Mayor Mai Chaiyanit hands over the
property to the family.
William Macey
The family has occupied the same plot for 60 years going back two or three
generations. Parents, grandparents and their families have grown up here and the
home had been handed down to later generations. There was also a number of
houses on the site occupied by Thai families with a similar history of
occupation but here is the problem. The site is situated directly opposite the
new Colosseum on the left of Thepprasit Road with many tourists visiting to
witness the latest Pattaya attraction.
The owner could be forgiven for being able to see the possibilities with
development of the site, in the future, and has told everyone to move away. This
particular family has some problems. The son has HIV. The daughter has to be
taken to Fr. Ray’s Special Needs centre everyday being autistic. The father is
virtually blind and is unable to work. The mother is an aged motorbike taxi
driver. They have no money and nowhere to live. They were reluctant to move even
when the owner demolished the houses around them, as you can see, and gave them
final notice to leave or he will knock down their living area.
Only one home remains
amongst the rubble.
The area is in the Nongprue Tambon, even along Thepprasit,
and a cry for help to Nongprue City Hall did not go unnoticed and, fortunately,
the Fr. Ray’s Children’s Home in Nongprue have a plot of land, within 100 metres
of the Home. It is occupied by an elderly man and his wife who are employed to
grow organic vegetables for the children but it is becoming too much for 1
person. Fr. Ray Children’s Home has agreed to let Nongprue Municipality build a
small house on the site for the family from Thepprasit which solves many
problems. The husband, even with his disability, could help take care of the
vegetables as could the son.
Not much of their home is now
left.
So much more can be achieved when various charity groups
combine their efforts and this exercise is no exception, for many groups were so
concerned that they got together to accumulate sufficient funds to build a small
brick house suitable for 4 people. Those involved in this project included
Pattaya Sports Club, Lions Club Pattaya, YWCA, Nongprue City Hall and the Fr.
Ray Foundation. A local builder was asked to construct the home, which he did
with due diligence. The family is still together, with a new home and you can
see the smile on everyone’s faces to appreciate that this was a project that has
gone according to plan. The mayor of Nongprue, Mai Chaiyanit, was present, as
always, to hand over the house to the family.
A new home has emerged for the
family.
Sponsors gather for a group photo
with the family.
The vegetables are organic and
fresh for the children.
