This upcoming June 20th is World Refugee Day and people are organizing celebrations all over the world. To make sure we’re able to extend the sponsoring of food supplies we began last month, I’m organizing a small event to raise money to support them through the summer.  Here are some facts about refugees and a look back at some previous posts.

[200,000] is the population of nine refugee camps on the Thai Burma border. This is also the same number of Burmese refugees, including ethnic Shan, believed to be living outside the camps in Thailand.

• Flashback to Chris’s tale of “Helping Nu Nu Help the Kids“ about visiting Nu Nu, who has given up resettlement in order to provide care for a growing number of orphans in at a refugee camp in Northern Thailand.

[100] is the estimated number of Burmese who are arrested daily and held in Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Center.

• Read “The Best Way To Go To Jail in Thailand“ for an account of being a volunteer visitor in a Bangkok jail.

It is estimated that [80%] of refugees are women and children.

• At the end of May I took a trip to Future Light Children’s home in Mae Sot that houses and educates forty-one children. Here are photos and video from the trip and more information on how you can get involved.

It only takes hearing from [ONE] friend who is a refugee to understand the impossible situations they have survived and become inspired to act.

• You may remember Ryan’s story of fleeing with his family to Thailand, where they lived for about four years before they were able to reach the US. Ryan recently received his GED and hopes to soon be living his dream of attending college.

Remember it costs about $15 to give a families food supplies that will last two weeks. Please take the time and make a donation that will allow us to support a family in need. Thanks and if you’re in Bangkok and want to join our event find out more here.

~Dwight