We welcome you to our Saturday market and traditional Myanmar food day on 12 July from 9.30am -1pm. Come along for breakfast, brunch or lunch for delicious food! We look forward to seeing you there!
Morning glory growing in the IDP area - nutritious greens to cook with rice!
Raising money for basic survival needs and for refugees along the Thai/ Myanmar border
Myanmar refugees living in vulnerable communities simply cannot access the medical services they desperately need.
YOU can help!
The ‘Help the Refugees’ Project is dedicated to assisting with basic food, survival items for Thai refugee camps and those living along the border. During our mission trip in 2024-2025, we saw firsthand the lack of resources and food supplies, and the situation has continued to be in crisis with more aid cut. We are going across again in September 2025, to donate items for education, and visit several places we have been assisting.
There are refugee camps and internally displaced people both in Myanmar along the border, unable to cross into Thailand, and in refugee camps in Thailand, who are malnourished, and in desparate need. From July 31st, in the refugee camps, an announcement was recently made, that there will be no IRC funding for food security and basic health care. The small amount of money they had before, is no longer donated through a long-standing source. They are currently searching for more funding now, to keep funding basic food and health care.
We are a small scale not for profit, identifying small pockets of internally displaced people in Myanmar, and vulnerable people (widows and orphans) in the refugee camps, who are in need. Donations go directly to fund food, hygiene and basic survival needs.
The seeds we donated to the IDP camp, have grown into snake beans, pumpkin and other nutritious sources of food.
Everyday, in Myanmar, people are being attacked and driven from their villages in the hilltribe areas, and their villages are bombed and burnt down. They flee towards the border, with no other place to go. As of late 2024, over 3.5 million people are internally displaced within Myanmar. This marks a record high since the military coup in February 2021, which triggered widespread armed conflict and humanitarian collapse.
The humanitarian crisis has been compounded by the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake in March 2025, which killed over 3,700 people and injured more than 5,000. The quake disrupted aid delivery and worsened food insecurity and health access for displaced populations.
We have partners who are going across the border to deliver food, water and supplies to several of these displaced people camps. In one camp, they have just arrived recently and have set up basic shelters, and when our partner arrived, they had no way of getting supplies to them. Our partner has to travel through by boat and motorbike to get there, and trucks have to go through checkpoints that can be very difficult to get through. We recently donated money that we raised for rice, oil, salt and fish cans and basic hygiene kits.
When I visited the Myanmar–Thailand border, I saw with my own eyes what no report can truly capture—the heartbreaking reality of families living with almost nothing. We met so many people, with so few resources.
I had purchased some small hair clips and hair ties, and the children in the refugee camps jumped up and down to reach for them, treasuring them. One of the refugee ladies in Melbourne told me the story of when she was young and a Westerner came and gave her a small bracelet. She treasured that for over a decade, having such few belongings to call her own.
These families have fled violence with only the clothes on their backs. They had to leave their villages and their homes, many had been burnt or bombed. Just a little help from us can bring a world of hope to them.
Our Mission - Rice for students
Inside the remote mountains just across the Myanmar border, there is a group of 50 students, who have been separated from their parents, or lost their families in the war. We have donated some items to them, such as cooking pots and hygiene items, and they are running out of rice. Our current mission is to provide enough rice to last them the next 6 months, so they have some confidence in their own food security. We have raised most of these funds, and need another $500 to pay for the rice and transport to get there. Please donate a small amount, to contribute to their survival.
Children are among the most vulnerable in this crisis. We witnessed the quiet ache in their faces—the kind of suffering that goes beyond words, especially in those too weak or afraid to cry. But even in the darkest corners, hope still flickers.
Last month, our team reached a small group of 40–50 internally displaced people in Myanmar, near the Thai border. We helped them set up basic necessities—distributing rice, cooking oil, and hygiene packs—just enough to restore a sense of dignity and survival.
What struck me most were their smiles. Despite everything, their gratitude was overwhelming. It reminded me how far even a small amount can go. Just a few dollars can provide a blanket, a hygiene kit, or an entire month’s supply of rice for a family in need.
For them, it’s not just aid—it’s a lifeline. For us, it’s a simple act of compassion that truly changes lives.
In Melbourne, two refugees from Myanmar were busily making flowers (from pipecleaners) and weaving baskets. Multiple of these were sold and the money was used to send directly to purchase the items for the internally displaced people on the border.
Thanks so much for all your help!
Next Door Artisans is a Social Enterprise in Melbourne.
Here, the Karen and Karenni refugees from Myanmar bring to life their creativity, make connections and display amazing resilience.
Our mission is to foster a true sense of belonging for Karen and Karenni refugees who have fled the conflict in Myanmar. Through creative expression, cultural preservation, and meaningful community connection, we support them as they rebuild their lives, honour their heritage, and find healing and hope in their new home.
Fostering traditional crafts and creations.
Many of these refugees come from a life deeply rooted in the hills and jungles of Myanmar, where survival was a way of life. They lived off the land, using traditional skills passed down through generations—farming, weaving, woodworking, and foraging—techniques that sustained their families and defined their identity. But war and displacement tore them away from everything they knew, leaving them in a world where their hands, once skilled in survival, felt empty.
Through our program, they are not just reconnecting with these lost traditions—they are reclaiming their sense of purpose. By sharing their skills and contributing to their new community in Australia, they find dignity, belonging, and the fulfillment of knowing that what they create, grow, and build matters. This is more than just a program; it is a way for them to heal, to feel valued, and to weave the threads of their past into a hopeful future.
Karen and Karenni refugees meeting for a craft and art group each week, for wellbeing, connection and exploring creativity.
Next Door Artisans provides a therapeutic environment for Karen and Karenni refugees in Australia to participate in various forms of art, craft, woodwork, weaving and gardening.
These products are then sold to assist with funding for essential services within the refugee camps along the Thai/Myanmar border.
Lavender heatpacks, a wall of love, handcreams and various handicrafts made by the refugees in Melbourne to raise money for the crisis in Myanmar and Thailand refugee camps.
Together we can help those who are less fortunate with essential services and immediate need.
Sign up to hear more about what we are doing towards this cause and how you may be able to participate or help in the work that is being done.
