My name is Mee Mee. I have four siblings, and I am the youngest child. Only two of my siblings had access to education because our family did not have financial stability.
My parents are illiterate farmers who grow rice on our family farm to support our subsistence. They live in rural Karen State, Myanmar, with little or no income. When I was a child, I rarely spent time together with all my family members.
We did not have a permanent shelter due to the armed conflict between the Karen National Liberation Army, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, and the Burmese military.
Before I was born in 2000, my parents sent my eldest brother to a monastery.
When the situation worsened and tensions increased, my aunt could no longer live in the village because she was married to a KNLA soldier. If the DKBA found out, she would have been killed. Therefore, two of my elder siblings left the village with her and entered Mae La Refugee Camp in Thailand as the only way to continue their education.
While studying in Mae La Camp, they needed financial support for school, but my parents could not afford it. My eldest brother left the monastery and found a job in Bangkok to support them. In 2014, my sister graduated from Leadership and Management Training College in Mae La and later helped support my education.
The first months of my own schooling in Mae La Camp were very difficult. I felt like I was blind, deaf, and mute because I could not read, write, or understand English as a high school student. While others went home after school, I attended extra English classes every day for a year just to learn how to read and write.
About Mee Mee
- Age: 25
- Ethnicity: Karen
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Asian University for Women
- Bachelor’s, Politics, Philosophy & Economics
- Graduated
Goals & Dreams
- Become a social worker
- Own a place where my parents can retire
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $1,000
- Amount Left To Fund: $0
- Contract Duration: 10 years
- Status: Repaid in Full
Quotable
What Others Are Saying About Mee Mee
Later, I also struggled with Burmese when I studied at Has Thoo Lei School, Mae Sot. I often memorized lessons without understanding them, including seven Burmese essays for my final exam. At times, I thought about giving up, but I knew that without education, I might spend my life working on a farm without understanding the world around me.
Fortunately, I was accepted into Minmahaw School, where I improved my English and communication skills while learning alongside students from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. That year was both challenging and meaningful.
After that, I had the opportunity to study for my GED at BEAM Education Foundation. With the support and encouragement from BEAM and Minmahaw, I was accepted to the Asian University for Women, where I was able to interact with classmates from across Asia and the Middle East.
I overcame many challenges through the support of my family, my belief in education, and the guidance of my teachers. Now, I dream of helping children in my village and others continue their education, so they do not have to face the same hardships that I experienced.
Written by Mee Mee with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Alan Tin-Win, Science Teacher at BEAM Education Foundation, Chiangmai
“Mee Mee is a hard worker and motivated to succeed. She has consistently exhibited community spirit and a willingness to help others in any way, teaching migrant kids at a monastic school on weekends, volunteering to teach at a school, etc.”