For more than two decades, Wat Prok School, established by Maryknoll two decades ago, has provided education, skill training as well as clothing, food and medical assistance to 34 and 52 Mon Migrant boys, ranging from six to seventeen years old, living at small Mon Buddhist monastery in Bangkok. The number of students varies primarily due to new students.
The boys parents are migrant workers mostly working in the fish process plant outside of Bangkok or on the fishing boats. The Maryknoll Thailand team members work with the Informal Education Department of the Thai Government to provide basic education to the boys, including Mon, Thai and English language training, some basic grammar school classes and sponsors skill training for the older boys.
Initial emphasis is on teaching the boys the Thai language, which makes them eligible for special temporary ID cards until age 17. The younger is then recognized as having a right to be in the country. It also provides protection against the boys being trafficked, given the extent of the problem of trafficking in Southeast Asia.
Bro. William Raible, M.M.’s project mainly focuses on Asylum Seekers, Refugees, Prisoners and Victims of Human Trafficking. We work as a team and in collaboration with Caritas-Thailand, Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) and five Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Bangkok, as well as close cooperation with the Thai people in our effort to assist these various groups of people in need.
Many people continue to flee their homes, villages and nations for a variety of reasons, mainly Religious and Political persecution. In the city of Bangkok alone, it is estimated that we have over 6,000 illegal Refugees and Asylums Seekers. The people we reach out to are people running from the violence in their homelands and they come from the various countries of Asia and Africa.
Poor living conditions and violence in their homelands have resulted in an increase in refugees into Thailand from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and other countries in the Middle East. Brother Bill and others take care of their physical needs by providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education to refugee families as well as the poor Hill Tribes people in North of Thailand.
These poor people speak little Thai and need medical care, food at times, transportation for their children to and from school. We do our best to protect, feed and help, as we continue to be inspired by Pope Francis, who asks all of us to continue to reach out to the Stranger, the Refugee and the Poor.
Fr. Charles Dittmeier, Maryknoll Priest Associate, heads the only agency in Cambodia for deaf adults that provides education, job training, interpreting and teaching sign language, community development and social services.
The main objective of the project is to educate and train deaf individuals who can then form a community which advocates for itself and can be integrated into hearing society.
Educating the deaf in Cambodia continues to make a difference to more than 51,000 deaf people and 500,000 who are hard-of-hearing.
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers strive to provide more and better services to the deaf population by collaborating and partnering with other organizations to extend our reach. One of these partners is Epic Arts, a UK-based organization that promotes performing arts and skills training for people with or without disabilities.
You can help provide hostels to house and feed students and provide education, job training, interpreting, sign language, deaf community development and social services.
The Four Maryknoll Schools have made some major changes; the biggest change was for the Maryknoll Society to become more involved in the evangelization and Christian formation of our students. Early in 2014, we implemented Independent Management Committees for each of our schools. A Youth Minister to oversee programs at all four schools was hired and pastoral workers were hired for three schools in 2015 to help the principals and youth minister meet the needs of our students.
Maryknoll continues to offer extracurricular religious programs that take place after school and at lunch time for students who want to pray or learn more about the Catholic faith. The pastoral workers enhance the Catholic aspects of the schools and insure that the quality of the classes is high and that the doctrine is explained in a coherent and professional level.
We are a Catholic Society of priests and brothers based in the United States. We are dedicated to missionary work overseas in over 20 countries. Additionally, we animate Catholics in the United States to follow their own baptismal call to share God’s compassion and love with the poor, the sick, and all those in need.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Africa Region will provide tuition assistance to African clergy, male and female religious at institutes of higher education or specialized training. Read More
The life of a Maryknoll missioner is challenging, fulfilling, and deeply rewarding. Follow your baptismal call to mission by sharing God’s compassion with the poor, the sick, and people most in need.
