Baan Unrak, translated from Thai as "House of Joy", is a children's home and community development project in Sangkhlaburi,Thailand. Sangklaburi looks to be an idyllic village situated on an enormous lake along the Thai-Myanmar border. However, the area is home to many refugees fleeing war, forced labor and poverty in Burma/Myanmar. Burmese immigrants are restricted to living in a small region around the border where they encounter discrimination and a lack of jobs. Many are born in Thailand, but lack the legal documentation to prove it. They are "stateless" and suffer from the same lack of opportunity. Due to the stress, many families break down and the children find themselves alone.

Baan Unrak’s biggest project is the children's home, which provides a loving home, food, medical care and education to over 130 children from Thailand and Burma.

In order to provide education to the children Baan Unrak founded an accredited primary school in 2004. The school has grown into a well regarded government sanctioned school, but as most of the students are stateless, the government does not provide school books or school lunches or other contributions, which leads to a constant lack of money. The children who arrive from Burma with their parents do not speak Thai. They often arrive without having spent a single day in school. They have no language ability, no knowledge of any subject, no documentation, and no hope.

Is it any wonder they end up caught up in child labour instead of studying?

These are the children they work with. This is the House of Joy.

By the way, we're running a double marathon to raise some cash for these kids - so please do spare anything you are able. X