Foundation - The Stratton ABC Foundation Childrens Home Chiang Mai

February 2012
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Re-Cycle Project Chiang Mai..American Pacific International School (Kindergarten)Joins In

Sep 242011

We are very happy this week with a nice start to our Re-Cycle Project. On Friday we made our first pick-up from the American Pacific International School (Kindergarten) in Hang Dong Rd.

It was great to meet Kailyn Fullerton, the enthusiastic teacher who is organising the re-cycling at the school. Also Principal Ladda Mahidi, a lovely lady who is also very keen to make the project a success and is encouraging the childrens parents to bring their re-cyclables to the school as well.

With our Mattayom students on a month long break at the moment it was nice for the children to have an opportunity to meet to.

We are still at the logistical planning stage of the project and really need more participants, volunteers and collection points to maximise the efficiency and success of this effort.

Once finished at American Pacific we popped into the outskirts of town to the home of Oscar and Nalini , Oscar produced our Promo video.

They also had re-cylables for us and have kindly offered their home as a drop off point for any of you in the Wulai Rd area.

If you want to take part and have re-cyclables to donate please contact us here and we can give you a map to the drop off point.

Alternatively we may be able to add your home onto a collection route and collect direct.

Lets help make Chiang Mai a leading example for re-cycling and in turn help our Foundation help many more children.

The Garden Grows

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Dec 092010

Busy, busy, busy. We are still working hard here at Stratton House to increase efficiency and cut costs. One major way we can do this is to grow our own vegetables.
To this end we have been working hard on expanding our growing project. Every late afternoon this week the children have helped out with this expansion which is going very well.
However we desperately need help with funding the next expansion.
The plots you see featured in the photos cost around 2000 baht to produce, including all the bamboo and soil.
Can you help us expand further with a similar sized area?
We are also hoping to create dry leveled pathways in between the plots, using gravel, which comes at 1800 baht for a large lorry load.
At present we are not sure how far that will take us but would have a better idea if we can get that first load.
If you feel that you may be able to help fund these expansions , please contact us.
A healthy diet for our children is very important to us. If we can supply this using our own organically grown produce then more funds can be redirected towards continued development of our activities and services to help these and many more children.
Thank You for your consideration.

Stratton House Virtual Art Gallery Exhibition 1

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Oct 282010

Still Working Too

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Oct 282010

As always there are many chores to do in between the fun and learning activities here at Stratton House. Everyday, whilst they are off school, the children have done their bit to keep the house clean and tidy, not always easy when you have so many sharing one house. Then there’s the garden to. Often it is suggested , by the children, that we employ allot more concreted areas. Bless them! Its another constant struggle to get on top of the constant growth.

Yet another reason we need your help; as and when we get the necessary funds, we hope to extend our vegetable growing project and further landscape the garden area for easy upkeep and comfortable play areas for the children.

Earlier this week we pruned one of the Lamyai trees and although there are no photos, I can vouch for the girls hard work with Wasanaa clear overgrowth around the back of the house. Good work everyone.

Dreamcatchers–Craft Workshop With Art Relief.

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Oct 152010

Thursday 14th saw our first Art Relief workshop at Stratton House. Five volunteers from Art Relief came armed with all that was needed for the children to learn how to make Dreamcatchers.

Along with five of our children from Stratton House the workshop was also attended by five local village children.

Pee Bat was the leading instructor, with the other volunteers helping the kids out when they got stuck.

The workshop went very well and was popular with all the children who attended.

I was impressed with their attention and how well they all listened and followed instructions. The class was very relaxed and informal and all the children clearly had a lot of fun.

I think the volunteers had as much fun as the kids did too.

Everyone here at Stratton House looks forward to the next workshop and doing much more with our friends from Art Relief.

Once again I was particularly happy seeing Jack so enthralled and proud of himself afterwards, as he came speak to me, checking that I had seen that he had listened closely and done a good job.

He didn’t need to tell me, I had noticed and was so happy to see his self esteem rising.

We have started to see a vast and sustained improvement with Jack and more of these sorts of activities are sure to enhance those changes.

A big thanks to all the Art Relief Team for giving the kids such an interesting activity.

Jae Festival Time

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Oct 132010

Every year around this time many people in Thailand celebrate the Chinese Buddhist “Jae” Festival. This includes an extended period of practising vegetarianism. Locally, the people from Mae Salab enjoyed an event held at Wat Mae Salab last weekend.

Three of our children, Jor, May(2) and Nu were part of the ‘show’ as the children of Mae Salab School started the main event singing traditional songs on the main stage.

Everyone dresses in traditional white clothing for this event. We did our best but with nine children our budget restricted us to buying the traditional costume only for the girls who were performing.

The girls went of to prepare at around 5pm and the rest of us followed on just after 6.

The road was cordoned off and there were many foodstalls by the riverside outside the Temple.

Inside the Temple and School grounds there was the large stage and Marquees and hundreds of chairs set out. We had been told that they were expecting around 4000 people to attend.

Overhead ominous skies lingered. Some of the blackest clouds creeping slowly across the sky towards us.

The School children started their performance at around 6.30 as the expected crowds began to fill up the seating area.

I was very proud of our girls doing their bit on the stage.

It must have been hard work for them having to remain sitting cross-legged for around an hour and a half.

The event carried on for most of the evening but we left shortly after the girls had finished on the stage.

Just as well because not long after we got home the rain hammered down with avengence. How they carried on at the Wat I don’t know.

The children here are still respecting the vegetarianism, supposedly a ten day stretch. I caved after 3 days. Although I am happy for the children to follow the tradition if they wish, I personally believe that there are far too many different events of this kind that seek to make Buddhism a religion rather than a philosophy. Its fine as an event that brings the community together, but as I am not a vegetarian I feel that my 3 days was enough.

Fishy Business

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Oct 122010

Our friend Li Li Tan returned on Saturday to assist the children with the next stage of Mural practise. All the children joined in with drawing bigger versions of fish and other sea life ready for painting next weekend.
There has been a slight change of plan in that the first Mural will now be on the walls of our out door hut.
This is all leading up to the much bigger excersise with Art International painting the Mural on our front boundary walls.

Garden Project Update

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Oct 122010

So our vegetable growing project is well underway now. The children have been out watering their plots every morning and checking progress.

Its a learning curve for all of us as we see what will grow easily.

Most of the pots have yeilded results of varying degree, with just two yet to show signs of life.

The most vigorous growth so far has come from Gu’s pot, in which he is producing ‘yard long beans’.

We would love to extend this project, not just to give more growing area to our own children but also with the thought to invite children from the local community to join in if they want to. Please follow the link if you think you would like to help.

For full sponsorship;

Funding Stage 2 of the Vegetable Garden Project

For individual items sponsorship

Partial sponsorship of Garden projects

The Latest Art Work at Stratton House

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Oct 092010

Practising for the Mural has not stopped and here are some of the latest efforts, along with Som and her sister Nu at the sculpturing again.

Thanks Bpaa Bonnie

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Oct 092010

A big thanks to our friend Heather, (Bpaa Bonnie), for the parcel of clothes that arrived on Thursday.

Heather heads the Faa Gamma fund raising team in Australia and featured on this site when she and her family visited and helped out with prepping the Home here before we opened.

She was recently in Thailand again to collect William, a Thai child that she id now fostering in Australia. Unfortunately , due to time restrictions she was unable to come to visit us here but arranged the posting of her kind donation of clothes. There was also a lovely letter for Jack , who Heather sponsors monthly.

Thanks again Heather, love from all at Stratton House to you and all your family.