Support Community Development in South-East Asia

Dear Supporters,

We hope this message finds you well. As always, we’re deeply grateful for your continued generosity and commitment to our work. Your support enables us to make a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most. We’re pleased to share some reflections from our recent visit to the Thai-Myanmar border earlier this month.

Visit to Koung Jor Refugee Camp

In early November, our team travelled to northern Thailand to visit Koung Jor Refugee Camp. It was wonderful to reconnect in person with the Camp Headman, Project Coordinator, and both the English and Computer Teachers. During our meetings, we discussed recent developments within the camp and explored how we can continue to strengthen our collaboration in the year ahead.

One key project we’ve been asked to support is the introduction of solar-powered laptops for the computer classes. With electricity in the camp being so unreliable, this initiative would allow lessons to continue uninterrupted while promoting sustainable energy use. We’ll soon begin raising funds for this effort and are excited about the impact it could have on digital education for the community.

We also learned that support from larger organisations has declined, particularly for food relief, as many countries scale back their foreign aid budgets. While this presents new challenges, our ability to respond quickly as a small, flexible organisation — supported by a dedicated community of donors like you — means we’ll be exploring if/how we might help fill this gap in the months ahead.

Interestingly, the community has also begun experimenting with AI tools to support self-learning in IT and even assist in writing reports for donors and partner organisations. It’s inspiring to see such creativity and innovation emerging from within the camp itself.

We left Koung Jor encouraged by the resilience and resourcefulness of the community, and we’re committed to continuing our support in meaningful and sustainable ways.

With heartfelt thanks for making all of this possible,

The Branch Foundation Team