The Burmese children in Pakayor are doing well
For a moment, Hans Goudriaan and I were afraid that the Thai government had intervened in the Karen refugee village of Pakayor.
After all, not far from Hua Hin on the border with Burma, houses of refugees had been burned down to force them to return to their own country. In the worst case, that means death by bullet, but often before that they have to do forced labor and girls and women are raped. Reports circulated in Hua Hin that Pakayor had also fallen victim to intervention.
It was very important to us to take a closer look in Pakayor. Ultimately, the readers of Thailandblog and the members of the Lions Club IJsselmonde have ensured that the more than 60 children in this village now have a roof on the school, learning and play materials, mattresses, a generator with batteries and so on. The problem in recent weeks has been that the Karen refugee village is inaccessible due to the high water level in the river. And we have to cross that three times before we can get to Pakayor.
Now that it hasn't rained in Hua Hin for three days, we dared to visit Pakayor. From our own observation, after a tough trip with four-wheel drive vehicles, we can report that things are going well in the village of 400 inhabitants. All relief supplies are put to good use. We can therefore lay the foundations for the next tranche of small-scale help, for which we will of course also need your help. This includes a new roof for the 'dining hut' for the children, an extensive medicine cabinet and blankets. The Thai winter is coming and it can sometimes be damn cold in the mountains. Only the chicks donated by us did not survive, except for one. Presumably they died of a chicken disease.
According to the people in the village, they have been spared intervention by the Thai government because their village consists of mere structures. Thailand in no way wants to give the impression that the Karen can stay here permanently. Electricity, water pipes and stone buildings are therefore out of the question. In the area where Thai soldiers intervened, the Karen had built their own rice fields in the nature park.
Due to the high water level in the river, we can only reach Pakayor as often as we want after October. Then we will also start with the second wave of assistance. We currently have almost 1000 euros in cash, but still need a few things to reach our goal.
In the Netherlands you can transfer donations to the bank account of the Lions club IJsselmonde, ING 66.91.23.714 stating Karen Hua Hin. Hans Goudriaan is a member of the audit committee and therefore has a good overview of income and expenditure.
In Thailand please send your contribution to: Siam Commercial Bank Hua Hin account 402-318813-2 in the name of mr Johannes Goudriaan (local Thai bath account).
Donors are requested to mail their transfer to Hans Goudriaan ([email protected]) and to which account, after which (immediately after money has been credited) he will confirm your deposit. Unfortunately, it is not possible to open an account in the name of Lions in Thailand.
Hi Hans, thanks for the update. Glad to read that they are doing well.
Sorry about the chicks. But I think/hope there will be new ones.
I know Peter also took a lot of pictures at the beginning of May, but if you need any more then just let me know and I'll send them to you.
Great that you and Hans, together with several people, are so committed to these people. Cheers!
there will be another promotion where you can deposit some money into a Dutch account. I would like to participate again.
At the moment we still have just under a thousand euros in cash. We will be back on site from October. In the Netherlands you can transfer donations to the bank account of the Lions club IJsselmonde, ING 66.91.23.714 stating Karen Hua Hin. Hans Goudriaan is a member of the audit committee and therefore has a good overview of income and expenditure.
In Thailand please send your contribution to: Siam Commercial Bank Hua Hin account 402-318813-2 in the name of mr Johannes Goudriaan (local Thai bath account).
Donors are requested to mail their transfer to Hans Goudriaan ([email protected]) and to which account, after which (immediately after money has been credited) he will confirm your deposit. Unfortunately, it is not possible to open an account in the name of Lions in Thailand.
Awesome! Glad to see things are going well in Pakayor! I wish you lots of success! I know the Karens well as I do many - especially Rotary - projects in & around Mae Sot, in Tak province, Northern Thailand. Sometimes also in the provinces of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. I am in that area for a few days almost every month.
Burmese migrants are the poorest of the poorest. Few people know about the often appalling conditions under which they have to live, and about their exploitation. There are about 2 million Burmese migrants in Thailand, of which about half have a work permit, and about 150,000 are still 'recognised refugees'. The economy of northern Thailand in particular is highly dependent on them, and so is it in all coastal regions with the extensive fishing industry - where often the most dramatic conditions prevail.
I mainly do medical projects and projects for schools & boarding schools. Free operations, such as heart surgery and other complex matters, but also cleft lip & cleft palate. Also from time to time help to the well-known Mae Tao Clinic, which treats more than 150.000 patients per year, often under extremely primitive conditions. Incidentally, about half of these patients cross the border for treatment - and therefore do not live in Thailand.
Help to schools & boarding schools is mainly for the 40 schools of a Karen-Burmese 'self-help' organization. For example, classroom furniture, books, computers, school clothes, blankets, but also new construction and roof repairs. Sometimes that includes help across the border in Karen State, for example. Goods then literally have to be brought to villages with backpacks, a hike that can take weeks, over steep mountains.
There are several NGOs that help these schools, but they mainly focus on operational costs, such as salaries for teaching staff, school lunches, and transport to/from school. Unfortunately, the Dutch 'South East Asia Foundation' recently withdrew because they had to limit their field of activity.
There are 6 refugee camps along the border, run by the Thai government, overseen by the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees. The largest, with some 40,000 people, is Mae La Refugee Camp near Mae Sot. Aid to refugees is provided by the Thai government and NGOs, but that is a different story!
@ The two Hansen
A post like this makes you think. So many underprivileged because they were born in the wrong place. A noble initiative from both of you. Something to be REALLY proud of.