Along the Thai-Burmese border, the town of Mae Sot has become a refuge for many Burmese immigrant families.
Thousands of citizens of Myanmar (formerly Burma) cross the border to escape from the still ongoing conflict between Burmese forces and ethnic minority or they are looking for a better economic condition.
According to government statistics, there are at least two million Burmese nationals working in Thailand; at least three fourth of them are illegal.
This status and the lack of connection forces many people to live at a large rubbish dump just outside of Mae Sot.
By collecting recyclable materials, people can make about 100 baht (2.5 €) per day. At present, approximately fifty families are living in bamboo huts built on mountains of waste.
The children begin to work in the dump even at six or seven years old but it is around eleven or twelve when they get more involved with the landfill.
They have to help their parents collect trash or care for the whole household.Despite the terrible condition children have to survive at the dump site their parents feels Thailand is much more safe than the Burmese jungle where they would be kill or die of malnourishment.
