Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Bikes for the boys.





When San Francisco based sponsor Rodney asked us to organise a birthday gift for two of his three sponsored students the request was for a bike each as they has outgrown the ones that they had.
So it was left to Suky to organise delivery of their bikes in time for their birthdays.

 

Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Rice for the disabled families

As part of our food programme we work with Sam of Helping Hand in Pattaya who makes deliveries of rice to the families in the slums where either a child or the parent is disabled.







Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.



Thursday, 28 August 2014

An Ice-Cream treat for three brothers.



Today Suky took three of our younger students who are brothers to Svensons for an ice-cream treat, the boys first time in Svensons. The boys are from a desperately poor family so this kind of day out was just a dream. The boys were also able to choose a new school bag each.


Mother and father had a motorcycle accident and mother was paralyzed as a result. Father could not cope with taking care of her and the children and took off. He is not in contact with them and does not support them.

Thanayot is apparently blind in one eye, although we will need to take him to the doctor to see if this is a permanent disability or if anything can be done to improve/restore the sight. This came about after a football hit him in the eye some years ago and appears to have subsequently become infected as he, childlike, continually rubbed it with grubby fingers.
Grandma is also blind in one eye - the result of a gunshot during a fight with her husband, now dead.


Grandma is the sole supporter. She grows vegetables and fruit. If there is any extra after they have eaten, she sells it.

All the boys have free lunch at school and grandma tries to give them 10 B per day for a snack. This is not always possible.

Because they are required to help in taking care of their mother, they are often late for school. Grandma takes them by motorcycle. They are described as "good students, but not terribly academic."

Although they do not pay rent, the cost of the land is 700 B per month £14) and the cost of utilities is a horrendous 1,500 B. (£30) The only regular income is the 500 B (£10) per month given for grandma (old age pension), mother (medical) and Thanayot (medical)
 
Registered Charity No. 1104335

100 Years From Today

It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.

Thursday, 24 July 2014

French sponsors visit to Pattaya






As these students' sponsors were visiting Pattaya from France they took the opportunity to take their students for lunch and shopping.


After the sponsors were picked up from their condo, and the boys from school at 3.30pm,  everyone enjoyed a delicious Swensons ice cream treat  before heading off into Tesco Lotus to allow the boys to choose some clothes for themselves and some supplies for their families.


Of course no visit could be complete without taking home a treat to share with the family, and so Dunkin' Donuts rounded off the day.





Bruno and Dominic were pleased to see the boys again, and were surprised to see how they've grown since their last visit.  Having met their sponsors a number of times now, Narupol and Pongsakorn were quite at ease, but still respectful and appreciative of their generosity.
 

Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.

Sunday, 20 July 2014

A shopping treat from UK sponsors.





UK based sponsors Dan and Steve recently asked that we arrange a shopping trip for their sponsored student 12 year old ‘Palm’ and her two younger siblings.








 


So it was a trip to Tesco Lotus with Suky and then on to Svensons for an ice-cream treat. In Teco Lotus the kids were able to shop for whatever the wished (within the budget) and the children bought themselves clothes and shoes.



Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Birthday treat from student's Polish based sponsor





Suky picked up Suradetch from school and took him to Tesco Lotus for an ice cream treat and then into Tesco Lotus to choose some very nice clothes, thongs, a back pack and a football for himself - and then since there was some money left over, in true Thai style he chose  some Dunkin' Donuts to share with the family.


It seems that Dad has left /been told to leave, and since Suradetch's older sister is working steadily, Mum now stays home and takes care of the baby.  Suky said that she is calmer and more easy to deal with now, which is good to hear.


It also means that there is no 'lean' on the boy to choose things which Dad can readily convert to cash, so we're very glad to hear this. Poor kid, of all the things Walter has enabled, he wasn't able to keep anything, Dad having sold them for a fraction of their worth when he needed alcohol.


Let's hope this is a new beginning for him, he's such a sweet kid.
 

Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Visit report by a Californian sponsor.





An Afternoon at EasyKart, Pattaya with Pat and Chip

While I was visiting Thailand early this year an opportunity arose to not only have some time with "Pat", one of my sponsored students, but also with one who's left the nest ("Chip", now graduated). Chip's now happily working and building a promising future for himself. It was nice, because Pat - the student - got a glimpse of what's possible if you avoid the "Dark Side" and stay on the right path. As of this writing his schooling is finished, too; another feather in the cap of the Pattaya Street Kids Support Project.

Not everyone can make the journey to Thailand to visit their sponsored kids, but don't let that cheat you out of the satisfaction of helping a child help themselves. It takes so little - less than half a dollar a day, I'd wager - to make a world of difference to a kid who can't afford a decent education - or a decent day's nourishment, in some cases. If you DO make a visit, the happiness in your student's eyes will leave no doubt that you've made an unselfish and worthwhile choice.


When I'd seen Chip graduate last year I'd hoped he'd remain in contact so I could at least share in and observe his future from a distant sideline, and, luckily enough, he was able to "stop work" on the day of Pat's scheduled outing and join Boonying and I. My friends at Mercy have often been a help with suggestions on where to go and what to do on these outings, but after enough years it's difficult not to repeat things - and to find places that will entertain teenagers. We still do lunches, grocery runs and other shopping stops (sporting equipment is usually a suggestion well-received by the boys), but I don't know how thrilled I'd have been with "let's go visit some gardens" when I was 16 or 17 years of age, either. The girls are a bit easier, I must admit.


The EasyKart go-kart park in Pattaya was a place I'd never been to myself, but I'd driven past it, and it had looked like fun. It's very close to Walking Street and seemed to be well-run and safe, so off we went to turn two non-driving boys loose on four wheels for the first time. There are two tracks on the grounds - one for slower racing, and one for the bigger boys. Pat and Chip weren't kids, so they could run the adult carts: 160cc on the slower track, and 270cc on the larger and faster course, but as "newbies" I purchased a few runs on the 160cc track for them to try things out first. Although one of them was a little more apprehensive about it than the other they gamely donned hair nets, picked out safety helmets, climbed into their rides and pulled out onto the track.

Many of you know the expression "takes to it like a duck takes to water"? It didn't take either of them much more than a lap of the first eight minute session to get into it, and when those three sessions were over they were both smiling ear to ear and eager to go again. When I asked "do you want to try the faster track now?" they both nodded enthusiastically, so while they took off their helmets and wiped their faces off with cool towelettes I went back to the counter and booked packages for them both: five races, which also qualified them for a track T-shirt to take home. 


The adult track put them in the faster carts, AND out on the track with visiting/tourist farang. Less aggressive than the experienced farang they were left behind during the first couple of races, but soon their youthful sense of invincibility took over.  From then on they held their own and surprised not only Boonying and I but the other adults who couldn't seem to keep up with these Thai Mario Andrettis without spinning themselves out.  I'm sure the boys were quite pleased!


They took a break for cool drinks at one point, but were eager to get back to zipping around the track. When they'd finished their sets they came back upstairs to where Boonying and I were watching. Both were clutching their time/statistic print-outs and T-shirts; sweaty, but almost giddy with excitement at their first taste of speed. "Now," I said via Boonying "when you get licenses you can't drive like this on the streets!" and they laughed.


I suspect we'll be back here again. While Pat is now out of school, I still sponsor his much younger brother. Over the years he's heard about Pat's excursions, and now he's ready for HIS special days. I'm probably looking forward to them almost as much as he is, but I think we'll leave the racing for a few more years.
 

Registered Charity No. 1104335
100 Years From Today
It will not matter how big your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove. But the world may be a little better because your help touched the life of one child.