For almost a year I have been helping an impassioned friend make a number of trips to bring materials and some other essentials for a school he set up on the Thai-Myanmar border. For my part I share the driving and offer some advice on how best to keep the school going.

About thirty ethnic Karen children attend the school that stands in the heart of their village. Their ages range from four to fifteen. Some children come from several other communities close by. A few desperately vulnerable children are taken care of by the teacher.

Occasionally the community is forced to uproot and move, crossing the Moei River, a natural border separating Thailand and Myanmar. The community owns a single wooden canoe, and when forced to leave they bring what they can, including a large writing board they use for teaching.

On the Myanmar side, the community is protected by soldiers still fighting for greater autonomy of the Karen State from the ruling government. This long running conflict has forced several hundred thousand people to seek temporary refuge on the borderlands. But for most this has become a period of uncertain exile.

There are some schools in the designated camps. Most are supported by non-government organizations. But for the stateless children of the communities outside, there are no administered schools. Those set up independently seem to operate on the generosity of the wider community.

My friend does what he can with limited resources to provide the few children he supports with a basic education. Without his initiative, these children would be denied a basic right. The futures of the Karen communities at large are dependent on the political will of leaders and governments to change. But instead of sitting back and waiting, there are some who believe that education is the key to their future, and hope that maybe one day the children will be free to return and be part of the transformation in their homeland.