Mental health support Thai-Myanmar Border 2026
We are going to support communities on the Thai- Mynamar border in May. We have planned a sewing program for adolescents who are very vulnerable to learn to sew. We hope that this will be the start of their own means to sustain some funds for their survival, by selling the items they make.
A big THANK YOU to Wyndham Rotary Club for funding some of the sewing machines we are donating there!
We will also be engaging many of the community on the Thai-Myanmar border in mental health wellbeing workshops. Talking about resilience, strength and values, and encouraging people in their times of need.
Our fundraising efforts will assist over 200 vulnerable refugees and displaced people with hygiene packs.
We will also fund 10 new families who have just had to flee their homes, due to the ongoing conflict, to set up new homes in IDP areas. We purchase tarps (the rainy season is coming), sleeping mats, stoves, crockery, and essential items).
Next Door Refugee Foundation will also distribute much needed medical supplies to medics and health clinics needing to help very vulnerable people who are sick and injured.
We have 100 pairs of shoes, donated through Wyndham Rotary Club, to distribute to children in the IDP areas!
We appreciate your support, and hope we see you at our Market on Saturday 9th May at 10 Bridge Street,
or Bunnings Tarneit, Sunday 10th May.
Compassion in Action!
Cushions for Sale
We are selling Cushions that have been handmade by our Refugee community here in Melbourne - these can be purchased from 10 Bridge St, Werribee
"We are just one part of a greater collective, meeting people at the intersection of struggle and survival, helping to carry hope forward. In the shared effort for change, we walk where hardship is greatest, bringing strength and hope to vulnerable communities.
Refugees living in vulnerable communities on the Thai/ Myanmar border simply cannot access the medical services they desperately need.
YOU can help!
We donated jackets to a group of refugee students, providing not only warmth and protection from the cold but also a sense of unity and belonging. For many of these young people, whose parents are not nearby or who have lost their parents, the jackets became more than just clothing — they symbolised care, solidarity, and the reminder that they are not alone. Wearing them together created a shared identity and comfort, helping to foster resilience and connection in the face of loss and displacement.
We also provided food and hygiene supplies to support 120 people and families in the refugee camp, ensuring that essential needs were met during a difficult time. Alongside these practical donations, we spent time with community members, sharing conversations that offered care, connection, and emotional support. These moments of listening and encouragement were as valuable as the supplies themselves, reminding people that their voices matter and that they are not alone.
In September 2025, we delivered mental health training to more than 90 teachers, health workers, volunteers, and pastors serving refugee communities along the border. Every day, these teachers guide students who carry the weight of losing their homeland and, in many cases, their parents—children who have witnessed violence and trauma and now struggle to learn in the face of overwhelming hardship. Health workers and volunteers provide care for patients living with severe mental illness, trauma histories, and even the loss of limbs, meeting challenges that test both skill and compassion.
To strengthen their work, we created mental health workbooks in both Burmese and English, equipping participants with knowledge of common mental health presentations, practical strategies, and therapeutic interventions. We also introduced bilingual picture cards to spark conversation, allowing people to name emotions, recognise body sensations, share their strengths, and practise self-care. Each group of participants kept their set of cards, ensuring these tools will continue to support students and patients long after the training—small, lasting reminders that healing begins with understanding and connection.
When the Lights Go Out… the story of Hser Meh
“I never know if tonight will be the night we sit in darkness. The electricity comes and goes, the wires in our dormitory buzzing faintly before they fall silent again. When the bulbs flicker out, we gather around one candle, the shadows stretching across the walls. I pretend it doesn’t matter, but inside I wonder how long before even the candles are gone. Each flame feels like a treasure we cannot waste.
I am 16 years old, trying to stay focused on my studies, but it is difficult when every day brings back memories I wish I could forget. Two years ago, soldiers came to our village. I still hear the echo of boots and shouting, the smell of smoke clinging to the air. My older brother disappeared that night. Some say he ran to the jungle, others that he was taken. I do not know which story is true. My mother fled as well, and I have not seen her since. Sometimes I dream of her face, and it fades before I wake.
This month the rains have turned the ground outside our dormitory into thick mud. The well we share is cloudy, the water tasting of rust and soil. We line up with buckets anyway, because we have no choice.
Still, there are people who come to visit us — teachers, volunteers, strangers who bring small supplies. Sometimes they bring soap or notebooks, sometimes just their words of encouragement. I know they don’t have much themselves, but they look at us with kindness, and that gives me strength.
I think often about what it means to survive this. Why children like us must live with hunger, with loss, with the ache of families scattered across borders. For me, education is the only way forward. It is the lantern I hold in the dark, even when the light goes out. But it is hard to study when your body is tired, when your heart carries fear, when every day begins with uncertainty.
We need food. We need clean water. We need safety and a chance to learn. Without help, students like me risk losing not only our education, but our hope for tomorrow.”
A group of students joined us for a hands-on session where creativity flowed through art and craft activities.
Together, we explored colour, texture, and design as a way to express ideas and emotions.
The activities encouraged playfulness, self-expression, and collaboration among the group.
By the end, each student had created something unique, reflecting their own story and imagination.
We coordinated medical donations to support the health department within the refugee camp, strengthening essential care services.
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 Refugee Foundation is a registered Charity based 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.
The Next Door Refugee Foundation 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.
