Dear All,Sawatdee ka! Hope you all are well. Just a ‘wee’ update for you from Dada's Children's Home in Thailand, and a request for assistance. And for Mel, don’t let your mom read this, as there is a
snake story that she probably wouldn’t appreciate ;)
Dada’s Children’s HomeThings have been nutty as usual with FORTY genki boys and girls running about. There are just 11 adults living here besides me – five mothers, two grandmothers, and two fathers, plus Dada Richard Zoleta and a new Dada from the Philippines who just arrived. It is GREAT to finally have another Dada here. This was something I recommended in the case study I wrote on the Home for one of my Sustainable Community Development courses at SFU. Dada Richard Zoleta definitely deserves the support in all his community projects. Plus acting as a father figure for all these kids can be pretty time consuming! Dada really is amazing, an inspiration to me and many other volunteers. As an aside, ‘Dada’ means brother, and ‘Didi’ means sister. I inherited 40 siblings here at the home, since everyone insists on calling me ‘sister.’ Chris, don’t be jealous ;)
The Children’s Photography Project / Boys’ Birthday Party!I began the Photography Project on the same night as the birthday party, celebrating 6 boys’ birthdays this month with Dada’s vegan homemade pizza baked in his mudbrick oven (which he built himself). It was definitely a party atmosphere, with everyone excited about devouring huge slices of steaming hot pizza and awaiting the donations that they knew I had brought and made them wait this long to open ;) After we munched, I handed out the loot: mom’s 40 toothbrushes were a hit, the English books Michelle Jones had helped collect were quickly snapped up, and the five little girls’ loved the necklaces and bracelets. I gave a clothes’ bag to one of the house mothers to take care of and distributed various stickers, colouring books, and toys.
But what the older boys were most impatient for were the cameras. Thanks to family, friends, co-workers, and complete strangers, I brought over eleven cameras (some of them brand new) to give the boys and girls a chance to take pictures themselves, instead of always having their pictures taken by others. We paired them up, so twenty-two older boys and two girls are now involved in caring for their camera, learning how to use it, and taking the best shots possible. I’ll print their film in Sangklaburi and make a photo album for them to keep. Then I’ll scan their best shots to upload on to Go M.A.D.’s site to share with the world! (See the documentary, ‘Born into Brothels,’ for my source of inspiration)
The Boys, Five Little Girls, and a group of Mothers, Fathers, and Guitar-Wielding GrandmothersI’m getting to know the kids’ personalities a lot better now, and I’m so proud of all of them.
Kiran is one of the brightest kids, speaks English really well, and aspires to be a doctor
(see pic). He is a hardcore movie-junkie and put one on every day he was home from school with malaria.
A handful of boys get malaria every rainy season. I also met an American fellow working with another NGO in the area who has dengue fever.
Fortunately, it’s nearing the end of the season and will get cold at night soon, scaring away the mozzies. Anyway, back to Kiran…I helped him get his very first email address. If anyone has a moment to drop him a line, it would put a huge smile on his face. His email is:
kiranrungarun@yahoo.caHarrish is 15 and loves to chat in English. He often sits with the mothers to eat dinner and generally does his own thing. According to Dada, Harrish really was the first ‘girl’ of the Home. He considers himself one of the ‘mothers’ of the house, taking care of the little ones, learning to sew, and cooking meals. He wears perfume, make-up on occasion, and told me he has a boyfriend. Good for him!
There are several toddlers toddling about. One little boy can kick a soccer ball like nobody’s business and the little girl is simply a doll. She had her head shaved recently by her mom, probably to keep out lice. She manages to keep up with the bigger kids for a time, then sits down and plays with whatever rocks or sticks she finds. She hardly cries, maybe because there is so much for her to do and so many kids to play with! The girl’s parents live in a stilt bamboo hut behind the Home. Her Dad does carpentry and farm work around the Home, but he has a bad limp. His injury, coupled with Dada’s need for more hands at the Home, prompted their arrival. The mother cares for her little girl, cooks, cleans, and generally ensures the Home is running smoothly, as do the other house mothers and grandmothers who live in huts here. One of the grannies I caught with an electric guitar in her hands in the music room, strumming away and singing. She was really good! Hope I can hear her again.
A pair of brothers, named Naoki and Olan, have a Japanese father and a Thai mother. The father abandoned the kids when they were young and the mother found it too difficult to care for them. Naoki is 11 and is full of spirit. He showed me his room, photos of his sponsor, and his English textbook. Then he taught me chess! Olan is 13 and is the ‘tough-type’, according to Dada, but is a really smart kid. Naoki mentioned that his mother is coming to visit for 3 days next month, and is stoked to have a camera to take pictures of her ;)
The Boy BandBoth boys play in the band – Naoki on bass, Olan on drums. The rest of the boy band consists of an older 15-year old, Ramesh, on electric guitar, 12 year old Wiwat on electric guitar and vocals, and recently-turned-12-year old Kamal on keyboards and vocals. Their instruments came from a donation from Go M.A.D. over 3 years ago. They practice twice weekly with a professional musician Dada has hired. The boys started playing fundraising concerts in P’s Guesthouse in Sangklaburi 6 months ago. They rock out with their Thai and Beatles songs and get a few hundred baht from the audience of tourists to take home with them. Reminds me of ‘School of Rock’ with Jack Black, which we just watched on their dvd player here.
They’ve also played for the Earth Day Campaign, a Valentine’s Day Concert, and to raise funds for patients with HIV/AIDS.
Dada said they haven’t been playing in town recently for lack of funds. Since Dada doesn’t own a vehicle besides his scooter, he rents a car for the trip to Sangklaburi and back with the kids and the instruments. It costs 350 baht each time, and he simply can’t afford it right now. I’m hoping to rent them a car to head into town soon.
If anyone else would like to Sponsor a Boy Band Concert for $10 (only!) for a trip to town so the boys can play, please contact me.
Games
The kids amuse themselves endlessly with games. Pretty much any material can be turned into a game. Recently, they’ve been flicking marbles into holes dug in the dirt, and throwing down putty on the cement to see who can stick theirs to the other ball. They also go swimming in the river fairly often – it gets hot here in the day!- and love soccer, Frisbee, and basketball.
Food
The 3 vege meals a day I’m munching on at the Home are fantastic. Being vegetarian, I always seek tofu & mixed veggie dishes as much as possible while traveling around Thailand or elsewhere. It’s often hard to get enough greens, or get protein from anything other than eggs. But here, I’m in paradise. I’m eating more white rice than I ever have before (even counting Japan), but the tofu is always welcome, as are the green beans, spinach stalks, squash, tomatoes, nuts, and carrots. The cilantro-topped dish is one of the tastiest, but my favorite so far is the minced tofu with lemon, tomato, and chili peppers – alloy!
However well-fed I am at the Home, I always sneak a shortbread moon cookie or a piece of cheese bread at the Baan Unrak Bakery when I’m in Sangklaburi. The vegan chocolate cake was a delight as well!
The Baan Unrak Bakery is where Natsuko, Christina, other Go M.A.D. volunteers and I used to spend lots of time. The Bakery has sure grown! It now consists of a weaving store to sell products made by the destitute women who stay at Baan Unrak, and an internet café with 6 computers and a fast connection. Good thinking putting the net café next to the Bakery – sniffing the freshly baked bread while typing up emails makes the tourists only want to buy more, which, in turn, helps Baan Unrak become more self-sufficient.
Baan Unrak Home of Joy
Baan Unrak has a gorgeous new home on the hill overlooking the lake. With support from funders abroad, Didi Devamala and her 120 children moved up to their new home a few months ago. Abhijit, one of the long-term Filipino volunteers, took me on a tour of the Home. It looked like a glimmering resort on the drive up. It is spacious, clean, and has a warm, orange glow to it. Didi said the best thing about it is the fresh air, meaning that the kids get sick less often. Next to the 3-storey main home are 10 separate huts, where 5 young kids and a house mother live. This is important for the children’s sense of privacy and for some peace&quiet to study.
An organic farm growing fruit trees, spices, herbs, and various vegetables like squash is in the back. They also hope to build a volunteer house so that visitors can stay on their land. They aim to become totally self-sufficient in the near future, growing their own food and managing their budget with income-generating strategies such as the net café, weaving, bakery, and a soap and shampoo business. The Christmas Card Campaign run by JETs in Japan pulls in a great amount of support as well.
Baan Unrak is really a showcase of sustainable community development. Dada, of course, dreams of becoming completely self-sufficient at the Home and have his community projects run as successfully as Baan Unrak’s as well. That’s what I’m here to help with!
The Farm
Working towards this aim, Dada bought 1,000 rubber seedlings with the hope that funding for the seedlings was on its way. Unfortunately, Dada is still waiting to pay back 25,000 baht, or $666 CDN. The trees will be productive within 7 years when they can be tapped and help the Home reach their goal of becoming financially self-sufficient. The breakdown: 1,000 rubber seedlings @ 25.-bhat per seedling = 25,000 Bt, or $666 CDN
*If we can get 14 friends and co-workers to donate $50 CDN each/1,875 baht to Sponsor 75 Rubber Trees, then his trees will finally belong to the Home.
Dada also has bananas, soursap, avocados, rotational vegetables like squash, and luffa growing out back. I’m sure they would plant more if they only had the time and funds. They definitely have the land!
Volunteers’ House
I feel like I’m living in the jungle. The walk from my room to the Children’s Home is down an overgrown dirt path, past the dairy goats’ pen, and the rubber tree seedlings, through the bamboo grove (which Dada planted 12 years ago), and across the bridge the Jewish volunteers made. I share the back area with the braying goats and several farmers Dada has hired to tend to the farm and the herd. The sunsets here are gorgeously orange and spread their glow across the entire horizon
Last Night’s SURPRISE: I had an adventerous walk back to my Volunteers’ House last night. Another Dada who’s staying here and I began our trek back from the Children’s Home in the pitch dark, but equipped with flashlights. We had just crossed the river when all of a sudden, my flashlight picks up a long, bright green coiled snake on the path in front of us. Dada was in front of me and just about to step over it when I let out a half-scream and he leaped forward. I leaped back and the snake just sat there. With hearts pounding, we tried to scare the snake off the path with rocks but it wasn’t moving very fast. Either it was sick or pregnant, because it didn’t seem to mind us being there. Snakes usually dart away at sound of people approaching. In any case, I’m EXTREMELY RELIEVED that neither of us stepped on it. And I will continue to keep my flashlight trained on the ground ahead of me!
Every time I step into my bathroom, I expect a surprise. Green beetles, scorpions, spiders galore, geckoes of course, millipedes, and crickets. The other day was a frog, who, though cute, needed to be put back into his proper place. I grabbed all that I had handy, a plastic bag, and proceeded to try and make him jump in. After leaping onto my arm, the wall, and into the sink, I finally cornered him in the bag and quickly shuttled him outside. Listening to the sounds of the forest around me at night is now calming, rather than alarming like before.
My bedroom is generally bug-free, though, and is really comfortable. Dada has equipped each room with an electric fan, a mosquito net, comforters, blankets, and a pillow. We also have a clothes’ rack, insect repellent, a table with 4 chairs, and probably best of all, running water and electricity!
*Come volunteer here anytime! There is room for you in the Volunteers’ House, plenty to do, and Dada and the kids would welcome you with open arms
I’m happy to know that Adriana, a former Mexican-student of mine at JLS, is definitely coming for 2 months in October. Up to 5 others that I’ve spoken to are interested as well.
Plans
One of the aims of my Practicum is to develop a volunteer tourist network in Western Kanchanaburi, seeking more volunteers for Dada’s Home, as well as Baan Unrak. I’ve already had some success through the Go M.A.D. network run by JETs in Japan, as well as Unite for Sight NGO volunteers who are the most frequent groups to stay Dada’s place. Unite for Sight contacted me over a year ago regarding projects in the area and I introduced them to Dada. The rest is history.
My other aims while here are to write Project Proposals to fund Dada’s various community endeavors – a Library and Computer Literacy Center, a 2nd floor for his Home, renewable energy sources (like solar panels) to ease his electricity bills, and a Health Clinic to continue what Unite for Sight NGO volunteers have started, conducting eye care camps in far-flung villages. Most residents of this area have never had an eye exam in their entire life!
I also aim to get more donations for the kids: School Supplies such as easy English books, notebooks, pencils, colouring books, crayons, chalk, rulers and calculators; Sports Equipment like Frisbees, soccer balls, badminton rackets, birdies and a net; Board Games, Jenga, Puzzles, rubix cube, checkers and chess, and Sudoku books; and more shoes! Sandals and rubber boots seem to be the only shoes around, otherwise they all go barefoot around the Home.
I’ll soon be teaching English to the kindergarten kids who stay at the Home M-F since there isn’t a school nearby. Dada has hired a teacher to teach them their Thai letters and basic math, but I’d like to give them a head-start on English as well.
I’ll also be helping Dada to initiate ecotourism in a small village about 4 hours by boat from here. The village sits on a lake and both Mon and Karen peoples live there. Dada would like the community to run the ecotourism project themselves to ensure that all profits benefit the village. I can help by developing the marketing strategies – website, brochures, network with guesthouses in Sangklaburi, etc. – and by advising them on what kinds of activities eco-tourists normally seek.
Success!
Since I’ve been here, several things have transpired to put a smile on Dada’s face:
*A Unite for Sight volunteer sponsored 3 boys and another Thai-American UFS woman bought the Home’s first fridge, refurbished the Home’s bathroom, and arranged mosquito netting for all the windows of the Home!
*Dada found out that the Burmese government has reluctantly agreed to allow Unite for Sight volunteers into Burma without hassle. The military dictatorship, which kicked out MSF (Doctors without Borders), has finally seen the light and recognized the important (and free) service these eye care specialists bring to remote regions of their country.
*A Norwegian optometrist who had volunteered here will donate 250,000 baht towards the purchase of a 4-wheel drive truck! Guess he had enough of stomping through the mud on his way to remote villages. We are sending proposals to Isuzu for a discount on their latest model, and to Toyota Foundation to see if they would donate either a truck or a motorbike. The Home is surviving on a simple 125cc scooter.
*I’m in the midst of securing 5 free computers and shipping from Singapore, with the help of Steve, a former JET and volunteer at Baan Unrak.
Well, that’s it for my early September update. Hope to have more interesting tidbits written by the boys and girls themselves at Baan Dada’s next time!
Much love, peace, and thai spice,
shakin’ my coconut thang,
lindz x
Ananda Vidyadharma
109 Moo 6
Tambon Nonglu, Huay Ma Lai,
Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi
71240Thailand
Contact Lindsay atTel: #05-230-7362
lindsay@volunteerinthailand.org
Website: www.baandada.org
Ali, Mireille, and I Teaching it up in Piloki Village!
