“This is their hour of ‘freedom’. They can run around outside after being indoors all week. I don’t think they care about the rain,” laughs their teacher John.

 John and his students are Chin refugees from Myanmar, living in Malaysia. Out of the 71,400 refugees and asylum-seekers currently registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Malaysia, some 10,000 are refugee children of school-going age. They have no access to formal education in Malaysia, so many refugee communities set up their own education centers to meet this urgent need.

 John is a volunteer teacher at a school run by a refugee group called the Chin Students’ Organisation (CSO). The school is little more than a flat above a shop in the middle of the Kuala Lumpur city. Nearly 200 refuge children attend this school, sitting on the floor in small classrooms to learn English, Maths, Science and Chin cultural studies. The once-weekly sports session is part of the CSO school curriculum.

 “CSO started this school because our children could not attend the public schools,” said Hup, the coordinator of CSO. “The children did not learn enough in Myanmar, so if they also have no education here, their lives in the future will be very hard.”

 The school is run by a handful of refugee and Malaysian volunteers who teach five days a week. Funding for the school comes primarily from the monthly fee of about US$5 paid by parents and some donations from NGOs and volunteers. Text books according to the Malaysian curriculum are provided by the UN Refugee Agency.

 Lidia, 12 and Sonia, 6 are sisters who attend the CSO school. They are in different classes – Sonia sits in the kindergarten class, while Lidia sits with the older children in Grade 2.

 “We came to Malaysia one year ago, and I began to attend this school immediately. I like being in school and learning new things,” said Lidia. “But Sonia could not attend school at first. She was very frightened of men, of police. She would not leave our flat.”

 Lidia says that Sonia still does not speak much now, but attending school has helped her come out from her shell.

 “It is so important for the children to attend school - not just for education. They learn team work, discipline, cleanliness and self confidence,” said Hup. The volunteers do all they can to help the children remain in school.

 “We also give the children lunch at school. A volunteer cooks the lunch and once a week, we receive sponsored lunch from a Malaysian hotel,” said Hup. “Many children do not have enough to eat at home, so coming to school means they will have a full stomach each day.”

 Peter has two sons attending the CSO school. The family fell into tough times when Peter lost his job at a construction site. Due to their unofficial status in the eyes of Malaysian law, it is difficult for refugees to obtain regular employment.

 Out of work now for four months, Peter struggles to keep food on the table and a roof over his family’s head. They share a small flat with four other families. Yet every month, Peter finds the means to pay the school fees for each child.

 “Never mind the expensive rent or the living conditions. I can live with that. What is important is that I can send my children to school, safely,” he said.

 Even though the school is located less than 100 meters from his flat, he still walks the children to and from school every day.

 “This is not like in their village. This is a city, it is not safe for them to walk on the streets by themselves,” said Peter. “They don’t speak the local language, if something happens to them, how will they take care of themselves?”

It is this fear that makes most refugee parents keep their children indoors, unless to attend school. It is no wonder that the children relish the once-weekly sports session where they can release pent-up energy. 

14-year old Sui also attends the CSO school. While school is important to her, it is obvious what she relishes most is the once-weekly sports session.

 “I am very good at softball. I think I am better than the boys,” she says with pride. “It feels very good when I beat the boys - I feel like I can do anything.”

The CSO school provides children like Sui opportunities and hope for a future different than the one she has today.

“What do I hope for in my future?” said Sui. “Peace. I just want a life of peace.”