Noe Boh refugee camp

One of three sites the refugees mentioned in the Ler Per Her post are currently staying at. Many originally went to the monastery in this Thai-Karen village, but eventually had to leave, in part due to Buddhist lent, and joined others in this nearby former rice field.







Noe Boh before...



















The same field, a couple of weeks later (mid-July)























Rainy season in a refugee camp










(photos taken by a friend of mine)

I'm going up to this site to help with a mapping project tomorrow - will post the results when ready. It is part of a wat/san rapid needs/access assessment. When this site was established, it was expected that the Thai Authorities would not let them stay, and so only emergency aid was provided. Now it seems they will be staying for a while, and so longer term structures need to be put in place - better water and sanitation systems, better shelter, etc. Right now, rainy season ensures plenty of water, which can be collected form roofs in addition to the stream and shallow wells, but better systems need to be in place before the rainy season ends (2 more months), otherwise there will be a water shortage (leading to increased health problems, which is my real involvement in all of this, as several of our partners are providing most of the health services).