We all have our own ideas of what a normal life is. But for many children living in Pattaya, what they would call normal, others would say it is anything but normal.
There are children living in poverty in Pattaya who go to school wearing dirty hand-me-downs and with flip-flops on their feet. Eating just one meal a day and falling asleep each evening feeling hungry is normal for many. So is being verbally abused, being told they were worthless and beaten every day. If abuse occurs regularly then a child will think it is a normal part of life.
But tell a child that they are being taken away from an abusive environment, an environment which they believe to be normal and it becomes a big upheaval in their young lives.
No one will ever hurt them while they are living at the Father Ray Children’s Home.
Recently nine youngsters arrived at the Father Ray Children’s Home. Just looking at them it was obvious they were nervous, wary of what will happen to them and worried about how they will be accepted by the other children.
However, the residents at the Home welcomed these new arrivals with open arms, as they do with all new arrivals. They all know what it feels like to be the new kid on the block, at one time every resident at the Home was the new arrival. They know where these new arrivals have come from and what they have been through, they all came from similar backgrounds.
It will take a few days, maybe even weeks, for these nine children to get used to their new home, but the first thing they will realize is that they are safe; no one will ever hurt them while they are living at the Father Ray Children’s Home. No one will ever beat them, call them names or scream abuse at them. They will receive three nutritious meals a day, and never lie in bed too hungry to sleep.
Now they can start to have a normal life.
More information on the Father Ray Children’s Home can be found at www.fr-ray.org or email [email protected]
