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Jesters ‘Caring For Kids’ at Ban Jing Jai
Members of the JCD committee
received beautiful ‘Thank you’ roses from the children.
Lewis Underwood
Our newest beneficiary this year is Ban Jing Jai (House of Sincere Heart),
an orphanage for 54 children and young adults between the ages of 3 and 18
years located in a small cul-de-sac off Nern Plub Wan Road, Nongprue. This
organization is run by Khun Piangta along with her small staff, who provide
the children with assistance, shelter, counseling, care, and the opportunity
to get an education.
Ban Jing Jai consists of 3 small houses in various stages of disrepair and a
small dirt area used as a makeshift playground. The surrounding area is
situated at a lower level than the road making drainage a continual problem.
Our goal and objective at this time is to renovate the buildings, replace
the sewage system by installing and plumbing in two new septic tanks, as
well as constructing additional bathing facilities and toilets. This vital
project is yet another joint venture between the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’
Charity Drive and the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC). Construction
work is being carried out by Europe Low Energy Houses.
Khun Piangta started the Ban Jing Jai Orphanage back in 1992 in cooperation
with the Pattaya International Church in South Pattaya, near Pattaya 3 Road.
They were located there for 3 years before moving to a house on the south
side of Jomtien off Soi Chaiyapruk, where they resided for the next 5 years.
In 1998, they moved to their current location with just over 20 children.
Today the numbers have burgeoned to 54 resident children, 30 girls and 24
boys. All of them, save for the youngest, go to one of eight schools. They
are Nern Plub Wan School, Wat Sudtawas School, Wat Nong Prue School in
Maprachan, Pattaya No. 5 School on Sukhumvit in Central Pattaya, BEST
school, Aksorn School near Rung Land, Aksorn Institute of Technology on
Tepprasit Road, and the Thai Ito College off Nern Plub Wan Road. Some of
these children have personal sponsors who provide scholarships for them to
attend these schools.)
Although we refer to Ban Jing Jai as an orphanage, in fact only 10 of the
children are actually orphans, mostly due to their parents dying of AIDS.
The remainder are there because their parents have been jailed, (usually for
dealing drugs), or because their parents have separated and the children are
no longer wanted. Some are street kids that have been picked up and taken
in, while others are dropped off by single parents who no longer have the
means to take care of them. So all of them have been ‘orphaned’ in one way
or another
Renovating the buildings and improving their physical living conditions is
just the beginning of our work at Ban Jing Jai. The PILC and Bangkok Pattaya
Hospital (BPH) have arranged for the children to get dental and health
checks on a regular basis. In fact whilst writing this article, Dr. Tassenee
from the BHP Dental Department was on her way to Ban Jing Jai, with her
dental chair and all the necessary equipment, to seal the molars on all
younger children when they return from school.
In addition, Helle Rantsen, who energetically wears welfare and charity hats
for the PILC, RLC and Jesters ‘Care for Kids’, will shortly be taking Khun
Piangta and members of her staff members to Chiang Mai for a training
program. There they will meet child psychologist, Khun Joy, at the School
for Life.
This home, for 150 children from broken families, focuses on family values,
‘learning by doing’, and acquiring self-esteem and confidence. We hope that
Ban Jing Jai and the School for Life can network more in the future in their
efforts to help the deprived children of Thailand.
When the Ban Jing Jai building renovations are complete and the children
still receiving regular dental and health care, we will continue to work
with Khun Piangta at Ban Jing Jai to help her realize her vision of
providing the children with shelter, education, and ultimately the goal of
returning to their communities with developed skills and a brighter future
ahead.
| For more information about the 2006 Jesters ‘Care
for Kids’ Charity Drive and our other beneficiaries contact us at:
[email protected], or see our comprehensive web site at:
www.care4kids.info - or, tune in this week to Pattaya Mail
Television to see the first of our live reports from Ban Jing Jai. |
Khun Piangta received the
toiletries from Tony, Mike and Woody on behalf of late Stan Parson, one of
the key charitable person of the city who also passed on the good words and
wishes to the Children at Ban Jing Jai.
Installing and plumbing in two
new septic tanks.
Extra plumbing being replaced
to solve the continual drainages problems.
The Construction of additional
bathing facilities and renovating the toilets inside the house.
Former students of the German Institute network in Thailand
Assoc Prof Narong
Warongkriengkrai (center left) and Mr Walter Kretschmar (center right)
welcome ex-students to the meeting.
Piyavadee Suvannahong
Former German Institute students from around Asia and from the
Thai-German Institute met on June 16 to attend an Innovation Technology
Services (ITS) project to exchange views and forge international
relationships.
This was the sixth time ITS has been staged, and the gathering welcomed
Assoc Prof Narong Warongkriengkrai, Thai director of TGI and Walter
Kretschmar, managing director of TGI-ITS.
Sirigul Sakornrattanagul, public relations manager at the German-Thai
Chamber of Commerce said that the underlying purpose of the meeting was
to create a network of experts in Asia who had completed studies in
Germany in a wide variety of subjects.
Those in attendance were former students of the German Institute who
understood German culture and engineering. The attendees were from seven
countries, namely India, China, Mongolia, Philippines, Indonesia,
Vietnam and Afghanistan, in addition to Thailand.
Walter Kretschmar said that ITS was started by the Thai-German Institute
with the purpose of uniting Thai and German companies who have the
potential to work together and also introducing advances in German
technology to the local industrial sector and training practices for ITS
engineers
Three Lions Clubs present
Thai Encyclopedias to 48 schools
Representatives of three
regional schools symbolically receive their books in the presence of a
portrait of HM the King.
Narisa Nitikarn
Three Lions Clubs combined to present the 30th volume of the Thai
Encyclopedia to 48 schools in the region, along with volumes 1-3 of the
learning assistance edition.
 District
Governor Pakorn Phansema.
The Lion’s Club of Pattaya, the Lions Club of Naklua, and the Lions Club
of Sattahip District 310 C made the presentation on June 14 at a
ceremony led by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, Lions District Governor
Pakorn Phansema, District Secretary Kovit Thiennongnukul, PDG Narit
Phecharat and Wiwat Pattanasin past president of Lions Club of Pattaya.
His Majesty the King initiated the Thai Encyclopedia
project as a way for Thais of all ages to increase their basic
knowledge. The Lions Clubs International have been assigned by His
majesty to distribute these valuable books to the schools. The
encyclopedia is divided into three categories, for small children,
mid-aged children and adults.
Along with the encyclopedia, the Lions Clubs donated 18 scholarships
together valued at 42,000 baht.
Colorful Latino Night works its magic for Mercy Mission
by Zena Tarasena
Henry J Bean’s was packed as the Latino Magic Night exploded in color,
music and dancing on June 10, the aim being to raise funds for Mercy
Ministries to purchase property, presently being used as a shelter for
children at risk, with a vision of renovating the building for use by
under-privileged children in Pattaya.
 Stephanie
Moorhouse and Jojo in a sexy samba number.
Fred and Dianne Doell, the international directors of Mercy Ministries,
opened the evening by introducing their work with a short video. Dianne
thanked Kavita Lamba and Jojo Alfonso with flowers for their
contribution in organizing the event.
The children from the Mercy Shelter won the hearts of the audience with
their song to the guitar and a dance, which was followed by a Latin
dance performed by two 10-year-olds, David and Natthakarn, who were
beautifully dressed in tux and glittering gown and who received cheers
and a loud round of applause.
Next on the program was a very elegant rumba by Stephanie Moorhouse and
Jojo, followed by a sexy samba number with Kavita Lamba and Jojo which
really had the whole room wiggling in their seats, just itching to
dance, so when the salsa workshop was announced everyone dived for the
dance floor to pair up and participate.
By this time the party was in full swing and the floor was crowded. The
dancing continued until most people were out of breath, which allowed
for the prizes to be presented. The prize for best-dressed man went to
Michael Moorhouse, and lady to Gaby, who both won a bottle of wine. Best
salsa student prizes went to Sue Kukarja and Sanja Lamba, who won his
and her watches, and many other door prizes were handed out that
evening.
The party continued as Archie, Alex and Jojo gave a hip-hop dance
demonstration and then the crowds took over the dance floor and danced
the night away with the band.
Latino Magic Night raised 91,800 baht for Mercy Shelter, and the funds
will be used towards the purchase of their current home.
The Latino Magic wand has
no age barriers.
The crowd enjoyed the
colorful performances on the dance floor.
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