Refugee Children's Home in Pala'u area

[Sealcat]

We can echo Barrys comments... we have known livelyrich for a few months now and can say that his dedication (and that of his family) to the Pala-u kids is genuine and passionate. With Mercy House now travelling ok, its time to focus on those less fortunate. As livelyrich said, many of the kids are still traumatized by their flight from Burma, but their enthusiasm and trust in those who are caring for them will, in time, heal their hurt. Their practical needs are many at the moment, so any support by the HHAD expat community would be greatly appreciated. A couple of pics o the orphanage are attached.

[livelyrich]

great pics, Allan! thanks for your kind heart and generosity; you and Sean are a blessing to us and the kids...

[Jaime]

to clarify, some of the kids are 'actual' orphans, some have only one parent, while others have both parents, but they are incapable of giving them the adequate care and love they need, so that's where we step in. we never take a child away from a family unless we have parental permission and blessing. the reality is that even in instances where both parents are alive, some have been so traumatized by their flight from Burma that they are unable to care for the kids

What is the 'end game' of the charity for those children whose parents are alive but unable to care for them? Is contact maintained between the children and their parents? Is the idea to allow parents to prepare for the eventual return of their children? Is support offerred to families to allow that to happen, or could it be?

[livelyrich]

to clarify, some of the kids are 'actual' orphans, some have only one parent, while others have both parents, but they are incapable of giving them the adequate care and love they need, so that's where we step in. we never take a child away from a family unless we have parental permission and blessing. the reality is that even in instances where both parents are alive, some have been so traumatized by their flight from Burma that they are unable to care for the kids

What is the 'end game' of the charity for those children whose parents are alive but unable to care for them? Is contact maintained between the children and their parents? Is the idea to allow parents to prepare for the eventual return of their children? Is support offerred to families to allow that to happen, or could it be?

great Qs; we encourage parents to come visit when they like and have a 'guest house' for them. we want them to be involved in their children's lives as much as possible. they are not allowed to visit if they are intoxicated or otherwise inebriated. on school holidays, the children usually go back to their home village and, if possible, live with the parent, or another relative if the parent(s) is unable to care for them adequately. as far as financial support for families, we do have occasions where we help them with some needs, but we do not have budget for this on a grand scale; the focus is the children themselves. if they are willing to allow it, we can offer advice for overcoming life's setbacks, but usually it is very difficult to get them to come to this point. some of the stories we hear from the kids are horrendous; it's amazing they even smile, but then that's the miracle of grace and love, and we are simply trying to be conduits thru which this can flow freely!

[PeteC]

LR, how much does religion come into play at your facility? Do you attempt to convert, or just enrich what they may already believe in, even if not Christian? Pete

[Jaime]

You beat me to it Pete - although my understanding was that many of the Karen are Christian, of one denomination or another. Thanks for your earlier answers Livelyrich.

[livelyrich]

good Qs guys re: the influence of Christianity at our children's homes. we accept any child who needs help regardless of religious beliefs. as directors of the organization, we are Christian and we believe that it is exactly what Jesus would want us to do for anyone (see Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46). However, having said that, we do not force Christianity nor require it for staying at the Homes. we don't hide who we are or what we believe, and our staff are Christian, as many Karen are, so they live their faith thru their example and love for the kids, but they also do not force their faith on any of the kids. our actions should always speak louder than our words, so we choose to live what we say we believe and let God take care of the rest!

similarly, we are happy to work with anyone who wants to help and don't discriminate against volunteers based on their religious views either. if someone has a heart to help these kids, whether it is to 'make merit,' or 'salve their conscience,' or 'do penance,' or whatever reason they do good things, who are we to judge? there are good hearts in any religion, or even in those who claim no religion at all...

[livelyrich]

amazing day out on the ocean with barry and mermaid cruise staff. 54 kids and 4 staff came in from the Home; many of them said they never dreamed they would ever step on a boat! they got to fish, swim, and eat (A LOT!) and see wonderful sights; what a blessing and incredible gift for all of them from barry and his crew, along with sponsors allan and sean who together made it all possible. BIG THANKS!!

[Lev]

A dedicated page for the project has been kindly sponsored by one of our readers: http://www.huahinmedia.com/connect3e.php

We hope that those working there will continue to use the forum to update us on progress and projects.

[livelyrich]

hi everyone, just an update on everything associated with C3e. a new school-year brings new challenges and changes to our work with the Karen children, so here's a quick summary:

1. H#1 in the Pala-u area now has 39 kids. we found that some of the children were able to return to their home areas and it is never our intention to separate families, so we allowed them to leave.
2. H#2 in the Ratchaburi area has 21 children at the home, and 4 in a local high-school where they board.
3. we have opened a new preschool with 34 children (on the way to a max of 40), also in the Ratchaburi ares. this is a 'traditional' preschool where the children attend all day and return home in the late afternoon. their parents need this service desperately so that they can both work in order to pay school fees for older siblings.
4. we have 11 university students this year, receiving scholarships for further studies.
5. we continue to conduct monthly medical clinics in remote regions
6. we are exploring opening a high-school boarding house in Petchaburi next year so that Mateom 4-6 students can attend a 'vo-tech' school and receive better training for specific areas of interest. stay tuned as we work toward this program, which would be a feeder program from our children's homes.

much thanks to our sponsors on HHAD who have linked our site to here. also, many of you (you know who you are) have come alongside and donated time, resources and your love to these children. HEAPS OF THANX!

COMING SOON: still working on the exact date, but in Aug or Sep, we will be hosting a golf tourney at Black Mtn, with proceeds to support our work here, so get together a foursome and enjoy a great day at a great course for a great cause! i will post details as soon as i know them...