A beautiful view from not too far from Fang.
A beautiful view from not too far from Fang.
I had been staying in Chiang Mai, Thailand in February 2006 when friends Kathy and Mark George Moore from Winnipeg suggested that I visit Mark Bloomfield and his free schools in the north near the Burmese border. Kathy is the president of InnerLife International Inc. and her organization supports Bloomfield’s work through FreeSchools World Literacy. It was only a 3 hour and 15 minute trip by bus. I arrived early in the afternoon and Mark picked me up on his scooter and we got to visit each other over lunch.
He explained the work he was doing in this area and I was especially interested because FreeSchools World Literacy supports a similar project going on in Bihar, India initiated by Mark and Sister Crescence in 1999. My plan was to visit India on my next trip. Mark’s purpose in northern Thailand is to provide free schooling for kids, and sometimes adults, who cannot get an education otherwise. I had thought Thailand had a fairly good school system and understood primary school was free. However I learned that to qualify for school attendance children must have ID cards that are given only to Thai citizens. Unfortunately these kids belong to families that arrived in the country illegally, some as refugees and others to work in the orange groves, and therefore cannot get ID cards. Most can’t return to Burma and they don’t speak, write or read Thai. Essentially, the children have no state or country to call their own. While in Chiang Mai near Pai, I heard about camps a few hours bus ride away that are enclosed by a fence. These people are also without state or status and their children probably receive no education as well.
That evening Mark took me to see a few of the schools. The children were very happy to see Mark. It appeared that he is well known in the area and the people really appreciate him and his work. As you can see from the photos the classrooms are sparse and mostly the kids just sit on the floor. But they love to learn and don’t seem to care. Mark explained to me that he goes to great lengths to make sure the children are safe. The teachers certainly seemed to enjoy their work and Mark leaves it up to them to decide what the children need to learn. After a year, most children are reading and writing in Thai and many love mathematics.
Mark explained that the teachers sometimes have fulltime teaching positions during the day and hold the free classes in the evenings. FreeSchools pays their salaries and all other costs associated with the school. Classes are about one or two hours each night and a few classrooms have two classes. There are currently 13 classes with approximately 500 students. The next day Mark toured me around the Fang area on his little scooter. It was a real treat to ride on the back and Mark says it’s such cheap transportation. Not sure what he'll do in the rainy season. The dirt roads we climbed would be extremely muddy when it rains and the schools in these areas would have to closed for the day.
The scenery was exceptional and I really appreciated the time Mark took to show me different areas. We visited a very nice quiet park, walked around and took some photos. Later that day we headed towards Chiang Rai to visit a few more schools. The kids were all so friendly, bowing and saying "Sa wat di kha/krup", putting their palms together under their chin. This little bow is the traditional Thai greeting and show of respect, similar to our "hello" except with a deeper sense of respect. The girls say "kha" and the boys say "krup".
Mark showed me his modest home a few miles outside of Fang in a little village. With a bit of furniture it could be quite a cozy little place. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of it. It has the traditional toilet - one where you have to squat (which take some practice and getting used to). The shower is a pipe with a hole in the end and the water is shall we say "fresh' and makes the skin come alive even if the rest of the body doesn't want to wake up yet. Not like a heated shower that puts you to sleep! He pays the equivalent of $15.00 per month rent. I paid half that amount for a hotel room for one night in Fang.
I had a few discussions with Mark about his placing of the Urantia Books in universities and libraries. We discussed many aspects of The Urantia Book, his travels and different cultures in the world. My travel experience has been in North America and the Netherlands, so I really enjoyed my first time visiting this part of the world. Mark is extremely personable and caring and we became good friends in those two days. I want to go to India in the fall, so am quite excited to see the work of Mark and FreeSchools World Literacy there.
I'm here in Chiang Mai till May 2, so I promised Mark I would make another trip to Fang before I leave this beautiful country. Maybe I'll have some more pictures at that time.
Richard Frans