I grew up in a tiny world cut off from the outside. Life in a refugee camp is like a prison: eating the same food every day, confined to a small area, constantly worried about everything. We were not in our own land, and every aspect of our lives was controlled. We just lived.
I started my life at a Karenni refugee camp at the age of 7, without knowing what life outside was like. It was not safe to go back to Myanmar, and my family had no land to resettle on, so we stayed without any real choice.
I spent more than half of my life in that camp with limited access to education and almost no exposure to technology. My parents were not educated enough to help me with my studies or to find work that could support my further education.
Even so, my two siblings and I managed to pass the 10th standard in the camp, where education is unrecognized by both the Myanmar and Thai governments. I studied with the hope of something better.
The library was a valuable resource, but I often had to work through difficulties on my own. I am a quiet person who works best when I can focus deeply, though I am comfortable in group settings too. I was a visual learner, picking up academics and practical skills like hairdressing and self-hygiene by watching others and applying what I saw.
As a teenager, I was desperate to learn about technology. I discovered computer languages through a book I found in the library, but had no idea what the internet looked like or how it connected to what I was reading. There was no internet access in the camp, and computers were so expensive that only camp offices had them.
About Joe Joe
- Age: 25
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Asia-Pacific International University
- Bachelor’s, Information Technology
- 2nd Year in Program
Goals & Dreams
- Become a software programmer
- Travel widely: China, Korea, Japan, and France
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $4,000
- Amount Left To Fund: $3,775
- Contract Duration: 11 years
- Status: In School
Wanting to be free and have my thoughts heard, I came to Mae Sot in search of education. I studied basic computers and English, and gradually my hopes began to feel possible.
I earned my GED and wanted to continue to higher education, but two years passed without a scholarship and without being able to obtain my passport. I worked as a teacher at Minmahaw School while waiting, and after receiving my passport I took on a role there as garden, dormitory, and physical manager, including the summer school program.
Information technology surrounds me every day, and my interest in it has only grown. I am determined to continue my studies. An opportunity for higher education would be like oxygen to me — my future depends on it.
Written by Joe Joe with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Joe Joe
“An opportunity for higher education would be like oxygen to me — my future depends on it.”
