Both Thailand and Myanmar are beautiful Southeast Asian countries with rich cultures and histories dating back centuries. Thailand, officially called Siam until 1939, was never colonized by the Europeans and has been a monarchy for many centuries. Myanmar, historically known as Burma, has a troubled history, being colonized many times. It declared its independence shortly after World War II. Recent conflicts in Myanmar have led to an increase in the numbers of migrants from Myanmar to Thailand. Both the people from Thailand and Myanmar are predominantly Buddhist, which is reflected by the many impressive Buddhist temples that can be seen everywhere. 

About the Program

GPSA works together with the Mae Tao Clinic, a private, donor-funded, non-governmental organization.  Our clinical partners see over 100,000 patients per year. The clinic also runs boarding houses for migrant children and a Children’s Development Center – CDC to allow migrant children to access basic education. During the program, we conduct home visits in some of the mountainous communities, educational sessions on topics such as hygiene, first aid, and CPR, sexual and reproductive health and rights; and clinic-based pre-consult screenings.

Participants receive hands-on experience by learning and conducting clinical services such as:

• Measuring blood glucose
• Checking blood pressure
• Reading vitals (temperature, heart rate, respiration rate)
• Measuring body mass index (height and weight)
• Eye exams
• Dental exams