Ton Baars Email & Phone Number

Tak, Thailand

Mae Sot, Thailand

Borderline Collective is a not-for profit Handicraft Shop, Tea Garden and Gallery. It is run by the staff, all from Burma, and they have managed to run the collective in a healthy, sustainable way for the last 5 years. In this period the amount of full time staff has gradually grown and new activities added to the core business. Now cooking classes and locally made products produce the extra income needed for he increase of staff and the financial independence of the collective.My role at… Show more Borderline Collective is a not-for profit Handicraft Shop, Tea Garden and Gallery. It is run by the staff, all from Burma, and they have managed to run the collective in a healthy, sustainable way for the last 5 years. In this period the amount of full time staff has gradually grown and new activities added to the core business. Now cooking classes and locally made products produce the extra income needed for he increase of staff and the financial independence of the collective.My role at Borderline is to help staff make and take decisions, oversee and evaluate the financial administration, support new activities and make suggestions where needed. On top of that I encourage staff to take on bigger roles, expand their skills and take more responsibilities.This is a voluntary position. Show less

Nu Po, Thailand

ESC is an education program in a refugee camp at the Thai-Burma border. The students are adults who would like to improve their skills and confidence. The school provides local teachers for beginners and proficient volunteers for elementary to advanced classes.Starting as teacher, I soon also became involved with management. In this position I helped finding funding, wrote proposals and assisted in the curriculum development. Later my role changed as some of the founders left the… Show more ESC is an education program in a refugee camp at the Thai-Burma border. The students are adults who would like to improve their skills and confidence. The school provides local teachers for beginners and proficient volunteers for elementary to advanced classes.Starting as teacher, I soon also became involved with management. In this position I helped finding funding, wrote proposals and assisted in the curriculum development. Later my role changed as some of the founders left the camp and the program needed some structural changes. A new working group was formed and responsibilities rearranged. As the only one working for the school to be able to travel outside, it is my role to communicate with potential new teachers, donors and friends. This is a voluntary position. Show less

Sometime in the past the idea for WALD presented itself as to channel the many thoughts, ideas and opinion regarding the environment and our place in it into one place and look for connections and solutions. The title tells that the connections are legion, the solutions remarkably as well, plentiful and often very simple.In our community we have many problems regarding our environment and changing peoples attitude is probably the main task. WALD is still just a seedling, enjoying… Show more Sometime in the past the idea for WALD presented itself as to channel the many thoughts, ideas and opinion regarding the environment and our place in it into one place and look for connections and solutions. The title tells that the connections are legion, the solutions remarkably as well, plentiful and often very simple.In our community we have many problems regarding our environment and changing peoples attitude is probably the main task. WALD is still just a seedling, enjoying the light, growing enthusiastically in many directions yet knowing that some twigs will be broken, others need to redirect. Current activities are the building and testing of solar cookers, making of sun dried clay bricks, composting of organic material, designing ovens with less smoke production, creating videos and other teaching materials for all these activities, spreading awareness.This is a voluntary position. Show less

Nupho, Thailand

Karen Economic Development Course (KEDC) is a program that is located in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. Started as an English language teacher and later became involved with management and added other topics to my roster. Statistics, economics and management.Working with school management, meant writing proposals, looking for and finding new funding, organising school meetings, encouraging teachers to be more involved with school management and organising the maintenance of… Show more Karen Economic Development Course (KEDC) is a program that is located in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. Started as an English language teacher and later became involved with management and added other topics to my roster. Statistics, economics and management.Working with school management, meant writing proposals, looking for and finding new funding, organising school meetings, encouraging teachers to be more involved with school management and organising the maintenance of the school compound together with the students.While overcoming the challenges that arise working in a refugee camp, I managed to have several successes. By finding funding for new computers, the computer classes went from 1 hour a week for each student, to 1 hour a day. This meant that students, who didn't own any computers themselves, finally had opportunities to practice the learned skills. By organising compound management, I added a practical part to the school, and students got to show their abilities in a way that went beyond traditional school testing. In this way some students discovered skills in themselves they would not have seen in class.To bring the outside world into the camp setting, me and my students set up a bank with local currency and a shop where they could use the money they earned during compound management activities. For students who are part of a community where money is often not available, these were lessons to prepare them for a potential new life. In school management I introduced new systems for distributing materials, and although the availability for the students remained the same, the new system meant that school office staff, who were mostly school graduates, could practice management skills they had learned in class. This is a voluntary position. Show less

I have been teaching High School graduates to prepare them for further education or a job in the community. As the community consists of refugees and people under threat by a dictatorial regime, the challenges are great. The students and colleagues make this a worthwhile job, even though there is no pay! Also the budget is hardly enough to run a school that hopes to prepare students for a brighter future.At our school, which is linked with 5 other programs all in refugee camps along the… Show more I have been teaching High School graduates to prepare them for further education or a job in the community. As the community consists of refugees and people under threat by a dictatorial regime, the challenges are great. The students and colleagues make this a worthwhile job, even though there is no pay! Also the budget is hardly enough to run a school that hopes to prepare students for a brighter future.At our school, which is linked with 5 other programs all in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma Border, the students get a two year basic further education. This is to make up for disrupted and incomplete high school education. After two years of this basic level, our graduates can continue for 2 years in specialised studies like Public Health, Education and South East Asian Studies. Some take another course and continue at a University preparation course.Our school has challenges on getting proper funding, permission for our students or teachers to travel to workshops or training sites, places at further education like Universities, scholarships, school materials and what else.On top of that we have a supporting community around us, eager students and willing teachers. And graduates who appreciate what they have learned.This is a voluntary position. Show less