Seeds we have donated for a group of 40-50 internally displaced people along the Thai/ Myanmar border
We also donated iron pot holders and pots to cook rice over the fire
These are plates and crockery we donated for the internally displaced people to eat from..
The packs of blankets, rakes and sickles for each person, to start planting their seeds, and hopefully be warmer at night, with the rainy and monsoon season coming..
seeds to plant...
solar lights we have donated for each hut to have some light at night...
some tools for building - they tell me that they want to build a structure for a school for the children....
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.
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 April to July, in the refugee camps, their rice ration funding has been cut from (equivalent) from AUS $12 to $4 per person per month. This means that these refugees already in dire need, are now without food for many weeks in each month.
This is a table set for 40 refugee students, and is their daily rice and basic ration. This has now been cut to a quarter of what they were otherwise receiving.
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 - Clean drinking water
Inside the remote mountains just across the Myanmar border, nearly 2,000 displaced people are trapped in just one area we have connections with. They are unable to cross into Thailand and unreachable by road. The only way to reach them is by boat, crossing the lake from Thailand, bringing whatever few supplies can be carried. These families—many with small children—are now surviving in makeshift shelters, exposed to the heat, thirsty and dehydrated. With no clean water available, they are drinking from a rudimentary rainwater collection system, heavily contaminated and unsafe. As a result, many are now suffering from waterborne diseases. Cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, and hepatitis A are all major risks in these conditions—painful, potentially deadly illnesses that spread rapidly in communities without access to clean water or sanitation.
Children are especially vulnerable. We saw firsthand the desperation in their eyes and the quiet suffering of those too weak to cry out. But hope is not out of reach. Our mission this month was to help a group of 40-50 internally displaced people in Myanmar, to set up their basic needs in a small area near the border of Thailand. We provided rice, water filtration and a tank, toilets and concrete, blankets, sleeping mats, tarps, seeds and gardening tools.
When I saw their smiling faces, it was amazing, to know that a small amount of money can go so far for them, changing their lives! A small donation—just a few dollars—can help deliver basic hygiene, a blanket or a month supplie of rice to these families. For them, it can mean the difference between life and death. For us, it's the simplest act of compassion.
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.
