A name, not a statistic: Protecting identity and access for migrant children in Mae Sot

Along the Thai–Myanmar border, more than a million children live in limbo—undocumented, unseen, and unable to access basic rights like healthcare and education. Officially, only 13% are enrolled in public schools. In reality, the number is likely far lower.

To address this, Equitech Collective partnered with Save the Children Thailand to develop a safe, secure, and private digital identity system—designed for children who exist beyond the margins of official records.

ID4ED allows migrant families to store and manage key information that can support their legal status and future access to essential services. Built with privacy and dignity at its core, the system provides a starting point for recognition, protection, and hope. Because every child deserves a record, and a future.

More on this case study coming soon.

Background

The Mae Tao Clinic provides essential healthcare to approximately 250,000 migrants and refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border but faces significant operational challenges.

Reliance on pen-and-paper medical records leads to frequent transcription errors and data loss. Considerable time is devoted to manual record management, limiting clinic capacity to serve patients in the region.

Our Approach

Through collaboration with the Mae Tao Clinic, we designed and implemented a low-cost, low-code EHR system tailored to local needs.The implementation followed a phased approach, beginning with an initial pilot that onboarded 84 patients before scaling to 600 patients.

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Patients onboarded

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Clinical staff trained

Our Impact

Digital Health Rollout

600 patients onboarded to the EHR system in partnership with Mae Tao Clinic — with a planned scale-up to 250,000+ patients across the border region.

Expanding Access

EHR implementation sets the stage to reach multiple border clinics, improving continuity of care and health equity for displaced and marginalized populations.

Local Capacity Building

Hired and trained local talent in Mae Sot, laying the groundwork for self-sustaining clinical operations led by the community.

What people are saying

"It's so convenient for checking lab results. With the paper-based system, when results weren't ready, we had to physically go and check. Now we don't need to go anywhere."

- Mae Tao Clinic Staff

"The system is definitely useful. It's quick, which means patients don't have to wait as long."  

- Mae Tao Clinic Staff