Welcome to our blog, where we will keep you updated on our humanitarian project titled Books for Burmese Refugees.


At the end of 2009 we began collecting English-language comic books which we will personally distribute among the 100 residents of the children’s home. We also aim to set up a lending system to allow other young people from the camp to access the books.


Our goals with this project are to provide a highly appealing visual and textual media to support the English lessons these young people receive at school and give them an entertaining but constructive way to spend their free time. The adolescents will receive an introduction to reading comic books (a type of text with which they are not necessarily familiar) and will have access to English-Burmese dictionaries for better comprehension. Later, we would also like to give them the opportunity to create their own comics, with topics such as their experience living in the camps or their dreams for the future. For this second phase of the project, we would also provide drawing materials.


This project will be financed by donations from individuals (family members, friends and colleagues of the organisers), but the budget will be tight. If you are interested in helping us with this project, please contact us. Sending us one or two or your own used comic books will delight many children who, although poor, are highly motivated to learn and express their creativity – children who worry about their future but are holding onto hope in spite of the difficult circumstances. It takes so little to bring them happiness.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The children's comics...

A story about a snake in the village...


Dreams of two young girls...


The struggle in a Karen village in Burma...


Fighting in the village...

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Distribution of the books in Nu Po Camp

On Monday we got back from our trip to Nu Po Camp. The four days we spent with the kids were full of emotions, happy moments and laughter!




The kids were extremely happy with all the books and started reading them immediately. Thanks to our great Karen interpreter Lolo, we were able to organize reading, drawing, painting and craft-making workshops. In three days, we helped the kids make their own comic books in groups of five. The results were amazing: beautiful drawings with their life stories and dreams. Stories that teach us more about the the struggles in their village, the reasons why they came to the camp, their new lives in Nu Po Camp, the importance of education, and last but not least, their dreams for the future...




We have taken some of their comics along with us and hope to publish them when are back in France. If we can make some money with the publications, we might be able to help them renovate the house they live in…


Thank you all for your interest in this project. All the kids say "thank you" in the Karen language: Tablo!
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Project update

There are only two weeks left to get ready for the big day, when we arrive in Nu Po Camp to personally distribute the comics to the children over the last weekend of February.

First of all, we’d like to thank everyone who has supported this project. So far, we’ve collected €520, with which we’ll finance:
• Transport from Mae Sot to Nu Po Camp
• Drawing materials
• A subscription to a daily newspaper
• Around 20 hard-cover illustrated books
• Around 300 comic books

Project developments to date:
• The Parisian comic-book store Pulp’s has donated two boxes filled with all kind of comics (Batman, Spiderman, The Simpsons, Garfield etc.).
• Another comic-book store in Paris, Aux Cases à Bulles, is helping us collect hard-cover comic books like Tintin and Astérix and Obelix.
• We found an almost complete collection of Spidermans at Aaapoum Bapoum in Paris’ Latin quarter.
• Thanks to the assistance of Thai Airways, we will be able to transport 45 kilos of books for free.

It’s not too late to make a financial contribution
We still need some extra money to buy more hard-cover comics/illustrated books, dictionaries and food for the children.
If you are in the US, France or Holland, financial contributions can be made very easily because we have bank accounts in those countries. Please send us a message to get our bank details.

If you would still like to make a financial contribution, please let us know before 22 February. Book contributions must be received by the project coordinators in Paris by 20 February.

Thanks again for your support! The children in Nu Po Camp will be so delighted by your heartwarming gifts!

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