Help to children Karen-dorp successfully started

The start of the relief campaign for the children in the Karen village of Pakayor has been successful. No fewer than seven carpenters put a new roof on the children's home in this village of Burmese refugees in one day.

The old roof was made of straw and was as leaky as a basket. The inhabitants of this village, a stone's throw from the Burmese border and 70 kilometers west of the seaside resort of Hua Hin, have to make a living from their small fields and their daily wages. And that is definitely not fat.

The approximately 60 children in Pakayor are in fact the victims of the fact that their stay in Thailand is illegal. They don't officially exist. So they are completely dependent on outside help. A lot can be achieved here with little money, while this small-scale project leaves nothing to be desired.

The initiator of the action is retired chartered accountant Hans Goudriaan, supported by his Lions club IJsselmonde. On Wednesday we are together near the village, essentially buying the material for the new roof on the nursery. It is run by Aom, a 28-year-old Thai who has taken care of the approximately 60 little ones. When the boys are six years old, they have to help their parents. The girls then help in the household and take care of their younger brothers or sisters. The nursery is in fact no more than a bamboo hut, but there is a lack of means to change that. In any case, the new roof made of aluminum plates ensures that children and school supplies remain dry in a month's time rainy season dawns. The total cost for rafters, plates, ridges, nails and 20 bags of cement to build a good path was only 460 euros. The wages are less than 40 euros. Of course everything with receipts and/or photos to prove that the money has been spent correctly.

Pakayor is located in the middle of the jungle and can only be reached after crossing three rivers. A four wheel drive vehicle is absolutely necessary to get there. the village has no electricity. Here and there residents have a solar panel that supplies some power via an inverter. At night, however, Pakayor is shrouded in darkness.

However, our involvement does not end with the new roof for the nursery. Half of the children sleep on the bare ground in the afternoon, so we want to provide 30 lying mats. In addition, there is a great shortage of teaching materials for toddlers and light clothing. Aom, the caretaker also asks for 30 laying hens so that the children can eat eggs regularly. However, she also lacks writing materials and medicines. Aom also provides sex education to children aged 12 and older. Because there is nothing to do in the village, sex is often the only pastime at that age. The girls get a daily contraceptive pill from Aom, but she would like condoms for the boys. In the near future we are also thinking of a small generator to illuminate some central areas in the village. Pakayor is further cut off from the outside world. Mobile phone is out of range.

In short: there is still a lot of work to be done, especially aimed at children. Hopefully their parents will survive. We offer people who are in or around Hua Hin the opportunity to take a look at Pakayor in person. We ask for a contribution of THB 1000 per person for round trip transportation. This amount entirely benefits the children in the village. Of course we can only organize this for 2 or more passengers. You can report to Hans Goudriaan ([email protected]). As a bonus, you may see a wild elephant along the way.

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 he will confirm your deposit (immediately after money has been credited). Unfortunately, it is not possible to open an account in the name of Lions in Thailand.

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