Tons More Happiness For Children in Need
Along the Southern Thai/Burma Border
20/01/19...
Five Gift of Happiness Foundation (GoHF) Volunteers and two Staff provided a massive week of giving essential goods and fantastic, funny shows for children living in hill tribe villages along the Thai/Burma border around 300 kilometres south of Bangkok.
GoHF also gave sets of brand new children's underwear, purchased directly from GoHF 'HERE'
Five Gift of Happiness Foundation (GoHF) Volunteers and two Staff provided a massive week of giving essential goods and fantastic, funny shows for children living in hill tribe villages along the Thai/Burma border around 300 kilometres south of Bangkok.
GoHF also gave sets of brand new children's underwear, purchased directly from GoHF 'HERE'
Volunteers, Brian & Karen Stone project report;
his was our third outing with Gift of Happiness. Our previous two trips took us to northern Thailand but this time we headed south to where the country narrows and the mountains of the Burmese border encroach from the west. Here, the Thai border patrol police have worked for years to build a strong relationship with the local Karen hill tribes; a project which has vastly reduced crime in these remote regions. As part of this initiative the police run schools for the Karen children and it was these we were visiting to distribute tons of donated clothes, toys, new underwear, soap and towels and put on the shows to entertain and bring so much laughter and happiness.
his was our third outing with Gift of Happiness. Our previous two trips took us to northern Thailand but this time we headed south to where the country narrows and the mountains of the Burmese border encroach from the west. Here, the Thai border patrol police have worked for years to build a strong relationship with the local Karen hill tribes; a project which has vastly reduced crime in these remote regions. As part of this initiative the police run schools for the Karen children and it was these we were visiting to distribute tons of donated clothes, toys, new underwear, soap and towels and put on the shows to entertain and bring so much laughter and happiness.
Ban Pa Mak school was our first and possibly the most remote. The drive from our base near the east coast was long and hard on often very rough roads passing fresh elephant dung in places! After the show we were treated to an amazing lunch of local food while the children went off to feed the chickens and pigs! Not the average lunch break activity for most UK schools!
On most days the schools were very remote so we only visited one. On our second day we visited two schools as they were quite close to each other. The first, at Ban Khao Jao, had an amazing troup of Spectacled Langurs (a type of leaf monkey) including mothers with tiny babies. Fascinating to watch their behaviour which was so human at times. As the show started they heard the noise and all moved to trees where they could see what was going on. Good to know Clown Eckie's shows can cross the species as well as language barrier!
On most days the schools were very remote so we only visited one. On our second day we visited two schools as they were quite close to each other. The first, at Ban Khao Jao, had an amazing troup of Spectacled Langurs (a type of leaf monkey) including mothers with tiny babies. Fascinating to watch their behaviour which was so human at times. As the show started they heard the noise and all moved to trees where they could see what was going on. Good to know Clown Eckie's shows can cross the species as well as language barrier!
Our second school that day at Ban Ta Wang Hin had the more usual animals in the form of some pretty tough-looking dogs. One powerful-looking pitbull (which we nicknamed Bullseye after Bill Sykes' dog in Oliver) took a like (or maybe dislike) to Gingernutt's show and came to bark at the front. Heckled by a pitbull! The children of course loved the show and it was great to see them going around the grounds watering the plants and vegetable gardens and picking up any litter before playing some extremely competent volleyball and going home for the day.
Day 3 saw us at Preank Ta Kro school. The scenery here was quite stupendous sat right in amongst the mountains. Here the show took place outside under the shade of some large trees with eagles soaring overhead. Wow! Like many this school had no mains water and power was supplied by a small array of solar panels. Despite the lack of modern equipment it's impressive to see how smartly the children are turned out. A testament to the hard work and dedication of the parents.
Our final day took us to the fifth and largest school of the week. A navigational hiccup meant we arrived a little later than scheduled, which worked out just fine as a party of monks were completing their donations of food and new toys. After we were treated to yet another veritable banquet of a lunch we set up the donations and show one last time and enjoyed the most enthusiastic reception from the children, partly we think because of their brilliant teachers. The two women in charge were laughing as hard as the kids from the start and were clearly the driving force behind a really happy and well-run school.
As we had squeezed two schools into one day earlier in the week our last day was free - a rare treat for a Gift of Happiness road trip! So, being so close to the seaside delights of Hua Hin, Eddie decided to take us all to the Centara Grand Beach Hotel for afternoon tea among the beautifully restored colonial style buildings and gardens. This incredible setting was formerly the Railway Hotel built in 1923 at the height of Hua Hin's appeal as an elegant resort for the wealthy and fashionable and featured in several films, most notably standing in for the Phnom Penh Hotel in The Killing Fields. A dip in the ocean, a stroll in the beautiful gardens with enormous topiary of elephants and other animals and a delicious afternoon tea was a perfect way to round off yet another unforgettable week of bringing practical help and laughter to remote parts of the country.
As we had squeezed two schools into one day earlier in the week our last day was free - a rare treat for a Gift of Happiness road trip! So, being so close to the seaside delights of Hua Hin, Eddie decided to take us all to the Centara Grand Beach Hotel for afternoon tea among the beautifully restored colonial style buildings and gardens. This incredible setting was formerly the Railway Hotel built in 1923 at the height of Hua Hin's appeal as an elegant resort for the wealthy and fashionable and featured in several films, most notably standing in for the Phnom Penh Hotel in The Killing Fields. A dip in the ocean, a stroll in the beautiful gardens with enormous topiary of elephants and other animals and a delicious afternoon tea was a perfect way to round off yet another unforgettable week of bringing practical help and laughter to remote parts of the country.
"DIGNITY FOR CHILDREN IN NEED"
(Buy new sets of underwear for children in need - ONLY ฿100-THB ($3.00-USD) per set)
Individuals, Small Businesses, Social Groups and Corporates can all support this project;
(Buy new sets of underwear for children in need - ONLY ฿100-THB ($3.00-USD) per set)
Individuals, Small Businesses, Social Groups and Corporates can all support this project;
