邊境盛開的數位花朵 －泰緬美索的電腦啟蒙營
Taiwan Panorama 台灣光華 2006年7月
邊境盛開的數位花朵 －泰緬美索的電腦啟蒙營
賴樹盛／泰國
電腦硬體建置完成，最重要的是使孩子們上手。看著螢幕上顯現的畫面，孩子們個個聚精會神，努力學習。將一台台電腦組裝，線路建置完成，開機的剎那，泰緬邊境美索的小朋友們，個個樂開懷。志工服務跨出海外，須要克服文化及語言上的障礙，才能與當地人建立珍貴的情誼。圖為志工帶領孩子們學習數位知識之餘，並有團康活動。
短短8個月內，一群中原大學資訊管理學系學生3度來到泰緬邊境之城──美索（Mae Sot），培訓在地師資並舉辦電腦啟蒙營，更為難民女醫師辛西雅創辦的梅道診所建置數位學習中心。真的很開心能在海外結識這群懷抱理想的年輕朋友，共同促使夢想成真，履行美麗約定。
位於泰國西北與緬甸接鄰的邊境地區，不僅仍有少數民族部落位於偏遠山區，對外交通聯絡不便，缺乏各項教育及醫療資源，更有成千上萬緬甸百姓為了躲避內戰，持續跨越邊境湧入泰國，成為流離失所的難民。許多國際非政府組織長年在此設置工作據點，提供各項人道援助服務，而「台北海外和平服務團」（Taipei Overseas Peace Service, TOPS）也在這國際援助行列之中。
近年來，中原大學資管系持續鼓勵學生參與青年公益服務，5位學生張利安、何思緯、李沃展、鄭怡婷和鍾家賢，在學三年多期間，便已在桃園復興鄉與馬祖東引島留下服務足跡。雖然赴海外進行資訊服務，得克服文化差異和語言障礙，但仍在指導教授鼓勵下，毅然於去年8月與今年2月邁出海外服務的步伐。
邁出海外志工步伐
5位學生組成資訊服務志工團，搭上台北飛往曼谷的班機，露宿曼谷巴士站，再轉搭乘8小時的長途巴士，風塵僕僕來到邊城美索。考量文化差異與條件限制後，決定以「啟發孩童學習興趣」、「培養在地種籽教師」為兩大服務目標，並與TOPS泰國工作隊合作，前往偏遠部落小學舉辦電腦啟蒙營，教導山區部落孩童使用電腦，要為泰緬孩童開啟一扇接觸世界之窗。
中原學生帶領當地實習老師們，教導學童用電腦軟體繪圖創作。啟蒙營中，每位學童都要輪流操作電腦，由於是第一次接觸電腦，每隻小小手掌緊張地不斷冒出汗來，雖然覺得有趣，也不禁心疼起他們與台灣孩童的學習環境實在差距太遠，而所有孩子認真專注的眼神，也深深烙印在大家的心裡，並期待這樣的跨國情誼與服務行動能夠延續下去。
誠如張利安同學說到：「我相信有一種語言可以跨越族群、國度，那就是微笑；這次海外的數位公益行動，讓我重新學習體會到服務的可貴；在離開的那一刻，我許下了一個願意再回來服務的諾言，並且會帶著更多的資源來到這裡。」
這群台灣青年初次服務結束返回台灣後，便思索著如何為泰緬邊境創造更多的資訊學習機會。他們開始著手撰寫企劃書，募集電腦硬體與尋求民間贊助，期間經過無數的挫折，終於得到Acer電腦與新光基金會的支持，同學們扛著9台電腦再度遠渡重洋，在今年4月初踏入位於美索鎮上的梅道診所。
由於累積了之前的服務經驗，這次活動進行的比預期中順利許多，中原學生們帶領著診所工作人員，教導硬體架設與軟體維護，同心協力完成梅道診所數位學習中心的建置工作。
泰緬邊境，數位學習
梅道診所是由自緬甸流亡18年的難民女醫生辛西雅所創辦，辛西雅持續培訓緬甸難民青年成為醫護工作者，並進行社區衛教宣導工作，以滿足泰緬邊境居民的健康醫療需求，並且也是緬甸民主與和平運動的海外據點之一，因而贏得國際社會給予「緬甸德蕾莎」的美譽。
這3次服務都全程參與的何思緯同學，在活動感言中寫到：「『不要覺得我們到這裡來是教他們什麼，最後說不定反而是我們從他們身上學到什麼！』這句話對我來說，剛開始無法全然體會它的意涵，但從泰國回來後，我想我真的懂了。回到台灣後，真的覺得自己好幸福，生活在資源那麼豐富的地方，卻不知好好珍惜，反倒每天抱怨少了這個少了那個……。」
4月梅道診所數位中心的啟用，代表著更多責任承擔的來臨，更是一條持續漫長的服務學習旅程。接下來的暑假，這些年輕朋友將帶領著學弟妹前往海外，繼續投入數位中心的經營工作，舉辦在地青年的資訊人才培訓課程，分享台灣的數位發展經驗。
這群年輕學子跨越了語言和疆界的障礙，讓服務順利畫下圓滿句點。擔任志工從事海外服務，除了須具備敏銳的觀察力和調適力，更重要的，是抱持相互學習的態度，尊重彼此的文化差異。而拓展全球視野，建立跨國情誼，厚實生命經驗，都將是學生參與這項過程中的最美好收穫。
服務別人，成就自我
海外公益服務並不需要神聖光環，無論是學生或者專業人士，只要願意秉持人文關懷態度，任何人都可以擔任公益志工，展開一段美好的意外人生之旅。
很高興能看到來自台灣的新生代，主動走出校園去探索更寬廣的世界，在公益服務中茁壯成熟，同時讓世界看到台灣除了擅長製造高科技產品以外，更願意以數位技能的優勢來服務發展中國家，使整個地球村多一點美好。
台灣被許多人認為沒有全球觀，也缺乏國際伸展的空間，但在泰緬邊境，每個人都知道我們來自台灣，願意為全人類的幸福一起努力，這樣就夠了！
台灣年輕人加油，台灣加油！
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Sowing Digital Seeds-- Mae Sot Digital Learning Center
Taiwan Panorama 2006/7/p.109
Sam Lai/tr. by Paul Frank
Within eight short months, a group of students from the Department of Information Management at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) have recently completed three missions in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border training local teachers, running a computer training camp for beginners, and setting up a digital learning center for the Mae Tao Clinic, which was founded by the Burmese exile Dr. Cynthia Maung. Getting to know these young idealists and seeing them encourage each other to make their dreams a reality and fulfill their common goal has been a rare privilege for me.
Located in a remote mountainous border region between northwestern Thailand and Burma which is inhabited by minority tribes that lack educational and medical resources, Mae Sot has become a magnet for tens of thousands of refugees from Burma's civil war. For the past several years, numerous international NGOs, including Taipei Overseas Peace Service (TOPS), have set up aid operations in the town.
In recent years, CYCU's Department of Information Management has encouraged its students to take part in youth volunteering. During their time at the university, five fourth-year students--Chang Li-an, He Ssu-wei, Li Wo-chan, Cheng I-ting and Chung Chia-hsien--had already done voluntary work in Fuhsing Township, Taoyuan County, and on Tungying Island in the Matsu archipelago. Undeterred by cultural differences and the language barrier, and encouraged by their professors, the students left for Thailand in August 2005 and again in February 2006 to contribute their IT skills to a good cause.
The five volunteers flew from Taipei to Bangkok, slept rough in Bangkok's central bus station and took an eight-hour bus ride to Mae Sot. They arrived at the border travel-worn and weary. In light of the cultural gap and the area's limited infrastructure, the team set itself the twin goals of "stimulating children's interest in learning" and "sowing seeds by training local teachers." In collaboration with the TOPS team in Thailand, the students traveled to an elementary school in a remote tribal village in the mountains, where they organized a computer training camp to teach Thai and Burmese children how to use computers. Their aim was to open a window to the world for them.
The CYCU students offered training to local teachers and taught schoolchildren how to use computer software to draw pictures. In the computer training camp, children took turns using computers. Sweaty little palms betrayed how nervous they were the first time they came into contact with a computer. Although they were keen to learn, they were also disheartened when they realized that their educational environment was worlds away from that in Taiwan. The CYCU students were deeply impressed by the look of concentration on their charges' faces. They hope that this volunteering program will continue to strengthen international friendship.
As soon as the Taiwanese volunteers returned to Taiwan, they began to think of ways to provide people on the Thai-Burmese border with more opportunities to learn IT skills. They drew up a plan, raised funds to buy computers and sought support from the public. After countless setbacks, they finally obtained several computers from Acer Corporation and financial support from the Shinkong Life Foundation. In April of this year, they traveled once again to Mae Sot with nine computers for the Mae Tao Clinic. They guided clinic personnel, provided software and hardware maintenance training, and worked very hard to finish setting up the clinic's digital learning center.
The Mae Tao Clinic was founded by Dr. Cynthia Maung, who was exiled from Burma 18 years ago. To meet the health needs of people living along the Thai-Burmese border, Dr. Maung trains young Burmese refugees as doctors and nurses and provides public health education to the local community. She is also a rallying point for the Burmese peace and democracy movement. Consequently, she is known to many people around the world as the "Mother Theresa of Burma."
He Ssu-wei, a student who has taken part in all three overseas volunteering missions to Mae Sot, wrote, "We were told not to go there thinking that we were going to teach them, because we might end up learning much more from them than they from us. When I first heard this, I did not realize what it could possibly mean. But now that I'm back in Taiwan, I understand. Since returning to Taiwan, I have felt privileged to live in such a prosperous country. We don't value what we have and always complain about not having this or that."
The Mae Tao Clinic's digital learning center represents an even greater responsibility for the volunteers, who have committed themselves to a long journey of service learning. Over the coming summer vacations, they plan to guide a younger group of volunteers as they travel to Mae Sot to take over the management of the digital learning center, offer computer training classes to local youngsters and share Taiwan's IT expertise.
You don't have to be a saint to get involved in international volunteering. The same quality is required from student volunteers and from foreign aid professionals: a commitment to humanitarianism. The path of public service is full of surprises and is open to everyone.
It is gratifying to see a new generation of Taiwanese students leave their campuses to explore the wider world and gain experience in public service. These students are showing the world that Taiwan not only excels at manufacturing high-tech products but is also contributing its digital technology expertise to developing countries and is consequently making our global village a better place for all.
Taiwan is widely thought to be insular in outlook and to lack the means to spread its influence overseas. But on the Thai-Burmese border, everyone knows that we come from Taiwan and that we are making a great effort to benefit humanity. To Taiwan and its young people, I say: keep up the good work.