Pattaya - Thailand

A brighter future for street children and orphans

In Pattaya, Thailand, thousands of children are forced to work as prostitutes. Together with our partner Human Help Network, we finance the "Pattaya Orphanage", an open house for young people, where children are protected from the worst form of exploitation.

Our partner organisation, Human Help Network, has been supporting the street children's project in Pattaya since 1990. In 2002 the project received its first funding from HelpAlliance. The aim was to create a refuge in the existing grounds of the Pattaya Orphanage for the countless street children and to provide a home for more orphans.

During a visit to the project in February we were able to see for ourselves that the project had achieved its aims. It was a heart-rending experience, but also one that inspires hope.

The decision to site the street children's project in the Elephant City suburb, where the Pattaya Orphanage is located, was important in order to create a greater physical distance between the children and the city's amusement district. That is the only way to provide effective educational opportunities and other assistance for the children, who need to develop a new outlook on life. If children are to break away from prostitution, their former haunts should not be around the corner. And this "escape route" was exactly what we wanted to provide for the children.

The next step will be to support the orphanage itself. Before the infrastructure was expanded on the Elephant City site, the orphanage was home to just two dozen children. Now, that number has swelled to 100 and is still growing steadily.

During our visit to the project we accompanied a group of 22 orphans for an entire day. This is a typical day:

The daily routine starts early in the morning: the children get up, wash and brush their teeth, then they all sit down to breakfast.

At 7 am the orphanage's bus sets off for the nearby school. The children are divided into separate classes, and the lessons are very lively, despite the fact that during the morning assembly at 8 am the pupils are put through their paces at gymnastics. Giving thanks to the King of Thailand is also an obligatory part of the assembly.

As lessons - including homework - continue until 4 pm, the children have lunch together at the school. Since the Pattaya orphanage cannot afford to pay for the meals provided by the school, it gives the children food to take with them.

One would expect the children to be tired - but far from it! In the afternoons, there is only one thing on the boys' mind: football. But the girls like doing sport too. The orphanage's volleyball team even plays in an official league.

Dinner is served at 6 pm, and at 9 pm it is lights out.

What struck us most during our visit was that the older children do a lot of joint activities with the younger children. You can sense a strong feeling of solidarity among the children. That obviously gives them greater self-confidence and makes them strong.

We think it is worthwhile maintaining our commitment. About 34 euros a month pays for schooling and food and lodging for one child. A good example of our motto "Small change - it's a big help"

We hope that you will continue to support us by promoting the successful On Board Collection programme. And perhaps the motto will encourage you to think about your own willingness to donate. You could become a Friend of HelpAlliance and receive a tax deduction for charitable giving. A good idea, don't you think?

More pictures to be found here