On a brilliant, hot Sunday, Regents International School Pattaya’s annual Camillian Center Beach Clean-up Day took place at the Camillian Center, Rayong on the local Payoum beach. It was a pleasure to have as many as 40 students and teachers volunteering on this service project to help the local environment and interact with the children at the Camillian Center.
At 9:30 am, the bus left the school. Although it took a while to arrive, we were greeted warmly by the organiser, Mr. Paul Baird. The Camillian Center is one of the first centers in Asia to aid sick and orphaned children with the HIV virus. Mr. Baird used a story about two children named Gao and Mia, who have grown up there in far better conditions than they had experienced before, to illustrate how important the centre is.
It was a collaborative affair
He also talked about the problems the center has, such as the limits on the number of patients they can take in as they need to take responsibility for the residents that are already there. It was significant how the centre puts in so much effort to heal the patients and treat them as one family underlining the reality that life is a precious thing to everyone. When we toured around the complex of rooms, it was noticeable how the child care center, medical wards, dormitories, classrooms and rehabilitation areas were in excellent condition. At the time of our visit there was a party to celebrate the birthdays of the several children in the Center which gave us a chance to play fun games and talk to the young people. It was a joyful sight to see so many happy faces.
Ready to get to work!
After eating lunch, we went straight to Payoum beach with the children and did a great job cleaning the beach. Dividing the group into mixed teams of Camillian and Regent’s students helped create a joy and enthusiasm that made for a really fun and collaborative atmosphere! It wasn’t just a meeting based on a routine act of kindness – we really formed some firm friendships and had a fun time collecting various pieces of litter as if it was some kind of treasure hunt.
The children kept us company all day.
Although it was quite a tiring day, it was well worth it knowing we had brought happiness to the children, giving them a fun experience and a lovely memory. As a young person living in Thailand, I think it is important to make connections with the local community, especially with people living in difficult circumstances. Overall, the event was successful in so many ways, particularly as a learning experience and as a chance to interact with these brave and wonderful children.
Team photo.
