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July 4, 2000 |
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Reasons to care
Thanks to the generosity of Bangkok Post readers, many poor children have received opportunities to continue their education-and to make their futures brighter
Stories And Pictures
By Prapaiparn Rathamarit and Anussorn Thavisin
When devastating typhoon Gay roared through the coastal province of Chumphon in November of 1988, it left a trail of destruction and death. By the time it had blown itself out, Gay had destroyed coral reefs and thousands of trees, razed houses and killed over 500 people.
Among the buildings it destroyed was the little school of Ban Sapli, which was levelled down to its foundations. The school was eventually rebuilt with the help of generous donations from readers and staff members of the Bangkok Post.
It took much longer, however, for the schoolchildren to pick up what was left of their shattered lives. Many of the children had lost their parents to the high seas. Most had their homes destroyed or damaged by the wind. Life in the little village was grim.
The Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation swung into action to help the typhoon orphans continue their studies. Since then, the foundation has expanded its scholarship programme to cover other regions.
In 1999, the foundation began providing educational support to poor students in Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Kalasin, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom and Ang Thong.
In considering each request for help, committee members travelled to see the school and home of every student applicant. No prior notice was given of the visits, so that the visiting member could see the real state of their homes.
In several instances, the visiting committee members witnessed depressing scenes of broken homes and extreme poverty, which must have a disturbing effect on children who are still young and not able to fend for themselves.
This year, the foundation provided additional scholarships to students in Sing Buri, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Phrae, Mae Hong Son, Phatthalung and Bangkok.
A feature of the scholarships granted by the Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation is that the help is carried over year after year, so careful planning is needed to ensure that sufficient funds will be available for all 87 students now benefiting from the programme, to allow them to study for as long as they are able.
An indispensable aspect which makes the work of the foundation possible is the generous contributions which it receives from readers. For its part, the foundation adheres strictly to the policy that every baht donated will reach poor children as intended by the donor. This is possible because every member of the committee is a volunteer who contributes time and energy for free.
The Bangkok Post newspaper does the rest, helping to cover any incidental expenses which may arise. In this way, the Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation can continue to assure all contributors that every baht contributed will reach needy children, to help in their education, so they can contribute to the future of Thailand when they grow up.
The following are some of the heart-breaking stories of children who, thanks to the Bangkok Post readers' generosity, have received educational opportunities that will give them a better future.
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Physically, Thai boxing is a very demanding sport. It is also a very painful sport. Although the fists are gloved, bare feet, sharp elbows and hard knees are used to inflict injuries on opponents.
At the tender age of 13, Staporn Tasiri has launched himself on the path of professional Thai boxing, earning 200 baht per fight.
The blood money earned in the ring is used to support his education.
Staporn is a P5 student at the Ban Mae Yang Yuang School in the arid, impoverished district of Rong Kwang in Phrae. He is only one of many poor students at the dusty school.
At 13, Staporn has already learned much from life's school of hard knocks.
His parents are separated and he has not seen either of them for quite some time. He had a brief and bad experience with drugs, but managed to pull himself back from the brink-to throw all his time and energy into sports.
Luckily for Staporn, he was always keen on sports-he is very fond of takraw and is a member of the school football team-and it is perhaps fitting that it was sports that saved him from drugs.
After falling into a habit of drug abuse, he realised that it was having an adverse effect on his ability to play sports. It was this which pulled him back.
He now lives with a married uncle who has two children of his own. The uncle runs a boxing camp and the young Staporn soon found himself first punching and kicking at the sand bags, then sparring with some of the boxing hopefuls. It was not long before he was lured into the ring for the 200 baht prize money which means a lot to him. Staporn gives all his prize money to his uncle, who, in turn, looks after him and gives him training.
In the future, Staporn said he wants to be a policeman-for the simple reason that it will provide him with a regular salary. He now gets two to three baht a day to take to school. He also wants to continue boxing and perhaps one day become famous and successful like Somluck Kamsing.
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We bumped our way to Nujanart's house along a dusty, rutted track in Bang Rachan district of Sing Buri. When we finally arrived, we realised that the word "house" was a gross exaggeration.
Nujanart, nine, lives with her sister Parichart, 12, and their crippled grandmother in a dilapidated shack made up of a few boards which hang precariously to one side of a relative's wooden house.
Things were not always like this.
They used to have a house of their own, but then one day their father abandoned the family, leaving them to fend for themselves. The girls' mother moved the children in with their grandmother, who has a house in Bang Rachan. Although crippled in the left arm and leg, the
grandmother still helps in any way she can.
Things went reasonably well for awhile. Even though Nujanart's mother had to travel to another village to work on a rice field which she had rented, she tried to drop in to see them every evening. Even though sometimes she could not spare the time, the children understood that she had to make enough money to support her two daughters as well as her own mother.
But then more trouble arrived in the form of an uncle who became enslaved to yaa baa (amphetamines). The man began asking for money from his mother, Nujanart's grandmother, and when she did not have enough, he would beat her. He was sent to jail once, but was soon out again to continue pestering his crippled mother.
Relatives persuaded the grandmother and the two girls to move into their compound where they could offer help should the addicted man uncle return, and the three moved to live in a hastily-erected shack attached to the end of a relative's house.
When we arrived, the grand mother was sitting in an open shed, using her teeth and one good hand to peel ripe tamarind pods. She told us that she had diabetes but could not always afford to buy medicine for it. The girls were at school some distance away.
Nujanart, the younger girl, seemed very isolated. She did not seem to know much about the outside world. She was placed 24th in a class of 28. She said she likes art and Thai language, and does not like English or maths. At home she helps wash dishes and clean the house. She gets seven baht a day to take to school. The school bus costs a little over 100 baht a month. The school provides two sets of school uniforms, although she has to buy her own books.
Parichart, the elder sister, is much brighter, 5th in her class. She likes math and Sor Por Chor (social studies). There is no subject that she dislikes. She wants to study further, although she has not given much thought to what she wants to be in the future. She might be interested in teaching. She does general cleaning at home as well as washing and ironing.
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Don Tasiri has a rough-and-tumble look about him, and he looks much older than his 13 years. His face is full of small scratches and cuts, in various stages of healing, as if he had been involved in several scraps. He looks tense and wary, forever on guard against whatever else life may throw at him.
Don comes from a family of extreme poverty. The family has no mosquito nets and insufficient clothing. The cuts on his face come from constant scratching because of mosquito bites.
Don's father works as an undertaker, struggling to eke out a living to support his son and semi-crippled wife.
Don's mother is skeleton-thin, her skin stretching tightly over her bones. Her left arm is shrivelled so she cannot do much work, although she manages to cook breakfast for her son and husband before they leave home in the morning. She has an elder son who has left home to work, but does not manage to send home very much money.
This year Don is in P6 at Ban Mae Yang Yuang school. This means that his chances of continuing in school after this year are very slim.
At primary level, students are given free books and school uniforms, as well as a free lunch. Once they enter the Mathayom level, this all stops and they must pay for everything themselves. It will be impossible for Don's family without outside help.
Don is not good at school work and came last in a class of 15 during the last examination. He likes Thai language and Sor Por Chor but does not like mathematics. He likes to play football. He gets two baht to take to school a day.
His wish for the future is simple: He wants to become a policeman-because this will mean a regular salary, and regular food. And perhaps even a mosquito net ...
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Inspectors from the Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation have always made it a policy to drop in unannounced at the homes of students who have applied for a scholarship. This policy helps ensure that there is no stage-managed set-up to mislead the visiting team.
Sometimes this can backfire-as was the case of Komsant Makklaew, a shy, lanky student at the swamp village of Ban Pa Hua Khieu on the edge of Talay Noi in Phatthalung province.
We arrived at Komsant's rickety wooden house during late morning. We had to travel by boat since there was no dry road to the house, which is built on stilts over wet swampland. It was a long way from the school and the village centre.
When we introduced ourselves, Komsant was very embarrassed because he was wearing just his mother's floral-patterned sarong, with no shirt. He repeatedly asked to be excused to change into his school uniform-he had few other articles of clothing.
Komsant came second in his class the previous year when he was studying in P6 at Ban Pa Hua Khieu School. This year, he was to move to the M1 class at Panangtung School.
To get to his new school, Komsant said he would probably ask for a ride in a friend's boat for part of the way, before walking the rest of the distance.
He has two younger sisters still studying at Ban Pa Hua Khieu School. They both do well, one coming first and the other coming second in their respective classes. One older brother was forced to leave school two years ago because the family could not afford to keep him there. He finished P6 and now helps his father with the fishing and helps his mother weave mats. His sisters have to wade through water to get to school.
Komsant's mother said he receives two baht a day to take to school. He received a free lunch and some free uniforms at Ban Pa Hua Khieu School. Now that he is in M1, some of this help will be cut. Everyone in the family, even children eight and 10 years old, weave mats. All were busily weaving when we arrived unannounced at their house.
Komsant said that, working flat out, his family can produce three large mats a day, earning about 50 baht a day. The family's income amounts to about 1,000 baht a month. His mother said that all the money the family earns is now saved for Komsant's schooling since he does well at school.
He would like to study as far as M6, then become a soldier. He is fond of football and is a runner for the school. He once came second in a district athletics meeting.
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Tipsuda Klainoi, 13 M2, Taluk Du Wittayakom School, Tab Tan district, Uthai Thani
We were struck by her sad eyes and her very quiet, withdrawn manner. Perhaps she had reasons for her apparent sadness.
She hardly knew her parents. When she was seven days old, her mother gave her away to her grandmother, who has looked after her all her life.
Then, several years ago, both her parents moved to Bangkok to work as construction workers. Tipsuda never knew exactly where they were since they were constantly moving from one construction site to another.
Then they contracted Aids and both died, one after the other, leaving Tipsuda and her 12-year-old sister with their grandparents.
The grandparents also look after three other children, Tipsuda's cousins consisting of two six-year-old twin sisters and a five-year-old boy.
The grandparents own 22 rai of poor quality farm land which yielded a bit over two tonnes of rice last year. This is almost their sole income. At today's price of about 5,500 baht per tonne, this gives the whole family of seven about 11,000 baht to last the whole year.
The money is not just for the family: The grandparents are old and need to pay workers to help on the farm. Their land also lacks sufficient water for effective farming. Tipsuda helps in the rice field and can do all the hard work, from sowing, transplanting to harvesting rice. She also helps her grandmother with the cooking and general cleaning in the house.
At school, she has a GPA of 2.44 and likes mathematics and Thai language. She wants to be a doctor or a teacher. The school is over 20 kilometres from her house, which means that Tipsuda and her sister have to take a bus to school, paying about 180 baht a month. She takes a pack lunch and receives 10 baht a day in pocket money. Mathayom level students have to pay for all their own books and uniforms. There is no school subsidy as in primary school. School skirts cost 200 baht each, a blouse is 165 baht and shoes cost 200 baht a pair.
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Nantica Tepa, 11, P3, Soong Men, Phrae
Nantica Tepa used to be a fairly happy child. She did not have many of the materialistic things enjoyed by city children, but she was fairly contented to be living in a run-down wooden shack with her father, mother, younger brother and sister. Her grandfather also lived in the same compound, in a larger house behind her shack.
But then one day it seemed as through the sky fell on her. One tragic event after another befell the delicate little girl, domino-like, and turned her overnight into a quiet, withdrawn child.
First, her father fell into a well and drowned. Nantica was devastated by the sudden demise-but little did she realise what further tragedies that single death would trigger for her and her brother and sister.
Nantica's shack stands in a family compound. All members of the family, including her father, are part owners of the plot. With the passing away of her father, the relatives wanted to force Nantica's family out of the compound and take over the whole plot of land. The fatherless family was regularly abused by the grandfather.
The abuse was redoubled later when Nantica's mother remarried. The grandfather vented his anger on the little family with renewed fury. He finally succeeded in forcing Nantica's mother and her new husband out of the family compound. Realising that they would lose everything if they all moved out, she insisted that Nantica and her younger brother stay in the family house, to prevent it from being pulled down by the grandfather.
That was the beginning of a new nightmare for the frail Nantica. At the tender age of 11, she had to run the household by herself, in addition to being subject to regular abuse by her own grandfather, who scolds her morning and night, still intent on forcing her out. He regularly threatened to pull down the little wooden shack. A sympathetic policeman living nearby warned him not to carry out the threat.
Nantica's mother moved with her new husband and baby daughter into a nearby empty shop owned by her sympathetic employer. She is threatened with physical violence if she attempts to enter the family compound.
Every morning and evening, she has to cook food for her children and take it to them to eat in front of the family compound.
The mental pressure on the waif-like Nantica is enormous. She has to look after her little brother, clean the house and do the washing in addition to her normal school work. She still managed to come eighth in a class of 26, however. Mentally she became very quiet and withdrawn while physically she became very thin and frail. When asked about the condition within her house, she was too frightened to answer. It would seem that, to her, her grandfather is always looming menacingly behind her, like a dark and all-encompassing shadow.
The future seems dark for 11-year-old Nantica and there seems to be no way out for her and her family. As the new school year started, she was still attending classes-and it would seem that she is carrying the whole family burden on her frail shoulders as she walks to Wat Sri Dok school early each morning.
Info for donations:
- Name of organisation: Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation
- Contact persons: Prapaiparn Rathamarit and Kusuma Mintakhin
- Address: Bangkok Post Building, 136 Na Ranong Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok
10110
- Tel: 240-3700 ext 3404 or 3224
- Fax: 240-3665
- edadm@bangkokpost.co.th- Email:
- Savings bank account name: Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation; Sunthorn
Kosa branch; account number: 218-0-267441
Or send a cheque payable to the Post Publishing Public Company Limited. Address it to Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110. Her telephone number is 240-3700 ext 3224-5.
Please include your name and address with your cheque so we can send you a receipt. Please also specify "Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation" as the intended recipient.
- "We Care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. Apart from supporting these causes, you can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts.
Fax "We Care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to: sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net.
For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare/.
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Last Modified: Tue, Jul 4, 2000
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