Helping the poor in Thailand

Planning for Phitsanulok in Thailand
 
We have returned from Phitsanulok, Thailand to conduct a survey on needs and to work out detail building plans on the 800,000 sq ft property that we intend to lease. The survey confirms there is a need for an orphanage  as many children were abandoned by their parents and  left with their grandmother. In one Hmong village, six grandchildren were left to a wizened grandmother who proudly declared she is a follower of Yesu Maria ie a Catholic. Her two grandchildren attended a play school  which costs 400 bahts per YEAR (not month) and for two years she had not paid the 800 baths fee. Peter, Jenny and Erine decided to chip in and pay the fee. Another sad grandma who said she prefers to die than live in such hardship looks after a granddaughter. The mother who is only 25 is divorced and worked in a bar in the city but has not returned to see her daughter or given any financial support. Both of them tries to live off the 500 bahts (about S$21) given monthly by the Thai Government.
 
Our plans for Hope Village Phitsanulok are as follows:
1.       A 120 children orphanage
2.       A 120 children weekend shelter
3.       An experimental farm
4.       A vegetable farm
5.       A Learn and Earn centre
 
The Weekend Shelter takes in children on Friday night and returns them to their homes on Sunday night. These poor children have parents who worked seven days a week, working as daily rated workers, selling or doing all sorts of odd jobs. On a Sunday, we can hardly see an adult at home. Only the young and elderly are left at home. Such an environment leaves the children exposed to bad influences. Pimps prey on teenagers to earn quick money. Drug peddlers offer something to kill the boredom of village life. The Weekend Shelter will provide learning opportunities where the children will learn English, computers and view educational videos. They will play board games that improve their thinking skills, engage in sports that teaches teamwork and learn about Life 101. Children will  learn discipline, hygiene and most all that they hold their future in their hands. At least for the weekend, these poor children can experience what life can be or should be for them.
 
With the huge land, we intend to earn income or grow our own food. The children will help  tend the vegetable farm. Other food projects can include a fish or frog pond, mushrooms and rearing chickens.
 
The Learn and Earn Centre will allow the older youths to learn and earn at the same time. A café restaurant and guest house will be set up where the youths can work  and learn at the same time. There is a nice scenic site next to the Kek River and in the winter months, it is cool. In fact we shiver when we bathe at night with unheated water as temperatures can drop to 18 degrees centigrade. Potentially it can be a nice income generator.
 
The Experimental Farm will be a place for us to test our technologies for the poor. Growing vegetables in containers for urban slum  dwellers is another experimental project we are doing. We want to develop an integrated system where vegetables are grown in containers , we  “make” our own good soil and  compost  used continually to sustain the nutrients in the soil. Micro drip irrigation, solar cookers, rainwater harvesting and low cost water storage are other areas that we are working on.
 
It is a massive project which we commit to the Lord in humility and faith.
 
“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”  - Gail Devers
 
 “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”  - Harriet Tubman
 
 
Robert Kee