The ongoing conflict in Burma has restricted the healthy development of the education system and left many children orphaned, or with only one parent. Many families are forced to send their children away from home to find safety and continue their studies uninterrupted. KWO operates dormitories in 5 of the refugee camps and in 2 IDP areas, to provide a safe and caring environment for separated children coming from Karen State for educational purposes. This project has been run since 1999.
In 2011 KWO ran 15 dormitories in 5 refugee camps and 2 dormitories in 2 districts inside Karen State.
For each of the children and youth in the dormitories, KWO provided emotional and material support, housing, clothing and extra food, as well as assistance with study needs. KWO provides students with hygiene packages, warm clothes, bed mats, blankets, mosquito nets, and supplementary fresh fruit, vegetables and meat to add to the basic camp rations diet which are provided by TBBC. KWO paid the small school fees each year so that the students can attend school. Each KWO dormitory has at least one full-time adult carer.
Dormitory staff work in accordance with the ‘Standards of Care for Dormitories’, a document developed by KWO with children and community leaders through a participatory process in 2008.