Minmahaw Project

The lack of higher educational opportunities both in Burma and along the border for Burmese youth is a big problem. One of the few opportunities for migrant youth in Mae Sot is Minmahaw. Minmahaw is filling this educational gap in an inspiring way, giving opportunities to adolescents showing great motivation and commitment Minmahaw School is a boarding school offering an intensive English immersion programs for disadvantaged Burmese aged between 17 and 23 years old that have completed compulsory aged education and have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to studies and leadership. The school was originally establish to offer children/grandchildren of political prisoners’ preparation courses for universities; however, the objectives of the school have gradually changed over the years. Nevertheless, they still have a clear focus on English skills, and all the communication and all the classes are in English.

Over 10 weeks from October to December, PlayOnside held a program about organizational development and sports as a tool for development at the school. The course had a great focus on participation and critical thinking, and the student themselves were responsible for arranging tournaments with a focus on gender equality.

For PlayOnside this project has been very successful. It has been great to see the students gaining an in-depth understanding about the work of PlayOnside, and also giving us valuable feedback about our program. We look forward to explore and enhance our cooperation with Minmahaw School in the coming years.

The level of critical thinking, and understanding of development work among the Minmahaw students have greatly impressed us. We will hold another course in the first quarter of 2018 with a new batch of students, and Minmahaw is for sure one of the places where PlayOnside will look for young leaders to join the organization in the future.