Hi Selwyn, In case you don't see this I will email you direct also, early this week. I think the best i can reccomend is that you contact the RICD(Royal Institute For Child Development) (http://www.ricd.go.th/) close to Mae Rim. This is an excellent facility with expert Doctors , social workers and all the access and knowledge of the sort of help you ar […]
just seen your last three updates,with all the hard work done by everyone it was good to see there was also time to relax and have fun, thankyou to all who made this possible xxxx […]
Hi John My name is Selwyn Wilson a soon to 66 year old UK pensioner. I have been the only carer of 10 year old Arissa Sompamit from Omkoi since she was struck down with JEV in September 2009. She is brain damaged and has all that accompanies this Disease.I met 2 Thai ladies at the Mc Kean rehab centre where I have taken her for Occupational Therapy until Mar […]
Giving Children A Better Chance in Northern Thailand
"telling someone what they have to learn is a long and tortuous road, often ineffective; giving someone the opportunity to explore what their brain finds particularly interesting at the time opens the gateway to optimization of that individuals potential" anon
You’ll have noticed a shortage of posts this week. This is because the changing seasons have brought the usual bugs and viruses. After struggling through for a couple of weeks now the past week has seen me asleep in my chair shortly after dinner most nights and with little or no energy to do stuff in the daytime either. Of course, running this place means no time to be ill and there were lots of things that had to be done , energy or no, but sitting infront of the computer was not a priorty.
Hopefully I’m back on the road to good health now and just as well because its now school holidays which will make my next couple of weeks even busier. Thankfully, with our new connections with Art Relief, this will be alleviated by help from many volunteers wishing to come along.
One of the things that always aids my recovery from any such bug is when the kids do something spontaneous that shows they’ve noticed, as they did last night. Thanks kids, love you all to! xxx
For a long time I have been thinking about what to use as a logo for the Thai Schools English program and website. With the increasing artistry around the place i decided to as Tai if he could come up with something.
On Saturday he did.
Sunday morning saw day 2 of our vegetable growing project.
There some more gravel to be spread first.
Its hard work in the heat of the morning, hats were a must.
But it was great to see everyone working with a smile on their face.
Then, after a well earned break, three volunteers set to scrubbing the garden walls clean, ready for painting.
The rest of the crew all took a paint brush and put first coats of paint on the concrete rings that will serve as the vegetable plots.
As usual veryone pitched in with lots of effort.
With two wall panels cleaned and first coats of paint on all the concrete rings we decided that everyone had worked enough for the day and broke for lunch before spending the afternoon at Huay Tung Taow.
This weekend, with no visitors, we decided to get a start on our planned vegetable growing project. The food bill is one of our biggest expenses, so the more we can grow ourselves, the better.
As with everything here at Stratton House the plan is for the children to do their bit. So on Saturday morning we set to preparing the ground for the first stage of the project.
First job was to clear the weeds from the chosen growing area.
Once that was done everyone piled into spreading gravel as the base for the growing area.
Once this was done we placed concrete “pipe’ sections, which will serve as individual vegetable plots for each child.
We also utilised some old garden fence, hanging the sections along the wall ready for climbers such as broad beans.
Today(Sunday), we will spread the remaining gravel and then allocate the vegetable “plots”.
The children will then paint their pots and paint their names onto their individual plots.
We have so much space available that it is hoped to extend this project in the future.
Possibly offering the chance for other children in the community to take part, splitting their finished vegetables 50/50 between The Foundation and their own family.
The concrete sections cost just 100 baht each, the gravel was 2000 baht for a full load that was enough for a 15 metre stretch.
We will need soil and of course vegetable seed. So if you feel like helping out, please do:)
And other news here at Stratton House is that the wayward pup that adopted us earlier this year, Dam Dam, is now a Mum. She had her pups early Tuesday morning.
Unfortunately, three of the six pups she had did not make it. But the remaining three are all doing very well.
Once she is passed the mothering stage she will be taken for nuturing as will the pups after 5 months. Five dogs on site is more than enough!
That said it is another responsibilty that the children seem to be rising to so I don’t see it as a bad thing.
Just a reminder that life is not just fun and games here at Stratton House. All the children have to do their bit to keep things ship shape. And it has to be said that they do, with not too much prompting needed.
A recent desicion to cut back on trips out whilst waiting on budget input meant that I needed to put my thinking cap on to come up with something to occupy our children on this sunny Sunday.
Our recent visits by Li Li Tan had already put the idea of creating a mural on our garden walls. So in preperation I popped out and bought a bag full of scrubbing brushes.
After lunch everyone took a brush and set to cleaning the outside walls.
I was amazed at the enthusiasm and effort and it wasn’t long before that job was done.
So the next step was to go to the storeroom and get out a couple of rollers left over from when we first moved in as well as some left over emulsion.
Having no brushes, I tore some foam off on old chair and handed out pieces to everyone.
Again everyone set to work with gusto and by 3pm the outside walls were whitewashed.
We’re not sure when the mural will start.
That will depend on acquiring paint. But the idea is to have regular weekend sessions where not just our children can get involved but children from the local community will be invited to.
So, if you happen to be living in Chiang Mai and have any left over emulsion paint you don’t need anymore, we would be grateful for any donation.
I make no bones about the fact that I am an emotional man. The truth is I’ve shed enough tears of pain in my life to believe my self truely blessed to have shed the tears of joy that today brought me.
It can be a lonely road, doing my best to make sure that this Foundation succeeds and goes on to help as many children as possible. So when people like Li Li Tan and her friend Jessica start getting involved I can but glow with hope that something really good is starting to happen.
Words cannot express my gratitude enough.
Today our friend, and webmaster, Ally arrived with Li Li and Jessica about an hour before lunch. Li Li came with a whole load of art materials for the children to use. Jessica, came armed with rocks and minerals to give a very interesting lesson.
Jessica needed time to set up, so it was art with Li Li and then lunch.
After lunch Jessica held a wonderful session, teaching the children about how minerals combine to form rocks. What may seem like an advanced subject for children so young was very successful with the methods Jessica employed.
Using coloured flash cards and samples of minerals and rocks, and her own very engaging character, she soon had the kids hooked.
One of the highlights of the day, for me, was watching Jack.
Jack often has problems with learning and concentration.
Today I saw a boy absorbed with what he was shown and I have not seen so many genuine smiles on this boys face in a long time. Jessica, thank you so much.
And a big thankyou to Heather, (Bpaaa Bonnie), too.
Shortly before lunch the postman arrived with a big parcel containing a late birthday present for Jack and other toys and stuff that all the kids get to use.
Jack deserves more days like this.
Even Tai, who can often be reluctant to get involved with events involving the “little kids”, got drawn in.
Indeed, all the children let it be known that they enjoyed the lesson very much.
When our visitors left, mid-afternoon, a bunch of happy children got back to more art work.
Any one else who may feel like donating materials, please contact us as it looks like we need a constant supply to satisfy the childrens enthusiasm.
These positions are available right now. If you are interested please contact us using the contact form. (Thai Volunteers welcome.)
Volunteer English Teaching Assistants……..We welcome anyone who wants to come and give a little time to help teach English to the Children at Stratton House; but also, as part of our Thai Schools English iniative we are looking for Volunteer Teaching Assistants to be placed at rural schools in the vicinity.( we can give assistance with acquiring the nessecary work permit and visa for longer term volunteers)
Thai Schools English Admin…… We are looking for anyone who may be interested in helping out with our Thai Schools English iniative. This could be people in our area who may be able to assist with visiting new schools and encouraging them to join our programme; or anyone who has computer knowledge and may be able to help with producing course work and excersises to be posted on our School websites and added to our Moodle learning centre.( This could be done anywhere in the world if you have internet access).
Assistant Carer……… We are looking for people who can spare a little of their time to spend with the children of Stratton House, generally keeping them occupied and taking care.
Paid Positions
Live-in House Mother…… We are currently looking for an additional live-in House Mother. This post is open to Thai Nationals only.
You’ll have noticed a shortage of posts this week. This is because the changing seasons have brought the usual bugs and viruses. After struggling through for a couple of weeks now the past week has seen me asleep in my chair shortly after dinner most nights and with little or no energy to do stuff in the daytime either. Of course, running this place means no time to be ill and there were lots of things that had to be done , energy or no, but sitting infront of the computer was not a priorty.
