I am Florence from Supporting Heart with a June 2018 News Update.
First I must apologize. Our update is late is because we've been without internet for 27 days. It seems our internet provider had some sort of an issue, so we have found a new provider.
In this newsletter
The boys in the cave are out!
Education news
Safe House news
Donate!
Future plans
Contact us
HOORAY, THEY ARE OUT!!!!!
(I am not referring to England's soccer team, Uncle Frank.)
Mae Sai Chiang Rai has been the center of much media coverage during the past few weeks. We had TV crews and reporters from around the world and our hotels in Mae Sai were full. There have been hundreds, if not thousands of people descending on the small area around the Tamluang Caves in our mountain’s jungle.
This created a demand for many different types of volunteers. Among those, we are proud to report Pastor Luka, the founder of T-AMF (our umbrella/covering organization) volunteered as a translator and spent several hours inside the caves.
We also learned there were translators from YWAM and other similar organizations. Our Supporting Heart team wants to say thank you to all the volunteers!
This almost tragic even has brought unity into the area, political views have been put aside, different faiths and religions joined together to pray for the safety of the trapped 13. What could have turned out as a tragedy was turned around into a VICTORY.
We'd like to say a big "THANK YOU!" to all who were involved in whatever capacity for the safe rescue of the 12 boys and their football coach. Supporting Heart also offers their condolences to the family of Retired Navy Seal Sgt. Major Saman Gunan who lost his life while supporting the rescue operation.
Over the next few monthly News Update, we will be experimenting with different content ideas. Please feel free to comment with your feedback! We want to hear from you!
EDUCATION COSTS
The complete cost to send all 109 children to school with extra tuition is 865,490THB. That breaks down to 794 THB per month for a single child.
Mary's Road to Education
In our May Update, we mentioned Mary, who is homeless and lives in the cemetery among the drug addicts and other homeless. Her mother had asked Supporting Heart if we could help get Mary a Birth Certificate and if we'd support her to attend school, as this was an impossible task for Mary's mother to do.
We are pleased to say that Supporting Heart took this challenge on and, after some difficulties, eventually succeeded! The first step was to acquire a Birth Certificate, followed by registering her in Primary School. This was made difficult as the registration date had already closed. However, after some consultation, all was well. Finally, the last step was to buy the uniforms and other things she needed to succeed in school.
Mary’s first day at school was the 11th of June.
She was so proud to be attending school for the first time in her life. We have blocked out the children’s faces for their protection.
These achievements in changing people’s lives are only possible because of people like you partnering alongside Supporting Heart. Your donations change people’s lives.
Want to donate? Your donation will:
- Sponsor a child to receive education for one school year.
- Enable them to attend extra tuition for one hour after school Monday to Friday, plus half day Saturday before exams.
- Help provide the opportunity of breaking the poverty cycle in their family.
- Keep them OFF the STREETS and OUT OF BEING AT RISK, while in school.
- Help them improve their self-image, giving them confidence and belief in themselves.
This year, you have helped us make a big difference in the lives of 110 children. For some, they are attending school for the first time in their lives because of your support. That's 110 children off the streets no longer at risk of being trafficked and abused, instead given the opportunity to break the poverty cycle in their families. They are no longer street children without a future. Thank you.
THE SAFE HOUSE "BAAN RAINBOW"
"How wrong they all were."
Each month we'll share the change in the life of one or more of these precious children now living in the Baan Rainbow Safe House that you can help to contribute to. Within the restrictions of what we are allowed to say, we will use this space to tell you what we can of their story.
We will begin with B.J. (not her real name).
Over the following months, you will hear of many more children whose lives have changed who were once written off by so many that said these kids would have no future. How wrong they were!
We need your help to keep their home, the Baan Rainbow Safe House open.
The overall cost of maintaining Baan Rainbow during 2017 is as below. At present we have 21 people living in Baan Rainbow, including 4 staff members, all in a 3 bedroom, single story house. The cost per month for one person breaks down to be 9,774 Bahts at Baan Rainbow.
We need your help to keep Baan Rainbow open. I cannot imagine the trauma and tragedy these precious lives would experience if they had to return to living on and off the street and end their schooling. Donations large or small, regular or one-off, are all welcome.
Supporting Heart's Safe House “Baan Rainbow” commenced in May/June, 2013. Our Founder was approached and asked to provide a Safe House for the most vulnerable. We were informed that several trafficking gangs were working the area and children were disappearing. Those living on the streets were particularly vulnerable. We quickly began researching; making contact with various government department; NGOs; organized funding, staffing, setting in place a formal Child Protection Policy and rented a building.
The criteria for children hoping to find sanctuary in our new safe house was that they should be orphaned or abandoned under the age of ten, living off and on the street and being highly at risk of being trafficked.
We began with just 8 children.
It was not difficult to save a child. The problem was saying "no" to the dozens of street children that wanted to live in the Baan Rainbow Safe House and trying to help them understand why they could not live with us.
The Supporting Heart (Sai Jai Yai Rak) team had been ministering in this area since 2008, relationships and trust had already been formed among the Street Children and Street Families. They were referred to and still are as our extended family.
Many good people were against us providing a home for the children from the street. Some of the comments were: "Why are you helping those, they are the vermin off the street, they are illiterate, thieves, foul mouthed, dirty, diseased, drug addicts, have no future. You will be sorry. They will never change." How wrong they all were!
Baan Rainbow was/is not just a Safe House, but a loving and caring family home. Our children learn by example what unconditional love is, they learn how to believe in themselves and what they can achieve. There were lengthy discussions with the school heads to allow them to attend school because these children were well known for their past reputations and were not welcome. However, perseverance, hope and prayer prevailed!
FUTURE PLANS
Our plan for the future is to buy land so we can build separate homes for the boys and girls. We will then provide training in agriculture, animal husbandry, fish farming, along with many other ideas, HOWEVER more about that in the future...
What Supporting Heart needs now is fundraisers in various parts of your community. We are at present, among many other things, looking into this. If you have any ideas, they are most welcome! Please contact us below.
Thank you for taking the time to read Supporting Heart's Monthly News Update and partnering alone side us to make a REAL difference in some of the world's most vulnerable children’s lives.
Connect with us:
Florence@Supportingheart.org
Frank@supportingheart.org
info@supportingheart.org
The Supporting Heart Team, Florence & Arjah, Darunee & Frank.
Supporting Heart (Sai Jai Yai Rak) Mae Sai & Tachilek Boarder Communities Projects.(Under the umbrella of T-AMF. Thai –Akha Ministries Foundation.)