camp learn the power of self-love and safety awareness

In a dimly lit community hall, in Tham Hin refugee camp, children sit attentively in rows on the floor. The air is filled with the hum of a pedestal fan and the soft whispers of excitement as children gather for a session on positive self-image and self-protection. Each child has been tasked with writing down three positive things about themselves.

Eleven-year-old Say Yoe Paw volunteers to go first. She stands up, walks slowly to the front of the class, and carefully unfolds a piece of paper. With a soft voice, she reads aloud, “I am beautiful. I am kind. I love my parents.” The room fills with applause as her peers cheer for her.

“Who wants to go next?” a youth volunteer in a bright pink T-shirt asks cheerfully through a microphone, and instantly, all hands shoot up in the air, eager to share what they appreciate about themselves.

Encircled by rolling hills and situated within the lush green landscape of Ratchaburi Province in southern Thailand, Tham Hin provides a home for over 4,900 refugees from Myanmar. Many of the children participating in the session have been born and raised in this camp.

This engaging session, led by UNHCR’s partner, the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR), uses creative and interactive methods to teach children about key issues in an engaging manner. The initiative is part of a European Union funded project focused on child protection, implemented across all nine temporary shelters (camps) for refugees from Myanmar in Thailand.

In these sessions, children are educated on the concepts of “good and bad touch” and “good and bad feelings,” helping them to recognize potential risks in their communities. The program is designed to empower young children with essential skills to recognize and respond to inappropriate behaviours, helping them protect themselves from potential harm, whether from strangers, family members, or others they may know and trust.

Back in the community hall, children are divided into two groups. Youth volunteers spread large flip chart papers on the floor, each with hand-drawn maps of the camp. They point out the safe spaces and areas that may pose risks, guiding children through a visual exploration of their surroundings to improve their understanding and safety awareness.

Next, the map is hung on the blackboard, and children are invited to draw a red circle around areas they consider unsafe and a green circle for safe spaces. Some make mistakes, prompting bursts of laughter from their peers, while others lean into whisper suggestions to the presenter about where to place each circle.

These sessions are conducted in Karen, Burmese, and Karenni languages to ensure that all participants can fully participate and benefit from the activities.

Another component of the programme is to empowers refugee youth-led groups to lead initiatives that enhance their leadership skills and positively impact their communities. With 324 youth members involved, these groups have collectively selected three key activities for 2024, directly benefiting an estimated 2,700 children. The activities include an awareness-raising campaign on substance abuse, a campaign to address early child marriage, and self-protection training for children following the ‘No-Go-Tell’ approach.

As the session wraps up with a game of musical chairs, children leave with smiles, filled with a sense of belonging and hope. With over 80,000 refugees from Myanmar currently residing in temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border, programmes like this are important in helping them navigate their challenges. By empowering young refugees to understand their rights and recognize safe spaces, each session builds their confidence and helps create a community where they can feel secure and supported.