The Brackett Refugee Education Fund, established in April 1997, is a small not-for-profit foundation organized to help educate refugees. Currently the Fund is concentrating its efforts on refugees from Burma in India, Thailand and Bangladesh. Our trustees are Russell Brackett (Interim Chair of the Board and Executive Director), Brian Brackett, Penelope Brackett, Paulo Flor, Melinda Jackson, Jenny Jones, John Littleton, and Kathy Sabino. The Fund has 501(c)(3) taxexempt status, EIN 16-1523586. It seeks support from friends, family and foundations.

We are a Board of Trustees

Kathy Sabino

Thai Schools

John Littleton

BREF/COTE Bangladesh

Jenny Jones

Thai Scholarships

Melinda Jackson

BREF India

Paulo Flor

Treasurer

Russell Brackett

Executive Director

Penelope Brackett

Clerk

Brian Brackett

Marketing Development and Communications

After the student uprising of 1988, a number of Chin university students fled to Mizoram. Some because of their education in science and math, were able to become teachers in the Indian government system. Pianga on the left was one of as well as Kianlova on the right. Tluanga, shown with his wife and baby is younger and when we first met him taught math in a private school. All of these three persons select students for high school scholarships, and find candidates for us to interview for university scholarships.

This larger group is from the regional cities and towns in Mizoram State. They work in Champhai, Saiha, Lawngtlai, and Lunglei to find possible candidates for aid to education.

We are Volunteers

From left to right this shows our TReps in Thailand: Hoppy Winfield, Craig and Julie Kurtz, Alan Cooper, and Judy Winfield. These volunteers travel to Thailand once a year, with the exception of Alan who lives there, to interview, select, and nurture our university scholarship winners. They do this all at their own expense. We are very grateful for them.

Saw Takabaw is shown here with Naw Tamla. They are reviewing applications to receive a Mae Sot Study Group high school scholarship. The students are selected from poor hill-tribe people, who generally have less education than others. Naw Tamla was the host in Refugee Camp Gray Hta of Tom and Liz Brackett on their first trip to Thailand.

We are the Founders

Tom and Liz Brackett started on their venture in 1992 when they came to Asia to live with the Karen people in a refugee camp. There they learned about the longest on-going civil war in recent history. The Burmese army had been fighting and abusing the Karen people ever since the initial struggles in 1949. Each year after their first trip, Tom & Liz returned to visit their refugee friends. On April Fool's Day in 1997 with their friend John Novak, Tom & Liz founded the organization which later became known as the Brackett Refugee Education Fund (BREF), to help refugees gain access to education. Since that time we have helped hundreds of young refugee adults obtain a university degree, and thousands attend primary and high school.