Another Malaysia Project: Training Teachers of Refugee Children

This is a story in three parts: our Fulbright project funded by the US State Department, refugees in Malaysia, and refugee schools.

The Fulbright invited alumni to form teams of with at least 10 members and submit a proposal to the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF). Colleen, a 2010-2011 Fulbrighter, proposed building on a pilot project that she had implemented and tested, and she enlisted other Fulbrighters to join the team. Our proposal was to implement an "intervention" to "help empower the refugee teachers and improve the emotional and academic future of their students." I joined the team athough I wasn't sure how my skills fit in. Our project was selected and funded (just under $25K). Then reality set in. The majority of team members are not currently living in Malaysia. Only one team member in Malaysia is a psychologist. The State Department disallowed paying a principal investigator/project manager. No money for administrators. Fortunately Wai Sheng has recruited former students and community contacts to conduct focus groups and offer the training. She has cheerfully taken on the role of project organizer. My role - I am the banker and doer of odd jobs. To learn more about the project and track our progress visit our project blog, resilient refugees.

Linking our team, refugee schools, Malaysia Cares of
A psychologist, a teacher, a community organizer

Malaysia has not ratified the UN Convention relating to the status of refugees; therefore, they have no legal right to be in Malaysia. (This article summarizes the history/summary of refugees in Malaysia.) The refugees don't live in camps. They live and blend into cities and towns, where they may crowd into small apartments and they are largely invisible to their neighbors. The sign reminded refugees (potential con artists and victims) that UNHCR services are free. A UNHCR card, based on a case by case analysis of a refugee's case, allows one to work - it does not necessarily prevent police harassment and intimidation.

A sad consequence of government's lack of a refugee policy is that the children of refugees cannot attend government schools. Refugee communities have pooled their money to open and staff community schools. Because of the ambiguous situation of refugees the schools operate a cloud, i.e., what happens if a school is discovered, raid, and the status of the children, their parents or teachers checked? The school we visited has 80 students from 3 years old to 16 and three teachers. Volunteers teach English. They normally come once a week, and as is true of volunteers everywhere - they don't always come each week. We spoke with young teacher whose command of English was excellent. This may seem condescending, but in fact he largely taught himself English. In addition to teaching he is working with Malaysia Cares to develop a youth center for teenagers and young men - the group which is most prone to act out their boredom.

It may be a refugee school, but it still has rules

Team members in a classroom/meeting room

The school we visited is part of the Chin community from Myanmar. They tend to be more developed and have more resources than other refugee communities. We debated reaching out to other communities, but the resources available (time and money) served as constraints. Even working with a well organized community takes time - contacts have to be made and we have to convince agencies and schools that we are offering something of value.

This project is an example of how one's skills can be put to new uses in retirement. In addition I have met and admire dedicated Malaysians and marvel at the resilience, ambitions, and selflessness of young Asians.