Koung Jor Shan Refugee Camp was founded on the Thai-Myanmar border in 2002, when the people fled from fighting between the Burmese military troops and the Shan State Army. There are 303 people living in the camp, 117 are children. The computer classes are very popular and vital to the children's education, teacher's preparation for classes and to connect the community to the outside world. This project aims to replace their broken computers and connect more computers to the internet!
The computers in the refugee camp have not been replaced since 2007. Almost all of the computers are broken making it hard for teachers and students to have computer classes and to run camp administration effectively. There are also only 2 computers connected to the internet so it is difficult to teach computer classes when information needs to be researched. These classes which not only serve the children/youth of the camp but also the surrounding villages, are in jeopardy of discontinuing.
This project aims to provide the camp with new computers and connect all computers to the internet. The computer classes are an important part of the children's education and are also used for class preparation by teachers and for camp administration. Having new computers that are connected to the internet will enable these activities to run much more effectively and give residents an all important link to the outside world which is especially important during the current pandemic environment.
This project will equip students with the necessary computer skills and education required to pursue higher education and employment outside of the camp. There have been several community members that have gone on to study IT at university however without PCs this will no longer be an option for current and future students. Ensuring the camp administration runs smoothly is also important for the residents' wellbeing in the long-term.
