"The water in the small pond is beautiful like Mya.
The white color of sliver waves
In the river of Irrawaddy.
The big piles of bamboo branches and wooden waste are flowing in the water.
Bone Ma Tee bird and Shwe Won Bo bird are standing happily on a bamboo branch and a piece of wood
And following the flowing direction of the pile of small pieces of woods and bamboos.”

Ler Wah Paw, a 12-year-old Karen, recited her favourite Burmese poem.  “The poem is about the Irrawaddy River in Burma,” she said.  “It is meaningful to me and it makes me happy when I try to picture what is being expressed in the poem,” she added.

Ler Wah Paw is a student of Standard 4 class in Ban Mae Surin Refugee Camp, in Khun Yuam District, Mae Hong Son Province of Thailand.  She was 7 years old when she started school and has enjoyed going to school since.

“I want to study as much as I can, to the highest level possible,” she said.  Her favorite class is Burmese as she finds it easy to understand and fun to study.  “This is not common among our students to like Burmese subject.  Normally students would prefer science or maths,” said Tar Gay Doh, the school headmistress.

To help children such as Ler Wah Paw the right to education, Save the Children and its partners, through the BEST (Basic Education Support towards Transition) and PREPS (Preparing for Reintegration through Education and Participative Solutions) Projects, with support from the European Union and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to ensure quality education and durable education solutions for the refugee camp population in Thailand.

Ler Wah Paw enjoys reading, learning about different subjects, and sharing ideas with her classmates.  She also took part the non-formal education and vocational training conducted by JRS with support from Save the Children, where she learned how to sew and it has become her favorite hobby since.

“I like to talk to my classmates and share my experiences with them,” said Ler Wah Paw. “Moving from Standard 3 to Standard 4 this year, there is one more class that we get to study.  It is the health subject, in which we study and take tests.  It is a new learning experience for me and it makes me happy.”

With her aim to be a Burmese teacher when she grows up, Ler Wah Paw would like to encourage all children to study hard and go to school regularly.  “Our school is very happy, clean, and the teachers are friendly,” she added.

Through BEST and PREPS Projects, Save the Children has provided textbooks, school materials, and ensured that the schools in refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border are regularly maintained and in good conditions.  Save the Children works to ensure that children like Ler Wah Poh receive basic education and gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive and fulfill their potential.