AISM and the Chin Student Organization – A Collaboration of the Heart

Written by Ainsley Young, a parent from the Australian International School Malaysia

The Australian International School Malaysia (AISM) has held a strong relationship with the Chin Student Organisation (CSO) for the past four years. They have worked together to bring forth an opportunity for Chin refugee children to experience a safe and structured educational environment in which they can continue their learning alongside AISM students. This opportunity benefits both the Chin children and AISM students through interaction and integration in the school.

CSO is a registered voluntary community organization whose main aim is to teach Chin refugee children residing in Kuala Lumpur. The Chin people are from one of Myanmar’s most vulnerable and victimised ethnic minority groups, located in the West of the country. Many Chin people have fled persecution within Myanmar and have made their way to Malaysia seeking refugee status with the United Nations. Whilst they wait for relocation to other countries such as Australia and the USA, they must try to live a sustainable life. This is not easy when most refugees arrive in the country with nothing. In March 2005, a small group of dedicated Chin university graduates, living in Kuala Lumpur and also awaiting resettlement, formed the CSO to ensure the refugee children continued their education, both academically and spiritually. The Chin school consists of five learning centers across Kuala Lumpur (Imbi, Loke Yew, Cheras, Sentul and Puchong). They are affiliated with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and are currently run solely by volunteers and donations. There are approximately 500 students currently enrolled in the CSO.

The Australian International School Malaysia became involved with CSO in 2010 when their current Service Learning coordinator, Shelia Martineau, met Lorna Briscoe, who was a strong advocate of CSO. Through this meeting, a group of Year 8 students visited CSO Cheras to share a cultural experience. The students from AISM were compelled to raise funds by running a jumble sale and donated the proceeds to CSO. As part of the students’ service learning, a small group of student volunteers were taken to the Cheras school to teach some songs and dance moves. In 2011, the refugee children from Cheras were invited to AISM to become part of the wider school community and to learn more about our students at AISM and their way of life. That was the start of the Chin Immersion Program which continues to this day.

The Immersion Program runs on alternate weeks, on Thursdays during periods 5 and 6, in which 16 AISM teachers volunteer their classrooms to 2-3 CSO students who assimilate into the class. They are embraced by the students and participate in the school lessons and activities. This opportunity gives the CSO students the chance to experience the Western educational environment, which will benefit them for when they are relocated, and it also gives the CSO students a chance to practice their English. The AISM students, in turn, learn more about Chin people and their culture, aiding awareness and understanding about the world they live in. At present, AISM also offers activities two afternoons a week, run by AISM students and mentored by teachers, Ms Fearon and Ms Hurditch, in which students from CSO and AISM focus on literacy and sport.

AISM has also supported the CSO through donations of food, time and money. Many teachers and parents of AISM have participated in the CSO Sports Day and Christmas Day activities which are held, yearly, at AISM. These days give the Chin children a terrific opportunity to run around the fields, as they live in run-down tenement buildings, close to main roads and do not have space to freely run and feel safe. Parents at AISM have been instrumental in the organization of these events. There have also been fun football matches held on the oval at AISM, in which the boys from CSO have given AISM boys a run for their money on the soccer field.

AISM’s collaboration with CSO is a perfect example of the way in which our future generation learns to support our global community and become more aware of the plight of these refugees. This collaboration encourages tolerance and understanding. We should be proud of the way in which these relationships are embraced by the students and teachers at AISM. It is truly a partnership of the future.

For more information, visit www.aism.edu.my