Children living in the Loi Tai Leng Refugee Camp along the Thailand-Myanmar border will receive school supplies and simple hygiene products through an Honors College student service project funded by the Schoenl Family Undergraduate Grant for Dire Needs Overseas.
Jessica DeClercq, an Honors College junior majoring in human biology, proposed the project, supervised by James Madison College Assistant Professor Amanda Flaim.
The Loi Tai Leng Refugee Camp is one of six camps along the border, with approximately 2,300 refugees living there –- 52 percent of whom are children, according to the Shan Human Rights Foundation.
“I propose to purchase hygiene products and school supplies for the school and to then disperse these items to better improve student health, quality of life and education,” DeClercq said. “These items have the potential to positively impact hundreds of children. Simple, everyday products can be purchased while in Thailand for these children, while also supporting the local communities with this business.”
The Schoenl Family Undergraduate Grant for Dire Needs Overseas is awarded to the most outstanding projects proposed by Honors College students that serve dire human needs in countries outside of the United States.