These kids really need a bit of happiness in their lives!
Here is an impartial first report on our latest aid & show giving project along the Northern Thai/Burma border.
(more pictures and news to follow)
Report by; Andy Lillicrap One Sky Foundation
Gift of Happiness Foundation Visit to Sangkhlaburi February 3rd to 6th 2014
All of us at One Sky were pleased to welcome Eddie, his volunteers and supporters to Sangkhlaburi for the third visit since we started working together in October 2013.
Eddie and his group arrived on Monday evening and we had dinner together at P Guesthouse overlooking the lake. With 6 diverse nationalities around the table we found plenty of interesting topics to discuss!
We were on our way to the first school by 8.30 the next morning. Ban Mai school is about 25 minutes drive from Sangkhlaburi in a quiet village where the majority of people are of Karen heritage. En route to the school we delivered some patients to the Kwai River Christian Hospital (The same Hospital that took good care of Eddie just before Christmas last year). A large portion of the children at the school have parents from Burma (Myanmar). There was a good atmosphere and children and teachers alike enjoyed a good performance from Eddie.
After a local lunch we moved on to the larger school at nearby Huaymalai. This school has had a turbulent time of late and it was clear that teacher morale and motivation was very low. The show went well and the children certainly enjoyed a chance to laugh and forget about the problems at their school for a short time. Hopefully the memories will bring a smile to their faces when things are tough.
After a long day already, Eddie’s team were very patient while we waited half an hour at the hospital for our patients to be ready. Our convoy then made the 45-km drive back through Sangkhlaburi and on to the border at 3 Pagodas Pass where we dropped the patients to continue their journey home into Burma.
On the way back to Sangkhlaburi we took a diversion along several km’s of bumpy dirt roads to call in at our safe house project. Gift of Happiness and eddie has been here before and everyone was pleased to see him. A crowd of around 60 local children and parents gathered and enjoyed a spontaneous show by Eddie as the shadows started to lengthen at the end of a long and now very dusty day.
All of us at One Sky were pleased to welcome Eddie, his volunteers and supporters to Sangkhlaburi for the third visit since we started working together in October 2013.
Eddie and his group arrived on Monday evening and we had dinner together at P Guesthouse overlooking the lake. With 6 diverse nationalities around the table we found plenty of interesting topics to discuss!
We were on our way to the first school by 8.30 the next morning. Ban Mai school is about 25 minutes drive from Sangkhlaburi in a quiet village where the majority of people are of Karen heritage. En route to the school we delivered some patients to the Kwai River Christian Hospital (The same Hospital that took good care of Eddie just before Christmas last year). A large portion of the children at the school have parents from Burma (Myanmar). There was a good atmosphere and children and teachers alike enjoyed a good performance from Eddie.
After a local lunch we moved on to the larger school at nearby Huaymalai. This school has had a turbulent time of late and it was clear that teacher morale and motivation was very low. The show went well and the children certainly enjoyed a chance to laugh and forget about the problems at their school for a short time. Hopefully the memories will bring a smile to their faces when things are tough.
After a long day already, Eddie’s team were very patient while we waited half an hour at the hospital for our patients to be ready. Our convoy then made the 45-km drive back through Sangkhlaburi and on to the border at 3 Pagodas Pass where we dropped the patients to continue their journey home into Burma.
On the way back to Sangkhlaburi we took a diversion along several km’s of bumpy dirt roads to call in at our safe house project. Gift of Happiness and eddie has been here before and everyone was pleased to see him. A crowd of around 60 local children and parents gathered and enjoyed a spontaneous show by Eddie as the shadows started to lengthen at the end of a long and now very dusty day.
Long dusty roads bring happiness to the children
The next day we headed to Ban Hoay Gop School, about 40 minutes from Sangkhlaburi. We picked up a young girl from the hospital who is taking care of her very sick Mum and also 11 children from a small children’s project called the Rainbow School. All were very excited to have the chance to come and see the show. Ban Huay Gop School was very impressive. The school caters for a very diverse population far from any large towns and many children stay in a simple dormitory in the school grounds as their homes are far away. Both Students and Teachers were very friendly, polite and smartly turned out. The school is clearly well run and we enjoyed our time with them.
The last school for this trip was Parainok, this small school operates as a kind of outpost from Ban Huay Gop school. It took 30 minutes to reach the village down a very bumpy and dusty track. The 2 wheel drive truck in our convoy was struggling a little on the biggest hill, but we made it. The road is still being repaid after the flood damage last year. The village was cut off at the peak of the floods. We were informed that the only qualified teacher at the school had quit 3 days before. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we arrived to find 50 children eagerly awaiting Eddie’s arrival. With no electricity available, our generator was called into use, but all went well. It was good that these children could enjoy some fun and laughter at a time of such uncertainty. We really hope they can find a new teacher willing to come to live and teach at this isolated and challenging posting very soon.
Thanks to Eddie and his interesting group. We enjoyed spending time with everyone and sharing experiences from all over the world. Another successful trip and we look forward to the next time!
Andy Lillicrap, One Sky Foundation
| 'Thank You' to all these sponsors! Eight volunteers coming from USA, Norway, Cuba, Australia, UK and Thailand who helped us deliver the goods and great funny shows at each location. We used our Directors truck and two extra vehicles with drivers, supplied by Mr John from USA & DTC Travel, Bangkok. Stay tuned to this news page to follow this story. |  Click here to make a difference! |
