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.