Because of a generous donation we could buy a new sewing machine for one of the houses. Last weekend we unpacked it and showed it to all the mothers and girls. We won’t be able to really start using it until one of the vacations. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic. Luckily this one is a portable sewing machine so that it can be easily set up, put away and transported to one of the other houses if need be. Many girls are looking forward to learning to use the machine and sew their own clothes or other items. Thank you to the donor!!

We received a donation to treat the girls to ice cream. It took a while before we could schedule the event but once the temperatures reached more than 40 degrees, it was really time for the mothers to take the girls to an ice cream parlor. Not only scoops of ice cream but also with many additions. It was a true celebration with so many girls and mothers in the shop. It was marvelous to see everyone enjoying themselves.

Perhaps this seems like such a simple thing but it is truly special for our girls who don’t get such a treat very often. The timing was perfect and everyone was glad and grateful that they could cool down inside and out: an air-conditioned shop with a cooling treat.

 

 

Having proper front doors in our houses is not only a blessing; it is a necessity, especially since they prevent snakes and other vermin to enter the houses. When the independent living houses were built, the doors were in good shape of course, but these wooden doors have proven not to be very suitable for the climate in Thailand. They are battered by rainwater every time it rains and scorched by the sun every time the sun comes out. The doors have been painted and varnished numerous times, but they just need too much maintenance. That is why we have replaced the wooden doors with maintenance free doors recently. The girls living in the houses are very grateful for that. At the same time, we have replaced the doors of the multipurpose room and the tool shed as well, because they required too much maintenance too. In total, we have replaced 10 doors and we don’t have to be afraid of uninvited guests anymore.

 

 

Here in Thailand it is often rather hot, not just for a few days but at least three quarters of the year. Apart from that we have a lot of rain. The rainy season lasts for about 6 months and so it is not surprising when people would like motor cycles to be parked under a roof. Now that we have more and more motor cycles on our property, as more girls ride one and many of our staff use a motor cycle to come to work, we need sufficient sheltered parking places. Therefore we are very happy we have been able to build a new sheltered parking lot. Very good for the motor bikes, because the heat and the rain are two ingredients which do not improve their lifespan.

Both the girls and the staff are grateful we received sufficient funding so we could carry out this project. No more burning seats. 😊

 

 

Safety is very important, especially when dealing with children. We already do a lot about it ourselves, but the government also has many requirements that we have to meet, including fire regulations. We have installed smoke detectors, an escape ladder to go outside from the first floor in case of an emergency, fire blankets in the kitchens, fire extinguishers and even a fire bell to alert everybody in case of fire.

A company came by to give us advice and provide a fire safety training for all the girls and mothers. Apart from that we conduct regular fire drills.

We are extremely grateful we received sufficient funds so we were able to finance this project.

For many years the girls have been dreaming about going to the beach. Many of them had never seen the beach and the sea. From Chiang Rai it means a drive of at least 14 hours and therefore this was quite an undertaking which needs planning. But after a long time the girls’ dream has become a reality.

On April 19th we got into a big coach in order to get off 14 hours later in Bangkok where we were going to spend the night. There we met a colleague’s good friend who had also worked for our organisation some years ago.  She is familiar with our house and everything we do there. She provided us with a place to sleep and as an extra we also met one of our former residents there, a woman of 34 years old now. She was so happy to see us all, especially the house mothers she still knew from her time with us. She and her husband cooked a meal for all of us, a group of about 40 people.

The following morning we visited the science museum, which was very nice. After that we drove for another three hours to the beach.  We arrived just in time for dinner and a quick dive into the sea before dark. Along the way we picked up another old-resident. She is 28 now and she stayed with us for two days and enjoyed seeing the mothers who raised her.

The next day we visited a sea aquarium which was very special, because now we were near the sea. We went swimming right after visiting the sea aquarium and played in the sand. That night we had a dinner dedicated to seafood specialties which everybody loved very much as they don’t get this type of food every day. After dinner we went for a walk on the beach and back to the coach. Fully satisfied we went back to our accommodation.

Next, a visit to a big park with botanical gardens, dinosaurs, real elephants and English and French gardens was on the program. It was a shame the weather was extremely hot, but that did not take away any of the fun. For Thai people taking pictures and selfies is very important and this was a particularly nice location for it. There was also a big dance show about the different cultures in traditional costume as well as a show with elephants.

That afternoon we had another surprise. One of our colleague’s old schoolfriend and her husband live nearby our accommodation and the two women had not seen each other for thirty years. She and her husband insisted on taking us to KFC for a meal and an ice cream. After dinner many went back to the beach for a walk or a bit of fun, it was too dark to go swimming unfortunately.

On our last day we sailed to an island nearby. Oh, it was so beautiful there with turquoise water and sand which was almost white. First we went for a swim and many of us went for a banana boat ride. The boat was pulled along by a very fast jet ski. It threw people off on purpose so they had a hard time climbing back on it.

We took another boat to a location where we could snorkel and play on the slides. Tired, but hugely satisfied  we came back to prepare ourselves for departure. This was easily the best day of the week.

Early in the evening two sisters had a big surprise when they had a visit from their mother and their grandmother who live close to where we were staying. As we normally live too far away for them to visit this was a special occasion after a long time. What a wonderful bonus on such a lovely day.

Early that night we left to go home. A large part of the journey was spent sleeping or singing karaoke loudly. Some covered their ears, but most girls loved it.

It was a wonderful trip which everybody enjoyed a lot. On behalf of the girls and staff we would like to thank everybody who contributed in making this trip possible.

Click here for more pictures of our trip, in the photo folder "Beach holiday 2023".

 

 

 

 

 

 

During heavy tropical storms the inside of one of the houses showed leakage. Apparently the outer wall was clad with wood which had started to shrink as the years went by resulting in large openings. At the same time we had problems with birds which were nesting under the roof. The major issue was that these birds had lice and the mothers and girls were suffering from itchy skin.
Both of the problems were on the same side of the house, therefore we could deal with them at the same time. Since we were at it, we thought, let’s put up a new roof over the adjoining kitchen because the old one was made of asbestos. Last January the wooden façade was replaced, the roof closed off with a ceiling so that birds no longer can nest there and the new roof with ceiling in the kitchen were completed. The façade and the roof over the kitchen are insulated which will shield against the heat.
The appearance is beautiful but we need to wait till the rain season in May to verify that all is watertight.
We are grateful that this big project was sponsored otherwise we would not have been able to do the renovation.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the girls’ beds were very old. The iron base which had become rather weak was repaired and strengthened regularly. We chose to continue to do this, because the funds we received were necessary for more important matters, such as food and clothing. To our surprise one day we were contacted by a donor who wanted to give money for new beds. And to think that we had never spoken about this situation to anyone. Of course we gladly accepted the offer. A few years ago we had received new mattresses so we were bound to a specific size. As it seems this was very advantageous otherwise we would have had to buy bigger beds which would have greatly crowded the bedrooms. In the past all the beds were different. Now all the girls have the same beds, creating a beautiful harmony in the bedrooms. To top it off, the girls are tremendously happy! Thanks for this fabulous donation!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A human being can’t survive without water. We need it for a lot of things. But most of the time, we only realize this when we run out of it. For all our houses on each compounds, we drilled a well and installed a water tank with a filter to supply the houses with clean water. This water is used for cooking, washing clothes, showering, flushing the toilet, cleaning, and so on. However, by the end of 2021, the water filter on one compound was so corroded that we had to buy a new filter immediately. Despite the fact that we reserve funds for unforeseen expenditures this repair was a big blow to our budget. It was impossible to notice the corrosion until it had reached the outside of the filter. Now a new stainless steel filter has been installed, and with gratitude we can say that somebody donated the necessary funds to cover all the costs.

 

 

 

 

 

The wall and ceiling fans of our houses had been repaired several times, but their life span had really come to an end. They were broken and needed to be replaced. Because of the hot climate in Thailand, the girls can’t do their homework or sleep without fans. They need the wind to cool down. We are very glad to say that we have received a donation to buy new fans. It is so nice to be able to give the girls a good night’s sleep and to enable them to do their homework properly. All the girls want to thank you very much!

 

 

 

 

Yep, you read it right, plural. In total we are in need for three new fridges, one per family. In one of the houses, the fridge door doesn’t close properly anymore, which makes it impossible to keep the heat out of the fridge. Not ideal as you can imagine. The other two fridges are so old that they waste a lot of electricity.
For the mothers it’s a daily question: “How can we prevent the food from going bad in this hot climate?”

We hope you can help us by donating towards our ‘refrigerator fund’, so that we can continue to offer the girls fresh food.

UPDATE: The past few months we have been able to buy three new fridges. To be honest: we have even been able to buy a fourth fridge for the young women who live independently. We are very grateful for all the donors that have supported this project. Thank you very much that you have made it possible to replace these very old fridges by new ones!

 

 

Now that the girls are getting older, more and more are able to drive the ‘motorcycle’. It’s just a small one, just a bit bigger than a moped, but it gives them the independence they need. A few of the girls study at colleges or universities and thus don’t follow the same schedule as the younger ones. That makes it quite challenging to have to bring and pick them up from school. There are also girls who play sports after school. They too need a ‘motorcycle’ in order to get back home since there is no good public transport in place.

Three out of the six motorcycles we currently own are very old and unreliable. We worry one of the girls might get stranded somewhere halfway and that they end up all alone. That – together with the fact that the need for motorcycle’s has grown now that the girls get older – really made us think it’s time to buy two extra motorcycles. It would really help us to solve these problems.

UPDATE: We have received donations for two motorcycles; great! We have taken steps to buy them right away and we have been able to buy two bikes by now.  It feels like such a relief that we can let the girls go out on the road with reliable motorcycles. We are very thankful!

 

 

 

Last spring we wrote the following:
“Imagine this: you are just enjoying your favorite tv-show when suddenly you hear a loud BANG and the tv shuts off. Quite a shock isn’t it? That’s what recently happened to the girls and staff. When the staff took a peek to see what was going on, it seemed that the television had exploded! Needless to say, it was quite an old television.
Currently it’s summer holiday for the girls. With the pandemic still going on, the girls love to watch movies together. Now they can only watch videos on the laptop from one of the mothers but that screen is very small and unclear. A big disappointment for the girls as you can imagine.
We would love to be able to buy a new television and be safe from future explosions. Another house has a television just as old, so we would really feel more at ease replacing that one as well. Two new tv’s cost 280,- US Dollars. Will you help us provide safe devices for the girls?”

In August we received the fabulous news that funds for the televisions had been transferred. The girls were incredibly thankful as you might imagine. It is a pleasure to see the girls enjoying programs on a large and very clear screen. We wish to express our gratitude to the sponsor again.

 

Last April we posted a short message in which we shared the situation in our kitchen dining rooms with you. We used to only have plastic stools to sit on whilst eating. These particular stools don’t last very long in the warm, Thai climate. Quite often the seats would crack (which could cause your skin to get stuck in between, yikes!) The stools were also not suitable for slightly heavier people. Stainless steel stools, on the other hand, last a long time, cannot crack, they are strong enough to support both children and heavier people and they are also comfortable. We are delighted to share with you that quickly after posting our request, we received a message; someone kindly sponsored our new stools!  They are being used with great gratitude. Thank you so much!

Even faster than the speed of sound came the provision for two new trampolines!
We were just about to leave for a short holiday trip with the girls, when the government announced that the Corona rules had changed. Due to the rising number of patients, our trip had to be cancelled and we were also not allowed to organise activities at home with our big group.

Honestly, we didn’t quite know what to do. The girls have their summer break, but now they couldn’t leave home. It really made us rethink and challenged us to come up with fun activities at home. The donation for the trampolines came just at the right time! Thank you so much, you truly brought so much joy! If only you could have seen the girl’s faces! Amazing!

Yes! We have received a donation for a new laundry machine! We are so thankful! In 2019 we wrote that one of our laundry machines was too old to be repaired and really needed replacement. Though the girls wash their own clothes by hand, we allow them to use the spin dryer so that their laundry dries a bit quicker. We also wash the bedding and towels of the entire family home in this machine, so you can imagine how happy we were when the old wreck could be replaced by a sturdy new machine! Thanks so much to she sponsor who provided this for us.

In September of 2018 we had finally received enough money to purchase a new truck. Which we promptly did and had a local garage put a back-cover with benches in the back so we can transport a lot of kids. We are extremely grateful that we were able to get rid of our old truck and replace it with a new, safer truck. We want to thank all the sponsors who made donations to this project.

The kitchen project is still an ongoing project. We have already been able to do a lot in 2 of the kitchens and we wanted to make sure we kept you up to date. In one of the kitchens the wooden cupboard doors were rotten all the way through causing the kitchen to look shabby and be unhygienic. We have now replaced the wood with aluminum and its looks nice and is easy to keep clean.
Another kitchen needed new countertops. The old ones had broken tiles that were quite sharp and dangerous. It was also very unhygienic because food would get stuck in the cracks.
In the third kitchen we have recently been able to replace the old asbestos roof and are currently working on replacing the drainage system. When that is done we can start working on replacing the counters and the floor. We are getting it done a bit at a time.
All in all a lot has already improved and because we now have all the necessary finances we can continue the work.
We want to thank everyone who donated towards this project!