PATTAYA, Thailand – Members and guests at the Wednesday, January 28 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) were treated to two compelling presentations highlighting service, advocacy, and community impact, as representatives from the Arise and Shine Foundation and Veterans Helping Veterans (VHV 2020) shared their work supporting vulnerable migrant children and assisting U.S. military veterans in navigating complex disability benefit systems.
Founded by Rebecca Dhakal and Raket Subedikun, the Arise and Shine nonprofit serves migrant families primarily from Myanmar with Nepalese cultural roots, as well as children from Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. Many of the children face barriers to schooling due to lack of documentation, poverty, and years of interrupted education following COVID‑19 and regional instability.
The foundation currently supports 60–67 children aged 5 to 18, providing non‑formal education, daily nutritious meals, emotional care, and after‑school programs. Classes include English, mathematics, science, Thai language, computer skills, and life‑skills training, all delivered by a small team of dedicated volunteers.
Operating without long‑term institutional funding, Arise and Shine runs on an estimated USD 7,200 monthly budget, relying on small parental contributions, private donations, and personal support from the founders. Despite limited resources, the organization continues to expand its impact.
The presentation also shared progress toward official legal registration and outlined a future vision for an integrated community campus, including an English‑medium school, playground, youth training center, and a recovery center for vulnerable women.
Concluding the session, the founders invited the community to stand alongside the foundation through visits, volunteering, partnership, and advocacy. “We began with one child,” they shared. “Today, dozens of children have a safe place to learn, eat, and dream.”
Kenneth Swilley, with Veterans Helping Veterans (VHV 2020), delivered a compelling talk on the challenges many U.S. military veterans face when navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation system and how proper education and claim preparation can dramatically change outcomes.
Drawing on his experience working directly with veterans, Kenneth explained that benefits are often denied or underrated not because veterans are undeserving, but because claims are filed incorrectly, use improper language, or fail to align medical evidence with VA regulations. He emphasized that the VA evaluates evidence and wording not effort and that even well‑intentioned claims frequently fall short due to misunderstandings of the system.
Kenneth described his role as a “problem solver” who translates complex VA regulations into plain English. Rather than replacing attorneys or Veterans Service Organizations, he works alongside them to ensure claims are structured as fully developed cases, supported by appropriate medical documentation, personal statements, and preparation for Compensation and Pension examinations.
Concluding his remarks, Kenneth shared the impact of his work with VHV 2020, having personally assisted more than 30 veterans, while the organization has helped over 1,500 veterans in recent years. While outcomes can never be guaranteed, he stressed his commitment to legal compliance, honesty, and education—empowering veterans with knowledge so they can secure the benefits they have earned.
See the video of Rebecca and Raket Subedikun’s presentation on the PCEC’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IirTPigTFrA and Kenneth’s presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wh6em_rLk8.
