Rescuing Burmese Children

There I am in a van with two children fast asleep on the seat, the kids sandwiched between myself and the Thai abolitionist Kru Nam. We are driving back from the border town of Mae Sai where a narrow river and a simple bridge are all that segregates Thailand from Myanmar. One boy, one girl, both Burmese, have just escaped hell. I feel privileged to be a part of the experience.

The girl, Pim, is eight years old. Her Burmese mother forces her to go to the border bridge every day to beg for money.
The mom is addicted to opium which grows widely in the Golden Triangle region. The mother tells Pim not to come home unless she comes back with 300 baht (roughly $10). With local events in Myanmar already depressing the low tourist season, finding willing donors is tough business. Kru Nam hears through the street grapevine that the mother is looking to sell Pim.
When she tracks the mom down, Kru Nam makes an offer. “I’ll give you 500 baht if you let Pim come live with me at our children’s village.” The mother agrees, and Pim now sleeps peacefully, cradled into Kru Nam’s arm in our van.

The boy next to me, Kho, is 11. Two years ago he was trafficked into Thailand for child labor. He escaped and found refuge at Buddies Along the Roadside, Kru Nam’s village. You can watch a video of the history of the village. His Burmese family made contact and demanded that Kho come back home, and Kru Nam happily complied with their request to reunite Kho with his family. Two months have passed, and we ran into Kho in the streets of Mae Sai today. He begged Kru Nam to return to Buddies. His family is forcing him to sell drugs – primarily ice and amphetamines – on each side of the border. When kids are caught selling drugs, the police treat them lightly. Adults, on the other hand, will be sentenced to long prison terms. So many adults use kids as their drug peddlers. Kho has spent two years in school and living with a community of hope. He is now on his way back home.

Two children tell the story of children for sale more powerfully than any set of statistics I could offer.
Once again, my heart is broken.

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Lindsey G
Posts: 1

Burmese Survivors need families?
Reply #1 on : Wed June 18, 2008, 15:41:41

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Do these rescued children need families to live with? Is there an opportunity to adopt these children? My husband and I are very interested in this in info would be helpful.