• The Border Consortium

The Border Consortium is the only agency which directly supplies food and shelter assistance to refugees from Burma/Myanmar, managing ten refugee camps along the border with Thailand. The agency also aims to increase refugees’ long-term self-reliance through support for education and development activities.

“The self-management aid model used in the refugee camps over the last three decades means that refugees have skills and experience that will be invaluable in promoting reconciliation and rebuilding their country,” says Mr Dunford, who founded the Consortium in 1984.

The Consortium is supported by a range of international governments working in cooperation with the Thai government. It has played an integral role in fundraising and advocacy of the needs of Burmese refugees over the decades, working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

• Act for Peace

Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia, has been a member of The Border Consortium for more than 20 years. Act for Peace Executive Director Alistair Gee recently stepped down as Chair of the Consortium after three years. Australians have been supporting the work of the camps for decades through Act for Peace and the Australian Government aid program.

• The prospect of return of refugees to Burma/Myanmar

“The job is not yet done. After nearly 30 years there is expectation that the refugees will go home — but real change has still not come to the ethnic areas. As the international community rushes into Burma/ Myanmar it is important for refugee support to continue and every effort sustained to bring about peace and resolution of ethnic conflict,” says Mr Dunford.

• The future for Burma/Myanmar and ongoing work for peace and reform

“I am optimistic about the future in Burma/ Myanmar. I have to be. This is the first time in a lifetime that real peace and reconciliation is possible. We must all support it … After six decades of conflict and economic mismanagement everyone in the country hungers for change. This opportunity cannot be allowed to fail.”

• Stepping down after thirty years as head of The Border Consortium

“For me this is a new beginning, not an end … I feel extremely privileged to have been part of the refugee / ethnic struggle for nearly thirty years and now feel obligated to use my knowledge, experience and contacts to help make sure that the refugees and the ethnic issue are not forgotten,” says Mr Dunford.

“I have been inspired by the refugees’ tenacity, dignity and faith and part of my plan is to write a book about the last 30 years on the border. It is a compelling story and one that the refugees deserve to be told.”

While in Australia Mr Dunford will meet with staff of AusAID and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and academics at the Australian National University. He will also meet with Burmese refugees who have resettled in Australia after having lived in the camps along the Thailand–Burma border.

To arrange interviews, please contact Alistair Gee, 0417 672 650 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..