PATTAYA, Thailand – ASEAN Learning Center, Human Help Network Thailand (HHN) Foundation for Thai Children welcomed Derek Franklin, a former officer of the Father Ray Foundation. Franklin, who had dedicated over 21 years of service to the Father Ray Foundation, visited HHN to observe the impactful work done by the foundation in supporting disadvantaged children across Thailand.
The visit was warmly received by Ratchada Chomjinda, Director of HHN, along with Sirorames Akrapongpanit and other staff members and children.
During his visit, Derek Franklin shared his reflections on his long service with the Father Ray Foundation, which he joined in Pattaya until 2022. After moving back to London, he returned to Thailand to visit HHN, located in Central Pattaya. He noted two significant observations upon arriving at the ASEAN Learning Center.
The first was a large framed photograph of the late Father Ray Brennan, the American priest who dedicated nearly thirty years of his life in Pattaya to establish the Father Ray Foundation. Father Ray’s vision was to provide support for orphaned, abandoned, and displaced children, as well as young people with disabilities, blind children, and deaf children.
Franklin also emphasized that behind every great man is often a greater woman, and in the case of Father Ray, this woman was Ratchada Chomjinda, also known as “Aunt Toy.” For many years, Aunt Toy worked closely with Father Ray as his secretary. After Father Ray’s passing, Aunt Toy established the HHN Foundation for Thai Children (HHN) which now manages various initiatives, including AEC, ASEAN Learning Center, and CPDC (Child Protection and Development Center), which provides shelter for abandoned and abused children.
The second observation was the sight of nearly 100 students, all in school uniforms, studying in classrooms at the ASEAN Learning Center. Even though April is summer break in Thailand, with schools, colleges, and universities closed, these children attended classes every day. They were provided with nutritious meals and safe learning environments. The reason, according to Derek, is that they are safer at school than at home.
The students are mostly children of migrant workers who labor in construction, hotel buildings, shopping malls, and the motorway, many of whom come from Cambodia. Although some of the children were born in Thailand, they are not Thai citizens and therefore lack access to the Thai public school system. They live with their families in construction sites, which are dangerous environments for young children. Therefore, Aunt Toy, affectionately called “the angel of children,” invites them to the school every day.
About 20 minutes from central Pattaya, the CPDC provides care for children who have suffered abuse and neglect. Franklin recalled a time when the CPDC project was just a small operation in a muddy field near the city, where several teenage boys shared two tents. Today, more than 80 children are safely housed in small homes. The high walls surrounding the center are not to keep the children inside, but to prevent others from entering.
The children at CPDC have endured trauma, abuse, and abandonment—experiences no child should ever face. But at CPDC, they find friends, care, and a place where they can be children once again. All the children attend school and, as Thai citizens, many continue their education at local colleges or universities across the country.
CPDC is a remarkable place, one where you often hear the children’s voices before seeing them. They participate in farm work, growing vegetables, feeding fish, collecting eggs from chickens, and harvesting mushrooms in mushroom huts. It is a place where they have a safe home as long as they need it.
Franklin shared, “I first met Khun Toy in March 2001 when I took a six-month break from my job as a pediatric nurse at North London Hospital to volunteer with Father Ray. Originally, I planned to volunteer for just six months, but Aunt Toy persuaded Father Ray to offer me a full-time position, which I accepted. Eventually, I stayed in Thailand for 21 and a half years before returning to work as a nurse in North London. We have remained friends, and even after all these years, she continues to be an inspiration. Over the years, many people have asked me how we can tell if a charity organization is successful. My answer is always the same: Look at the children. Are they smiling? Are they happy? Khun Toy’s children are happy.”
For more information about HHN Foundation’s programs, visit: www.hhnft.org or email Khun Toy at [email protected].
Aunt Toy spoke about the foundation’s mission, particularly the establishment of the ASEAN Learning Center, which aims to bridge social inequality, reduce crime, and prevent the exploitation of children through various forms of abuse, including child labor, child trafficking, and child sexual abuse. Additionally, the center strives to provide educational opportunities for migrant children, ensuring they receive a basic education, a fundamental right for all children.
