Helping Children in Thailand

Children at the Phayao Centre were greatly cheered by the visit of Bowen Secondary School students.

While many visitors to Thailand have taken part in the Loy Krathong festival, our group of 20 upper secondary students from Bowen Secondary School had a somewhat different experience. We were the guests at Phayao Centre, a home for abused children in Thailand, and as we made traditional krathongs (floating candles) with the children, we gained a whole new perspective on the hope that this festival can represent.

This was just one of the many activities that we participated in during an eight-day service learning trip to Phayao Centre in November 2007. Accompanied by our National Education teachers Mr M. Shafee and Ms Siti Noraini, we were not only delivering boxes of donated books and educational games, but also learning more about the village children and the local culture.

During the orientation programme, we were informed of what the children had gone through before they arrived at the Centre. We felt immense pity for these children, especially those who had been victims of human trafficking, and were quite shell-shocked at what their parents had done to them. However, as we spent more time at the Centre with the children, we realised that what is important is that they receive the care they need, and also acquire the knowledge and skills that will help them to be more self-reliant in the future.

Students tried their hand at planting rice – not as easy as it looks!

From the eager anticipation with which the children greeted us upon our arrival, it was hard to believe what they had gone through. Smiling and giggling, they readily helped us to unload our luggage and boxes of donated items, and walked us to our respective dormitories. Throughout our stay, they introduced us to their culture and helped us to gain a better understanding of their thoughts and customs.

For example, we helped them prepare Thai desserts such as gluay tod (banana fritters). During the Loy Krathong festival, we learned to make krathongs from banana stems and leaves, then floated them on the pond with the children. After that, we performed the Ramwong, a dum-driven celebratory dance for wishes to come true, and later released hot-air lanterns into the beautiful night sky. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The students picked up a little Thai, while teaching their hosts some English.

But we were at Phayao Centre to work too! Our time was spent repainting the lines of the basketball court and the walls of the Centre. We also did farm work, which was a new experience to us. We chipped in to harvest rice and till the field in preparation for the next planting season. We never realised that so much hard work has to be put in before we can enjoy the food that we take for granted. The experience certainly left us feeling humbled and grateful.

Above all, we got to interact with the children by playing games and learning languages – we taught them English while they taught us Thai. We also visited a nearby high school. What impressed us most was the children’s disciplined behaviour. Coming from poor backgrounds, they truly cherish education as their only passport to a brighter future. Although we only spent eight short days in Phayao, working with the children has taught us the invaluable lesson that it is more important to forgive and move on in life, than to waste your life in regret.

Contributed by:
Brandon Yap Junxian
Class: Sec 4E2
Bowen Secondary School