From Village Life to Fleeing Myanmar for safety: My Journey as a Refugee Child





I grew up in a quiet village in Myanmar. Life was simple and peaceful. But everything changed when soldiers arrived.

They took the men, including my father.

For two years, we did not know if he was alive. I was very young, but I could see how worried my mother was. One day, my father managed to escape and fled to Malaysia. But his escape put the rest of us in danger. The military came looking for us.

I was just four when my mother took my hand, packed a few things, and we fled.

We travelled in silence, hiding often, afraid of being caught. I didn’t understand much. All I knew was that we were going to see my father again. That hope kept us moving. Eventually, we made it to Malaysia and were reunited as a family. But life as refugees was difficult.
Photos of Khai Boih with family


As refugees, we had no legal rights—no right to work, no access to education, and limited healthcare. My parents worked long, exhausting hours just to feed us. School felt like a distant dream.

Then one day, everything changed.

I was accepted into Dignity for Children Foundation through the Empower-A-Child (EAC) sponsorship. For the first time, I sat in a real classroom. I opened books, studied science and math, and imagined a different life where I could become someone beyond my circumstances.

Why School Matters

At first, only my younger brother could attend Dignity. My sister and I stayed in a small community school because our family couldn’t afford more. But a year later, thanks to the sponsorship program, we both joined too.

I had assumed I would stop studying after basic education and start working, like many children in similar situations. But Dignity opened my eyes to new possibilities, one that led to A-levels and eventually to university. A dream no one in my extended family has ever achieved.

I was 14 when I joined. I worked hard to catch up, and soon, I thrived. I wasn’t just a refugee anymore, I was a student with a future.

The Day Everything Changed

It was August 2022. My father had a fever, but like always, he went to work. He was the kind of man who never let illness stop him.

That day, he fainted. Not too long after, he started vomiting blood. We begged him to go to the hospital, but refugee fees are expensive. He didn’t want to burden us.

Then he collapsed.

We couldn’t get an ambulance as they couldn’t find our house. Grab drivers canceled when they saw him. Finally, a kind colleague of my dad drove us to the hospital.

I held him in the backseat, my arms soaked in blood. I told him to stay with me. But by the time we reached the hospital, it was too late.

His last words were, “I’m tired. Let me have some sleep.”

Keep the Promise

I was 16. My world shattered. My father was gone. My mother was sick. My sister became the breadwinner.

I thought about leaving school to work. I felt lost and overwhelmed.

But I remembered my father’s dream for me: “Study hard. Build a better life.”

So I stayed. I kept going. For him.

My teachers checked on me. My friends at Dignity became my strength. The Empower-a-Child program helped ease our family’s financial burden and made it possible to finish my IGCSE.

And I made a promise. I want to become a doctor.

“If I had known a little bit about medicine… Maybe I could have helped him. Maybe I could have saved him.”

Education gave me more than just knowledge. It gave me hope and purpose. A reason to keep going and strength to move forward.

I am still on that journey. And I am keeping my promise.