by Dionel Rodriguez | Feb 22, 2023
Conflict and violence within Myanmar have forced millions of people from their homes, creating one of the world’s most significant and prolonged humanitarian crises. Many of those displaced have sought refuge near the Thai border, living in precarious conditions with limited access to consistent food, medicine, shelter, or safety.
Maryknoll partners with local organizations to provide emergency food, medicine, shelter, and broader humanitarian assistance to displaced families living in this border region. Because conditions along the border can shift quickly depending on the state of the conflict inside Myanmar, this ministry is structured to respond flexibly to evolving needs rather than following a fixed, predetermined program.
Responding flexibly to a shifting humanitarian crisis reflects the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Solidarity, a readiness to stand with displaced families regardless of how circumstances along the border may change from month to month. This ministry also embodies Maryknoll’s founding charism of presence at the peripheries, remaining engaged in a protracted crisis that has, for many observers, faded from regular public attention.
Gifts to this project support emergency food, medicine, and shelter for families displaced by conflict along the Myanmar-Thailand border, providing comfort and stability amid ongoing crisis and uncertainty, and bearing witness that these families have not been forgotten.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 12, 2020
Violence and instability in Myanmar have forced thousands of children and young adults to flee their homeland, seeking safety and opportunity in neighboring Thailand. Many arrive with little more than what they could carry, having lost access to consistent schooling, stable housing, and basic services during their journey and displacement.
Maryknoll helps provide food, shelter, medical care, educational support, and language instruction for refugee students living at Wat Prok Mon Temple in Bangkok, a community that has taken in Burmese refugees seeking safety within Thailand’s borders. These services address both the immediate necessities of daily survival and the longer-term goal of allowing students to continue their education despite significant disruption.
Supporting refugee students in a Buddhist temple community reflects the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Solidarity, a commitment that reaches across religious lines to serve the Life and Dignity of every displaced child. This ministry also embodies Maryknoll’s founding charism of interreligious cooperation in mission, working alongside partners of other faiths whenever doing so serves the wellbeing of people in genuine need.
Gifts to this project support food, shelter, medical care, and education for Burmese refugee students in Bangkok, giving young people who have fled violence the opportunity to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams despite significant hardship.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 12, 2020
Thailand is home to thousands of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and survivors of human trafficking, individuals and families who have fled war, persecution, and poverty in search of safety and stability. Many arrive with urgent, immediate needs and little understanding of Thailand’s legal systems or available support services.
Maryknoll works alongside local and international partners to provide food assistance, medical care, emergency support, legal referrals, and pastoral accompaniment to this vulnerable population. Coordinating with established partner organizations allows Maryknoll to extend its reach and effectiveness beyond what any single organization could achieve independently, connecting individuals with the specific type of assistance their circumstances require.
This ministry embodies the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Rights and Responsibilities as they apply to refugees, affirming the Church’s teaching that those fleeing war and persecution retain a claim to safety, dignity, and just treatment. It also reflects Maryknoll’s charism of coordinated accompaniment, working alongside partner organizations to extend care to displaced people whose circumstances often exceed what any single ministry could address alone.
Gifts to this project support food assistance, medical care, and legal referrals that help refugees, migrants, and trafficking survivors in Thailand rebuild their lives with dignity and hope, grounded in the conviction that every person, regardless of legal status, remains a member of the one human family.
