Health for Wealth Day 7 - Church service

Baan Jing Jai Project

At 9:15am our bus left, bound for a Christian church nestled off a main road in Pattaya (not sure of its address). I was under the belief that we were spending the morning with the children, but they were no where to be seen as we took our shoes off and entered the church. The group was a little confused; the entire service was in Thai. Despite the fact that not many of us are religious or practicing any religious customs, it still was nice to experience something a little different, and we were all looking forward to seeing the kids!

With the 95% of the Thai population Buddhist, a Christian Church is a rare sight

Through the service they suddenly arrived! The kids hustled in, found a seat, and couldn't contain their excitement. A few boys in front of Kate and I couldn't help but turn around and steal a couple of cheeky glances. A few songs and they were back downstairs, and Kate and I were following shortly after. I won't lie - I was falling asleep. I did enjoy the singing, but everything in between... I obviously couldn't understand it.

(Photo courtesy of Lisa)

Luckily Emma managed to get us out of singing a song during the service. The song we had chosen was "Home Among the Gumtrees" and would have been totally inappropriate without the kids, especially because we had planned on doing the actions to the chorus! So the song was saved for after lunch (which was aroy, aroy - delicious, tasty!), and it was a hit for the audience, who requested an encore of the chorus!

Following lunch and dessert, it was time for the kids to head back to the orphanage. It was such a hard goodbye! I think I would have preferred to have ended our contact at the orphanage yesterday and left it on a happier note. I was also shocked and heartbroken to see most of the kids climb into the back of a taxi, and a lucky few got to ride in the back of a not-so-crammed ute. This was a very stark contrast to Pattaya Orphanage and their donated bus, and for me raises the issue of transport safety... 

It was then our time to leave the church and we were taken to view the new land that is awaiting development of the new orphanage. I didn't catch much of what was being said and after a quick look on the internet I found some information regarding the new project.

Housing project

• Late 2010 saw the beginnings of a project to construct a purposed-designed facility to accommodate more than 100 children due to Baan Jing Jai's expansion
• In March 2011, a suitable site for the home was purchased with money previously collected plus a bridging loan
• The new site is approximately 6,750 sq. m.
• Situated approximately 1km from the junction at the School of the Regents, off Highway 7
• The initial building will contain:
• Bedrooms for 40 boys and 40 girls
• 20 cot nursery
• First aid room
• Library
• Art room, music room and leisure room
• Offices
• Kitchen and maintenance areas
• There will be space for a large playground and garden areas
• Target of 18,500,000 baht to complete the project
• 10,783,116 baht raised so far
• A committee has been established to organise and raise funds required to build the new orphanage and oversee the construction process
• This committee is completely independant from the day-to-day fundraising for the Home which continues as usual

Source: www.baanjingjaifoundation.org/project.php

A 2-hour nap was enough to recharge the batteries and we were out again. Dinner was at the same restaurant as yesterday, and this time it was seafood spaghetti - amazing! We had tickets for a 9pm show at Tiffany's which I had been so excited to see (probably the only thing I actually wanted to do while in Pattaya!). It is the original transvestite cabaret show in Pattaya and is in its 38th year. Tiffany's is voted number 4 in the top ten best transvestite shows to see around the world (after Moulin Rouge Paris, Siegfried & Roy Las Vegas, and Mysters Las Vegas). The show was truely incredible and I was mesmirised by the stage sets, sparkling dresses and huge head pieces. Well worth the 800 baht! To top off a good night, a few of us popped down to the bar at the Holiday Inn and enjoyed a mojito.

Nothing had changed my opinion of Pattaya though: hot, seedy, loud and lit-up; bars filled with women in tight short shorts and crop tops, swaying around poles, completely expressionless; as seedy men sit around glaring up at them, yet still noticing us foreigners walk past and wasting 5 seconds of their time to yell out at us. "Where are you ladies going by yourselves?" *cringeworthy* Maybe a few more days would have allowed for further exploration, but for now, I was happy that it was our last night in this uncomfortable tourist beach-side city.

Health for Wealth Day 6 - Baan Jing Jai

Baan Jing Jai Children's Home

This was by far the most fun day of the program to date! Leaving after breakfast in our monstrous double-decker bus, we headed for the Baan Jing Jai Children's House. All we had been told was that we had a few hours to spend there, and the onus was on us to organise and coordinate activities with the children. Again, I was unsure about what to expect, especially because I have never really been a kid person!

82/1, Moo 6, Nong Prue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150

The Children's Home originated as the Children and Youth Development Project under the supervision of the Church of Christ in Thailand. The object of this Project is to provide assistance, shelter, and educational and developmental skills to children who are underprivileged, street children, abused children, violated children, children from impoverished families, orphaned and abandoned children.

The Home presently cares for 80 children from the ages of 9 months to 18 years. There are no formally qualified staff, but house parents provide counselling, encouragement, love and care. Within the home, children receive the necessary skills and training for their daily lives, communal living and confidence. The children are provided with numerous activities including cooking, household duties, crafts, music and swimming. The children receive formal education in the school system (some are sponsored by private bilingual schools but most go to public schools), and can go on to vocational training according to their interests. Baan Jing Jai strives to fulfill the dreams and future of children and hope children are one day able to return to their own society and make notable contributions.

The premises currently consists of 2 rented houses located on either side of a small street. The boys sleep in one house that is next to the play yard, and the girls and younger children sleep in the bigger house that contains a small living room and kitchen.

Purpose of Baan Jing Jai Children's Home:

• Provide the basic needs of the child
• Ensure all children receive a good education, both inside and outside of the school system
• Development and support of the children's confidence and self-esteem
• Development and support of the children's talents and special needs

Orphanage operations:

• As of January 2009, the monthly running costs were well over 40,000 THB
• This was only enough to cover the rental costs, utilities, school and school uniforms, books, medications, doctor visits, food and clothing
• Baan Jing Jai is 100% dependent on voluntary donations and sponsors

For a few hours, we were left to play with the kids. Games and activities included music chairs, tunnel ball, skipping, bubble blowing, hair braiding, colouring-in, and dancing! An elephant even wandered down the street! We were also lucky enough to share lunch with the children, and had the children hold our hands and lead us to our table. It was such a wonderful feeling again being so welcomed and accepted, and the children thrived off our energy.

The male house

Cuddles with the little doll (Photo courtesy of Lisa)

On a deeper reflection, it could be seen that the capacity for holistic care was most certainly limited, especially with the Home not having any qualified staff and no stable accommodation. I am interested to know how health care is provided and followed-up as many children exhibited congestive illnesses, and the brochure outlined that the Home cares for children infected with HIV. Learning this opened up a bigger inquiry for investigation... Is sexual health education provided? How are there individualised needs met? Who ensures and grants access to appropriate medication (ARVs)? Is there any form of infection control or segregation, with well-children mingling with potentially immunocompromised children? Are children provided necessary vaccinations? At what stage of an illness is the doctor contacted? Also, a 16 year old orphan has a baby of her own, both living at the orphanage. From a nursing perspective, I can't help but wonder what level of care, support and education she was provided.

Obviously the level of care is very different and not comparable to that of a hospital, where, especially in the private hospitals, well-children are separated from sick-children. Understandably, this segregation is probably not possible at the orphanage. However, each child still has individualised health priorities and needs, even more so when it comes to infectious diseases and their sequalae (such as tuberculosis). So who is promoting health care? And what are the regulations for facilities such as this?

Despite all the smiles, it is obvious that there is a lot that needs to be developed and regulated - education, qualifications, guidelines, health care, transport... At the end of the day, I still do not doubt the work that Khun Pingta does for the children, and I am glad that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are such happy and loving individuals.

(Photo courtesy of Sarah Nguyen)

I was pretty exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel after running around in the hot sun. A few of us climbed into a taxi to Walking Street, but we didn't last long there. It just felt seedy, and I was surprised to see so many parents walking along with their children. No words can really describe it; I think you just have to experience it. It is full of bars and strip clubs and dodgy looking people. So we got back in a taxi hoping to find some really cool local markets, but the driver ended up taking us to some outlet shopping centre. A misunderstanding I think. No one was really keen on checking it out so for 200 THB, he agreed to drop us back at the hotel. At least it was a good way to see a bit more of Pattaya, though I have to admit, it felt strange flying down a highway with about 10 of us in the back of the taxi!

Seedy Street

By Tarryn's recommendation, a small group of us popped across the road to a restaurant (called Nong Jai I think) whose menu filled a binder folder! The food was amazing, and I couldn't resist a mango smoothie and another pad thai! Afterwards, and in the rain, Kate and I wandered around the local markets and grabbed a few more bargains and souvenirs before retreating to our room for the night.

Health for Wealth Day 5 - Pattaya Orphanage

Following a well deserved sleep in, Lisa, Joanna, Christina and I made our way to Central Festival - the local shopping centre. After walking only a short distance by the beach I was already frustrating at people asking us if we wanted a taxi and having taxis beep at us as we made our way down the path. It all got too much so Lisa (and her bargaining powers) got us a taxi down the road.

Pattaya Beach

Lisa and I in the taxi

We had arrived 15 minutes too early (10:45am - I keep forgetting that shops open later in Thailand!) so the girls enjoyed a quick beverage at Starbucks. I can't say that I was impressed by the shopping centre. It seemed to be full of American designer brands and most products were similarly priced to Australia. The only thing I wanted to buy were more Converse sneakers, but the shops didn't even stock my size!

Lunch was on Drinking Street at Greg's Kitchen, a bar and grill owned by an English fellow and his Thai wife. Lisa and I shared a pizza which is exactly what we both felt like. Drinking Street definitely feels like a very seedy part of Pattaya! 2:15pm and everyone was back on the bus. 


Pattaya Orphanage

This time it was only a 10 minute drive down the road to Pattaya Orphanage where we were greeted by a Registered Nurse, Mr Paul Somkiat Potiverayut who introduced us to the orphanage and the work that it does. I was feeling a little apprehensive about what to expect but the staff quickly made us feel comfortable.

384 Moo 6, Sukhumvit Highway, Km. 144, Banglamung, Chonburi, 20150

Pattaya Orphanage currently cares for 180 children who are either orphans with normal condition or living with deafness and/or physical disabilities. It opened in 1974 after Reverend Lawrence Thienchai Samanchit approved the development of the orphanage and provided the land. Father Raymond Brennan oversaw the construction of the orphanage and American Military Officers provided the initial 5000 THB fund. During the first five years of the orphanages' operations, the religious sisters of St. Paul de Chartre cared for the babies, and it is now the Sisters of the Orders of the Lovers of the Cross Chanthaburi who provide the day-to-day care of the children.

Many children at the orphanage are from families who cannot care for them physically or financially - sadly, the typical story is that the father has abandoned the mother, leaving the mother unable to care for the child. Sometimes, the mother then leaves her child with a family friend, and never returns. Thailand does not have social service support available, resulting in the orphanage being the only option for some families. Given that Pattaya is known for it's sexual tourism, it makes me wonder how many children are a product of such this industry.

The orphanage is the only home these children have known and it remains their home for as long as they need. The main focus is to facilitate a healthy life and upbringing through education and structure, encouraging the children to become worthwhile members of society with fulfilling lives.

A huge playground and soccer ground that can host thousands of spectators

Staff

• 2 Registered Nurses on site at all times
• RNs are equipped with the skills to counsel and education children
• Professional discretion and experience is utilised when assessing when children are ready to receive information regarding their background

Babies

• At any one time there are over 50 babies and toddlers living in one of three baby rooms
• A full-time nurse and nannies provide day-to-day care and necessary vaccinations
• Two teams of consultant pediatricians visit weekly and monthly for health check-ups

Education

• From the ages of 3-4 years, children receive pre-school education from within the orphanage
• They undertake classes in Thai and English, and learn about computers and crafts
• After three years in Kindergarten, the children then attend school outside of the orphanage
• 'House Parents' (also qualified teachers) care for children that are of similar ages, provide individual support to children, and ensure homework is completed
• During the school holidays, the children receive extra tuition for computer and English classes by volunteers
• After junior school, the children then go to high school, and provided with options to undertake vocational or university training
• The orphanage was donated a bus that is used to transport the children to and from school

Religion

• The orphanage is managed by Roman Catholic priests of Chanthaburi and on a day-to-day basis is run by Sisters
• Since Buddhism is Thailand's main religion, the children are not converted to Catholicism

Adoption

• For over 30 years, several hundred babies and toddlers have begun new lives with other families
• Children are commonly adopted to families in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France and Italy
• Surprisingly, one two children have made it to Australia
• Although adoption is a length process, the orphanage likes to ensure that the children are going to the right homes

Sotpattana School for the Deaf

This school, which was inaugurated as the first school for the deaf in the eastern Thai region, occupies space on the orphanage campus. It was set up by Father Brennan in 1982, after his experience showed that children who were from neglectful families tended to cause more problems within society. Father Brennan saw that it was essential to provide educational opportunities to help develop their communication with others and prepare them for higher education. Today it continues as a private charity school where instructional education is free of charge and children receive speech therapy and sign language education. Twice a year the children are assessed for alterations in their hearing capacity, and nurses from the orphanage provide basic treatments.


After playing with a few of the younger children, we headed to the dining hall. We were instructed to stand in the middle of the hall, and the older children begun to sing and sign "Happy Birthday". Tears were welling in my eyes. This was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced, and in that moment I have never felt so honoured, welcomed and accepted. It was an absolute pleasure to participate and interact with the children, and my heart felt so warm as children would shyly bow their head and say thank you before they walked off with their meal. Once all the children had received their dinner and dessert, I sat down with a few kids who still seemed fascinated by our presence. The fact that we couldn't converse with these children didn't seem to matter; smiling was the universal communication.

Serving dinner (Photo courtesy of Sarah Nguyen)

What really tugged on my heart strings was when one of the little boys walked up to me after dinner and sat on my lap. He wanted to play with my fingers and tug on my long fingernails, before holding my wrists and clapping my hands together. Then, he pushed two of my middle fingers down, and I couldn't quite understand what he was doing. 

It was Kate who noticed my hand and explained that it means "I love you" in sign language! How adorable! I wanted to cry!

Absolutely gorgeous, happy faces (Photo courtesy of Kate)

This day was most definitely a touching day, and it was great to see how well looked after and happy these children are. It was very special to spend such time interacting with these lucky children and I loved the fact that we brought smiles to their faces. With the nurturing, structured and supportive environment they are provided, I have no doubt they will grow up to be respected members of society full of life!

Our visit is featured on the orphanage website - www.thepattayaorphanage.org

More photos are available at Pattaya Orphanage News

Before dinner a few of us treated ourselves to an oil massage and then dinner at a Russian restaurant down the road. Absolute bliss! What was not absolute bliss was walking back to the hotel - my first taste of Pattaya nightlife.