Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
A huge thank you to all our students and parents that helped make the holiday season extra special this year. Thank you for all your donations and gifts to iCare last December. The blankets, toys, gifts were successfully delivered over the holiday season. Have a look at this short video – you will see that getting to the village was not an easy task this year.
Have a look at the email and update from Michael from iCare below.
Bringing Christmas to the children of Bangsanook is hard under the best of conditions. Located 86 KM into the Thung Yai Protected Jungle reserve in Kanchaburi, and 410 km from Bangkok, 12-14 hours to deliver the 300 blankets, 300 sets of warm clothes, 300 Christmas presents, and 30 bicycles was what we were expecting the trip to take, based on previous experience.
This year, however, would not be a normal year. Battling mud, vehicle breakdowns, and fallen trees, the trip turned into a gruelling 28-hour slog, a number we hope to never have to experience again anytime soon.
There are other numbers that are worth mentioning though, while we’re on the topic of the highest numbers, that are worth celebrating. 148 students are currently enrolled in Bang Sanook School. This is the highest it’s been, and 32 higher than when our dormitory project was launched in 2019.
What does that mean? That means that there are 32 new students who are the first ones in their family ever to learn how to read. 32 students who will now be a part of modern society, by learning to speak Thai, bringing immeasurable change to not only themselves, but their families, and by extension, the entire village. For a brief glimpse into what the trip is like, check out the following video:
https://www.facebook.com/iCareTH/videos/643985210349928
More than 1200 blankets were given out, as were 1,200 Christmas presents at our 17 dormitories, along with 500 sets of warm jackets for those who lack the proper clothes to deal with the temperatures on top of the mountains.
While these are all big numbers, worth celebrating, they don’t detract from the individuals that these numbers represent.
I’m reminded of Nong Na Poe, and the divine providence that led us to her this Christmas in the village of Sala Ching Tong, Mae Hong Son. Approaching 8 years old, she had never experienced the joys of going to school and was headed to a lifetime of ignorance. After a prolonged discussion of the benefits of education with her mother, I am happy to report that she is now enrolled in Phiang Luang 11 school, where we’ll be building a new dormitory this year for her, and 39 other students like her.
So on behalf of Nong Na Poe, and thousands like her, we say thank you, for helping us to change their destiny, this Christmas.
For those that worked so hard to make cards, gather toys, donate blankets and stuffies, those have all been delivered to children who in many cases never had a toy to play with, for which we say thank you.
Happy New Year, and may this new year be filled with joy and happiness,
Michael
iCare Thailand Foundation