This week we headed out to Popphra one day, which is a small migrant community about forty-five minutes outside of Mae Sot. Partners supports the school at Popphra called Thoo Mweh Khee. Some of the students live in the community with their families, but others have family still in Burma, so they live at the school dormitory. Partners helps with buildings and expenses for those in the dormitory.
Popphra is also one of the locations we’ll be taking volunteer teams, so we went out to meet the school staff and leaders in the community to tell them who we were and that we’d be in touch with them for teams through Partners. We came this week for graduation, as the school year is ending here and summer will continue through March and April.
In 2009, we actually taught there for two weeks at Popphra, so it was fun to visit and see familiar faces. When we were there a few years back, they were just opening the post-10 classes. Previously the school had only offered classes through 10th grade, but they opened up the opportunity to go through 12th. This year was the first graduation from 12th grade, with two students graduating. Both of them had helped Stephen & I with translation when we were there, so it was fun to see them and see what they had accomplished.
The best part of the day was–by far– a song performance by the grade 10 students. They had written a song together titled “Dream” that they sang. You can also watch it on YouTube. The lyrics are not only impressive, but heart breaking.
[Verse 1]
We have a voice; we will be heard
We are the youth; we are the future
Taken from our land; taken from our family
We still stand; we still believe
[Chorus]
Dream
We want to be free
Dream
We want to be somebody
Dream
[Verse 2]
You took our home; you took our nation
You will never take our imagination
We have our goals; we’re gonna reach them
Our people call; we’re gonna lead them
[Bridge]
We’re sick of all the fighting
We’re sick of all the crying
We’re sick of all the lying
We’re sick of all the dying