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Kate’s project needs help
Editor;
My husband Andrew and I decided 6 years ago to volunteer for a year in the
Redemptorist Orphanage in Pattaya Thailand. We felt we wanted to do
something more with our education and life experiences.
The orphanage was a wonderful place, well run and caring and the children
actually had quite a good life so we were drawn more and more to the plight
of the many street kids found wandering the streets, day and night in search
of food or begging. They mostly lived in slum areas which were unhygienic
and overcrowded, with many people sharing one room in shanty style huts.
There are tens of thousands of people living in these slums, scattered all
around the City of Pattaya and Bangkok. The problem at first seemed
overwhelming and too big for anyone to even begin to tackle.
After months of anguish both Andrew and I almost threw the towel in and our
constant cry of “someone should do something about this” fell on deaf ears.
One night while reading the biography of Mahatma Gandhi, his words, “Be the
change to see in the world you want” jumped off the pages at me. We stopped
accusing everyone from the large charities to governments and looked at what
we could do ourselves to at least make a dent in the problem.
Our sincere belief is that education is the only way to end poverty. So with
this in mind we decided to set up a small scholarship fund for a few of the
children who we were privileged to come to know on a more personal level.
We called the project Kate’s Project after my mother who died 8 years ago
and who was an inspiration to everyone she met.
This has mushroomed over the past 5 years and to date we have 150 children
and their families totally relying on us for an education which will give
them choices in their future, give them the dignity to believe in themselves
and make a better life, and, with God’s help, keep them from the streets and
the dangers of sexual abuse.
While education is the main focus of our project, it is only the tip of the
iceberg. We strive to improve the home conditions of the kids and help their
families (made up of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, neighbours ... the one
thing you learn about the poorest people is that they will take another
child into their home if parents die or are ill or have to travel to find
work).
* Uniforms are bought and school fees paid.
* One nourishing meal each day is provided.
* Fresh water tanks are built and kept topped up as stagnant water can cause
many illnesses.
* Basic medical conditions are taken care of.
* Adults are helped with literacy problems.
Advice and help with registration of children is extremely important.
Without this no one can go to school or have any rights under Thai law, and
we are blessed to work along with the Fountain of Life to help families with
this problem.
We help with improving the rough housing and make them water tight as the
rainy season lasts for months and brings many problems with mosquitoes and
daily floods. The makeshift shacks cannot withstand the severe rains and
many are washed away each time only to be rebuilt the same day.
One of the most important things we can do for our people we help is listen
to them - not give handouts, which they often do not want anyway.
The one thing people constantly ask of us is to help them educate their
children. Also the children love school and learning, they see this as their
way out of the cycle of poverty they have found themselves trapped in.
We give them love and a sense of dignity and belief in themselves.
Unconditional help is freely given and our reward will be seeing how they
can rise out of their situation by”
* Getting jobs, which will help them take care of siblings and aging
parents.
* Learning crafts to sell at the local markets.
* Growing vegetables and fruit, etc., for self sufficiency.
Keeping Kate’s project going with the office and uniforms and the day to
day expenses costs a lot of money. For a long time Andrew and myself paid
most of this ourselves from our savings and credit cards, but now we rely on
the generosity of many good people so we can continue to work with these
amazing people and at least make a difference in the lives of a few.
Food parcels made up with funds donated by the PILC.
Because of lack of funds we are struggling to keep Kate’s Project going, so
if you would like to donate please visit our Web site at:
www.katesproject.com
Sincerely,
Allison Lutton
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Cordon off the area
Editor;
Once again, another death resulted from careless boat activity on our
popular beaches when a boat captain towing a banana boat ran over and killed
a Thai man swimming at Jomtien beach. I don’t know why officials don’t see
this - but it is obvious that no boats of any kind should be allowed
anywhere near swimmers. The solution would be to cordon off the entire beach
with ropes and buoys strong enough to cause damage to boats careless enough
to try and cross them, and have designated areas well away from swimmers for
jet ski rentals, parasailing, banana boats and any powered motor driven
water vehicles.
It’s obvious that the people in charge of these types of rentals just aren’t
responsible enough to be let loose among the swimming public. As an example,
as I was walking down Pattaya’s beach promenade on Friday, I heard some
girls screaming out in the water, just off shore. What I saw amazed me, and
not in a good way. A jet ski driver was repeatedly racing in towards them at
high speed, and just a meter or less away, turning sharply to splash the
girls with the spray and wave from its wake. He’d then go back out and do it
again, seemingly “just for fun”. Does that seem like responsible behavior to
you? It certainly doesn’t seem to me to represent the responsible behavior
needed to operate this potentially dangerous equipment in the vicinity of
others.
I read all the time about how Pattaya is always trying to improve its image
to tourists, and there are stories in the Pattaya Mail about how government
officials are working hard to improve water safety. As far as I can tell,
they’re all missing the most obvious solutions. Keep motorized water traffic
very far away from swimmers.
Yours,
Rodney Moody
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Back to the drawing board
Editor;
Re: replies to 2nd Road turning into garbage dump (PM Mailbag Friday, 31 May
2013) - Great idea Matt! Let’s put boom gates on the road and only let the
elite in. Let’s charge all the Thais who live and work near the beach. Every
time they leave the area charge them again. We must stop the Thais from
Bangkok coming down and spending their money here. After all, the beach is
there for farangs to enjoy without being pestered by people trying to make a
living. As for Wally: How do you make a note sound friendly when you
threaten to slash tyres? Back to the drawing board for these 2!
Jimmy
Endorses Ban Jing Jai
Editor;
Re: Willing to help the children (PM Mailbag Friday, 31 May 2013) - I would
heartily endorse the Baan Jing Jai Foundation as being worthy of support.
They publish their accounts and are open and honest about their true
purpose. I have visited the home a few times and have been impressed with
their openness and honesty about their work. Regrettably that can not be
said for another smaller fairly new children’s home on the outskirts of
Pattaya where I offered a regular monthly donations but was refused any
information on their accounts and being run by a church the home seems more
interested in converting children to the Christian religion rather than
giving them unconditional love and care that the children deserve.
Chris Croucher
Traffic is a big problem here
Editor;
Re: 2nd Road turning into garbage dump (PM Mailbag Friday, 31 May 2013) -
The traffic is becoming a huge problem, especially on weekends and public
holidays. The answer is to charge a toll for access to the beach areas. The
money raised could be used to keep the roads clean. It would also discourage
Sunday drivers.
Matthew
Thank you PSC
Editor;
Re: Growling Swan helps Mercy Pattaya (PM Friday, 18 January 2013) - Sorry -
this is a little late, but just wanted to say the Pattaya Sports Club is
amazing in their support of various charity projects around the city,
including Mercy Pattaya children’s home ... and we just wanted to say
Thanks!
Mercy Directors
Back to school woes
Editor;
Re: An improvement, but not enough (PM Mailbag Friday, 24 May 2013) - Last
week my son went back to school. As he had gone up a grade he had to have a
new outfit of trousers, shirt, sox and a hat. This outfit is only worn on
Wednesdays. Each day of the week a new set is required. Why pupils have to
have 5 sets of clothing is beyond me. What’s wrong with the same laundered
uniform on 4 days and a sports uniform on Fridays? My kids wouldn’t believe
me when I told them I didn’t have a pair of shoes until I was 12 years old.
Having 2 elder brothers I dressed in hand me downs all my childhood. Even my
first long pants had the knees darned from them kneeling in church.
Sean Murphy
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