Soe Meh’s Story

Q: Can you say a little bit about your history?

A: I was born in Loikaw Township, in 1989. I grew up in Daw Kraw Aw village. I stayed there until I was 13 years old. After this, I arrived to Karenni Refugee Camp 3 in 2000. I attended middle school there. I stayed with my uncle and my cousin. I didn’t stay with my mother. After a year, my mother came to camp 1 so I moved there and continued my schooling. After I finished high school, I attended the SDC basic course 2009-2010.

Q: How was your experience at SDC School?

A: When I attended SDC School, I was very happy to attend and I was very interested in the subjects. I tried hard to speak Burmese and English. Before I attended the school, I couldn’t speak Burmese very well. I was very happy to attend SDC School. My favourite subjects were Environment and English. I enjoyed studying environment because all of the people in my community don’t know about the environment. They throw plastic on the road. I need to give trainings about recycling and growing plants. Inside Karenni state, there are no trees and the mountains are bare.

Q: What have you done since completing SDC School?

A: After SDC, I began an internship at Karenni Social Welfare and Development Center (KSWDC). During my internship, I typed up reports on the situation inside Karenni state particularly about landmines and internally displaced persons (IDPs). I also attended     further trainings, joining with other organisations. This provided me with further knowledge. Following this, I attended Network for Environment and Economic         Development (NEED) school from 2010-2011. At NEED, I was very interested in the subjects. we learned about organizing, environment, computers, livelihoods, video editing and communication. My favourite subjects were video editing and livelihood because we don’t know about editing in my community and we have limited computer skills. It is very difficult to make videos about our situation. I returned to work at KSWDC after completing my course at NEED. Since then, I have been a full-time employee working on   reports. When, I have free time, I share my knowledge with the students at KSWDC school.

Q: What do you want to do in the future?

A: In the future, I am interested in applying to another school, ALTSEAN Burma. I want to get further education because my skill is not enough. I want to be able to write, speak and read very well. If I can do this, it will improve my organisation and we need educated people. Therefore, I must promote my life. If I can attend ALTSEAN Burma, it will be good for me, my organisation, my community and my nationality.