Patacore School serves 244 children in a remote area of Hua Hin Province with 85% of the children being from the Burmese Karen Tribe.  This marginalized tribe fled Burma when the present regime came into power and the army began to burn villages and murder these traditional subsistence farmers.  The Karen people live in deplorable conditions but the Thai government has built a few schools in the area which are run by the military.  The children do not pay fees, they receive uniforms and supplies free of charge and are fed a hot, nutritious lunch on school days.  The school has a large garden that supplies all the vegetables and fruit for the students.  They also raise chickens for the school and to sell to the community.  They also have a small clinic at the school and one of the army staff has been trained as a medic.    Patacore has been trucking in water for three hours a day because of a broken water pump.  CHF has provided the school with a new water pump and a technician to put the pump in place.

Pbamak School is only 9 miles from the Burmese border and at the end of the highway.  There is a check stop to get into this very isolated area which becomes completely shut off from the outside world during the rainy season.  To get to Pbamuk you drive up narrow, steep roads and ford streams but the scenery is fabulous and the welcome is worth the effort.  Pbamak School  has 126 students (all from the Burmese Karen Tribe) and is one of the Royal Princesses’ projects but, like many of these projects, although the building is lovely there are no regular funds in place for administration.    The school is the lifeline to the extremely poor community that surrounds it and takes on many roles in the community including informal clinic and food supplier.  Their main donor has recently pulled out and the present stock of food (they serve lunch to the school children), medicine and school supplies will only last until May, 2011.  The children in the area are being taught to weave baskets to develop a skill and, even though the baskets are quite rudimentary, the children are very proud of their finished products. This school is again run by the army.  The idea behind these army/government schools is to develop community trust so the large refugee population does not threaten security in the area. Unfortunately, because the school’s student body is 100% Burmese, the Ministry of Education does not provide any financial support and the community is too poor to pay any fees.  The army personnel that run the schools are poorly paid but end up spending much of their monthly salaries on school necessities.  This is truly a humanitarian gesture on their part.  One teacher said it best “We give with our hearts not with our hands”  CHF has promised that food staples, basic meds including malaria treatment and school supplies will be brought to the school before the middle of April before the rains begin in early May.

Mercy House, Pranburi, ChaAm Province, Thailand is an orphanage that provides care for children with and without special needs. from the age of 6 until they complete high school or have the skills to enable them to seek employment.  Mercy House provides for 24 children at present and each child is expected to learn to care for themselves and their possessions as well as share together in work and play.  The children are also encouraged to give assistance to the community.  All the children attend school with 5 of them presently at college level.  Many of the children in care are from the Burmese Karen tribe and special emphasis is placed on cultural learning.   Mercy House opened a workshop on their site in 2006 which teaches a variety of skills to help further the children’s career potential.  Children’s Hope Foundation and Chiva Som joined hands this year to make a sizeable donation to Mercy House.  The money will be used for facility improvements.