Hello everyone. My name is Opor — I like to call myself a professional dreamer and a feminist peacebuilder. I work with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, or INEB, and today I’m here to speak on behalf of refugee children from Myanmar.
Background and Situation
The Myanmar civil war is the longest-running armed conflict in the world — from 1948 until today.
Villages have been burned. Schools bombed. Families torn apart.
Since the military coup in February 2021, over 21 million people are now in urgent need of food and humanitarian support.
And among them — children suffer the most.
I met a young boy, only seven years old. He told me about someone he knew being taken from their home, sent to a boarding school and being trained to become a child soldier.
More than three million people have been displaced, and every month thousands cross the border into makeshift camps along the Thai–Myanmar border.
But here’s the challenge: Thailand is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention.
So, most refugees have no legal status, limited access to education, and no protection.
Yet — they continue to live with hope and dignity.
Our Initiative
In response, we have launched a partnership with Arigatou International to create two SDG Academies —
one in a Muslim refugee community,
and another in a Buddhist monastery school where many novice monks are also refugees.
These Academies are safe learning spaces — where Muslim and Buddhist youth come together, learn, and share.
Through this, they build compassion, resilience, and solidarity — across faiths.
Impact and Vision
At a time when the world is divided by hate and fear, this model shows how religious leaders can help heal communities —
by countering polarization and strengthening social cohesion.
We also integrate child safeguarding and focus on SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) —
especially empowering refugee girls, who are often the most marginalized.
And just recently, on August 25, we signed an MOU with UNICEF Thailand,
together with the Department of Children and Youth, faith-based organizations,
and two leading Thai universities — including the country’s largest Buddhist University.
Together, we are developing a child safeguarding policy for Buddhist and Muslim institutions — a small but powerful step toward a safer and more compassionate future for all children.
