What is an emergency shelter you may ask, and why is it
so important that the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive supports it?
An emergency shelter is a place for human beings in
crisis situations. The crisis situations occur when children have been
sexually or physically abused by their caretakers, or others around them,
and have to be taken away from their home to protect them from further
abuse.
Earlier
this year, Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ worked together with Pattaya Sports
Club and Pattaya International Ladies Club to build a second shelter at the
Rayong Shelter location.
They can live in the shelter for up to 3 months until the
shelter staff has found a more permanent solution for them. Such as the
Protection Center in Huay Pong, the Babies Home in Bangkok, or Banglamung
Boys Home.
The shelter not only provides protection for children,
but also for elderly persons, women and men of all ages. In addition, there
is always a group of young pregnant girls who are very often the victims of
crimes such as rape or sexual abuse.
Normally
a shelter, like this one in Chonburi, is only one building with a single big
room for everybody - children, young women, men and the elderly.
These young women can stay at the shelter from the day
they arrive until their baby is 3 months old.
For the elderly, the problem is different and it is often
necessary for them to stay at the shelter as they have no place else to
live, or no one to take care of them. In due course, they will be moved to
the Home for the Aged in Pattaya where there is specialised care for the
elderly.
There
are now two shelters in Rayong … creating much better living conditions
for those needing shelter and care.
Normally a shelter is only one building with a single big
room for everybody - children, young women, men and the elderly. All groups
are living together, sleeping, eating, playing and resting.
Clearly an unsatisfactory situation for people in crisis
situations, with between 15 to 40 persons daily who are in the need of
counselling and special care. Hardly the ideal environment or surroundings
in which to live, and for some simply to survive.
An
emergency shelter is a place for human beings in crisis situations. This one
is located in Chonburi.
Earlier this year, Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ worked
together with Pattaya Sports Club and Pattaya International Ladies Club to
build a second shelter at the Rayong Shelter location. So today, there are
two shelters at Rayong providing accommodation facilities, and giving the
staff a chance to socially divide the groups in a more suitable way and
creating much better living conditions for those needing shelter and care.
When Lewis ‘Woody’ Underwood (Jesters ‘Care for
Kids’ chairman), Bernie Tuppin (PSC charity chairman) and myself
representing PILC, were invited to visit the Chonburi Shelter it did not
take us many seconds to agree that Chonburi needed a second shelter building
as well, plus a canteen that they do not currently have.
Funds from this year’s Jesters ‘Care for Kids’
Charity Drive will be used to build a new shelter and canteen, and once
again it will be a joint venture working together with Pattaya Sports Club
and PILC. Simply, to help those in crisis situations and in desperate need
of our help.
From the very young to the very old and infirm, and all valuable members
of society who deserve dignity and comfort on a daily basis.
Michelle
Class in Year 5 eagerly puts on one of the leech protectors prior to the
jungle walk.
Mr.
David Lowder, the Head of School, admires the natural setting with his leech
protection on both legs.
