Our Children
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Commission studies homeless children

Jesters Care for Kids distributes last of the 2008 funds

The changing face of Poo Gan

Diana donates scholarships to staff members’ children

Regent’s Round Square Service Group supports HEARTT 2000

Commission studies homeless children

The commission and senators visit the Redemptorist Home in Pattaya.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
A Senatorial fact-finding commission recently visited Pattaya to study the problem of homeless children and suggested setting up an organizational network to deal with the task better.

Mayor Itthipol Khunplome speaks about the work at Pattaya’s Children’s Office.
On April 27 at city hall, Pol. Lt-Gen. Yuttana Thaipakdee, president of the Commission for Children and Youth, Operations for Social Development of Children and Youth, Women, Elderly, Disabled and Disadvantaged Children, commission members and senators gathered to discuss helping homeless children.
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, government officials and support workers for disadvantaged and homeless children in Pattaya and Banglamung District also attended to brief the government visitors.
Lt-Gen. Yuttana said that the purpose of this visit, “Was for a professional commission and senators to cooperate to solve the local children’s problems for the nation.”

Pol. Lt-Gen. Yuttana Thaipakdee.
A report was given by Supagon Noja, director of Protection for Children and Youth, confirming that the city had a large population of homeless children. This was also discussed with Pannee Limcharoen, director of Social Welfare in Pattaya.
Mayor Itthipol said that the city was cooperating with the children’s organizational network in several activities such as the Sai Yai Rak Project, a rehabilitation camp for the homeless children teaching them daily life skills.
City residents have also been invited to report day and night to city officials on tel. 1337 any cases of homeless children being sexually abused.
They mayor said that even though Pattaya is developing well, poverty and slums still remain. People are fighting to make a living, including children from these families and children from neighboring countries who enter the country illegally.
“These children distribute flowers to tourists and they grab on to the visitors’ legs to get their attention to buy flowers, creating a bad impression. Officials try to send them home but the children continue to return,” he said.
The children come from families with problems which directly affect the children and this important issue should be on the national agenda, the mayor told the visitors.
Social Development and Human Security Chonburi Office, World Vision Foundation of Thailand in Pattaya, Mercy Home and Children and Women’s Protection Center in Police Region 2 all submitted additional proposals at the meeting to help the children.
Consensus was that more reliable information about homeless children needs to be available. The actual numbers are at present not clear as this is a transient population. Many of the children are likely to be receiving duplicated support from social workers.
The commission and senators proposed that Pattaya City be the main agency surveying the real number of homeless children.
They proposed an organizational network for the homeless children which can be done by using an existing organization as a model for network integration.
Later the officials called in to the Redemptorist Home in Pattaya and the Fr. Ray Children’s Village to meet the children being cared for there.

The commission and senators visit
the Fr. Ray Children’s Village and meet the children.


Jesters Care for Kids distributes last of the 2008 funds

Wild Bill (2nd left) and Ingrid (2nd right) make a donation to Open Aid.

Ingrid Cunliffe
On Tuesday, April 13, Jester Wild Bill and myself, distributed 56,000 baht, the remaining funds from the mammoth Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2008.
Open Aid, a Pattaya-based charity that is fairly new on the scene was the beneficiary of this money.

Some of the staff have fun checking out Bill’s Harley.
Open Aid helps young girls and women at risk within Pattaya and in the north of Thailand. They run education programs for young girls and their families, who live in high risk areas, where girls are trafficked into prostitution.
Their aim is to provide a comprehensive education and economic development program to give them better career options in life.
Staff is extensively trained at Open Aid to instruct teachers and care- givers in 5 different schools, at present, to manage these initiatives.
Open Aid director Justin Whitecross and his team are doing a wonderful job here!
Jesters plan to continue to support this project into the new charity year for 2009. If you would like to donate to the Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive this year and help this project, please visit our website at www.care4kids.info.
Please also note these dates in your diary:
* Jesters Children’s Fair and family outing at the Diana Garden Resort, Saturday September 13.
* Jesters Party Night at Jameson’s Pub, Saturday, September 19, which is an evening of auctioning items, drawing grand raffle prize winners and loads of entertainment.


The changing face of Poo Gan

Before the fall into the fire.

After.

Christina Boden
It is coming up to one year now since the Charity Club of Pattaya became involved with Poo Gan and her family.
Poo Gan is the little girl that fell into a fire at 8 months old. The parents couldn’t afford to have her treated, so the Charity Club agreed to cover the medical costs and make sure the bills are paid for their travel and accommodation in Bangkok when she has to attend the hospital.
The Club started to raise funds for her in June of last year and the fund raising was helped immensely by large donations from John Richardson of U.T.S. in Ban Chang and Ann and Frank Lawton of Wearside Construction from Australia.
Poo Gan is now 2 years old. She is still attending the hospital in Bangkok. She still has a long way to go and will continue to wear the pressure mask on her arm and face. She also will need surgery at some stage to remove and smooth the thicker skin areas.
With a little bit of help from friends and supporters the Charity Club will continue to cover the costs until she is completely recovered. Donations are always gratefully received.
The Charity Club is always on the lookout for the following for Isaan: bedding, children’s clothing, shoes, toys and games. You can contact the Charity Club at any of the following: Christina on 0895454185, Malcolm on 089 7441040; charity [email protected]

Poo Gan in her pressure mask, shown here with her mother.

One Year later.


Diana donates scholarships to staff members’ children

Sopin Thappajug presents one of the many scholarships handed out on the day.

Pramote Channgam
Diana Group this year continues its annual practice of donating scholarships worth almost 200,000 baht to children of its staff and members of the media.
On May 7 in the Green Corner of Diana Garden Resort, Sopin Thappajug, managing director of Diana Group, presided over the ceremony to distribute the scholarships, attended by 100 children and parents.

One of the students says a heartfelt thank you.
It is the 21st year that the group has given monetary support for staff’s children to study.
This year 80 scholarships were awarded: 19 to primary school students, 32 to elementary school students, 21 to secondary school students, five diploma scholarships and three scholarships for study at bachelor degree level.
As the group and the local media always enjoy a good relationship, children of the press were also given 12 scholarships for the third year now.
A total of 92 academic scholarships worth 196,366 baht were awarded this year to ease the family burden of Diana Group’s employees as the cost of living increased and as a form of encouragement.

Students gather around to say thank you to Sopin Thappajug.


Regent’s Round Square Service Group supports HEARTT 2000

The Regent’s Round Square Service Group gathers with Dr. Philippe under
the Regent’s clock tower to present him with a 10,000 baht donation.

The Regent’s Round Square Service Group had 10,000 baht left over from their annual fund raising and awareness sessions on HIV / AIDS this academic year.
After already supporting Kidzpositive in South Africa and the Mercy Centre in Bangkok they decided to invite Dr. Philippe Seur from HEARTT 2000 in to school to give an informative talk and answer questions about the global disease one lunch time last week.
Dr. Philippe discussed the major issues concerning HIV / AIDS and especially the role of education as a way of preventing infection. He explained that people must maintain high standards at all times and take time to think before acting rashly or with misjudgment.
The students in the group asked some very pertinent questions and took full advantage of Dr. Philippe’s extensive knowledge and experience.
At the end of the session the group gathered with Dr. Philippe under the Regent’s clock tower to present him with the 10,000 baht and have their photo taken.
Many thanks to Dr. Philippe for the generous use of his time and all the excellent work he does with over 1,500 patients in and around Pattaya.