Early in 2011, Na Aye Yin, her husband Kyite Yee, and her two children fled from her home country to Unpiem Mai refugee camp in Tak, Thailand because of threats to their personal security. They were newcomers, and were not on the list to receive free food as part of a national program the Thai government provides in refugee camp. All they could do was work for other refugees, using the meager wage they earned to feed their two children.

In March, Na Aye Yin heard that there would be a project called ‘Vocational Training for Refugees from Myanmar’ (VTRM) that would begin teaching people in the camp vocational skills. Courses such as sewing, embroidery, welding, elderly and child care, basic auto mechanics, cooking and baking and hair dressing would be offered.

Na Aye Yin made a decision to stop working and attend the first hair dressing class. She was a an enthusiastic, hard-working student who enjoyed the class. After she finished the initial 150 hour training course, she enrolled for further study in this field through training conducted by the Thai Vocational College which is partnered with ADRA Thailand.

Armed with all this training and her newly acquired skills, Na Aye Yin mustered up the courage to modify a part of her current bamboo house and turn it into a hair dressing shop. The success she gained from this shop convinced her husband, Kyite Yee to get involved by applying to study hair dressing as well, and he finished the course in August 2011.

Both Na Aye Yin and Kyite Yee not only have become self-sufficient with the success of their shop but they also are working together to provide free services to no income refugees in their community. “We want to help others, it gives us greater happiness in our hearts,” said Na Aye Yin.

Na Aye Yin and her husband encourage the staff to see that the courses offered by ADRA Thailand’s VTRM project can really change lives and it is not waste. Living in the camp can make refugees feel lost and stuck in a rut. There are many refugees like Na Aye Yin who need help to gain knowledge and confidence in order to see themselves as valuable and their lives as important. ADRA is working to do just that.