Child Protection Thailand Project #54747

Provide Safe & Loving Home to 130 Children

by Baan Unrak Foundation

Provide Safe & Loving Home to 130 Children

Project Report | Dec 4, 2023
33 years of Baan Unrak

By LOO WEI SONG | Project Leader

On October 26th, Baan Unrak celebrates its 33rd anniversary. This marks a significant milestone for the foundation and the thousands of children who have grown up here over the years.

We started the celebration before the sunrise.

In the calmness of the early morning, the sound of Baba Nam Kevalam (love is all) filled the air and the deep feeling of love filled our hearts.

Our voices and heartbeats united in a three-hour chanting swayed in the rhythms of the kiirtan.

Throughout the entire three-hour session, the children were the sole providers of the music. We trusted the whole program to them and they did not disappoint: the sound was flowing fluently and the energy remained high throughout the whole time.

Both newcomers and experienced participants joined in, and even the youngest children displayed an enthusiasm to become the new generation of kiirtan players.

Amidst the elevating sounds, it is great to find a moment to enjoy the tranquility of the early morning.

After three hours of singing and dancing, we collectively settled into a serene meditation. Mothers, babies, and children of all ages joined in, and together, we deepened the sense of unity and the boundless love within and around us.

The president of the organization, Didi Ananda Citralekha, gave a speech on this occasion. In a state of heightened awareness, we listened intently to Didi's words.
Baan Unrak is a symbol of hope for all the children, who have faced the suffering and injustice of the society. Here they find a safe place to remain children.

Every new year signifies more lives transformed for the better. That's why the anniversary means so much to us. It transcends being just a holiday; it represents a meaningful change.

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Aug 2, 2023
Putting your donations to good use

By Song | Project Leader

Greetings to all that have opened this report.

Thank you for your time, and donations to us. My name is Song, assisting Didi with the IT part of updates while she is away taking care of the children. (We could defintely use more help in this area, Didi is too busy taking care of the day to day running of the children home. Hopefully I will be able to visit Didi sometime soon and help write up a SOP for the GlobalGiving reporting and updates for future volunteers to refer to.)

There are some critical updates this quarter, let us start off with a letter Didi wrote.

Letter From Didi,, Dolci Donata

" Dear Friends from GlobalGiving

This year the money donated from you went for the education of our 140 children.

The good news is 4 of our girls have graduated from High school and 10 of our children also graduated from the Junior high school.

This year we received the GlobalGiving donation on 30 June 2023. We received 12947 THB (about 377 usS)

W are very thankful for everyone that has participated in this program. Our children are doing well and some of them are really very good at study.

Their strength is that many of them can speak English and can communicate with volunteer.

The villagers' leaders and government authority are very proud of these young people that has brough recognition to our small township.

Thank you again from

Dolci Donata (founder and manager of Baanunrak children's home)"

A devastating storm - https://www.baanunrak.org/post/destruction-by-nature

Though Didi did not mention, the home was struck by a devastating storm in early May. According to the locals, it was one of the biggest storm in the last few dacades. Trees have fallen, and houses were partially submerged in water. She did not share this with me too. I have only just learnt of it from their blog while I was trying to help out with the due diligence check as required by GlobalGiving. I guess that's Didi, she seldom talks about the hardships and challenges the home faces. Or maybe she just do not have enough time to do so given the limited manpower and resources they have.

Judging from the image in thier blog, the damage was quite bad. But at the same time, I hope to bring your attention to the expression on the children's face. If you observe closely, I am sure you will be able to notice that they are not at all reluctant to help. In fact, enjoying the process of rebuilding the home together even though it's a really tough job. Everyone contributed according to their capacity.

Just like most of you, I was not able to visit the home since COVID sets in, and still not able to visit after COVID left while I was occupied with work. (Yep... I know... ) But through the above observations, we have resonable grounds to believe the children are in good hands both physically and mentally. And most important of all, I believe they did find a sense of belonging in Baan Unrak, and sees it as their home. Which also explains their expression in such difficult situations.

There are many more events that happened in this quarter. But to keep this short, I will stop here and provide your with the link to the blog below should you be interested to learn more. Hope my observations were helpful, and this report did not bore you to sleep. Looking forward to sharing more updates and helping more at Baan Unrak in future. Cheers and thank you once again.

Blog Link

https://www.baanunrak.org/blog

From Song

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Mar 7, 2023
Updates from Baan Unrak

By Song | Project Leader

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