July 20, 1999
We care It's second nature! When the Nature Conservancy Club took 30 blind youngsters camping in the forest to boost their love of Nature and self confidence-it seems the youngsters had a few things to teach themselves Text And Pictures By Smith Sutibut The Blind youngsters play ath the creek Together with the love of their parents, Nature nourishes children's lives. And like social experiences, exposure to the natural world enhances their understanding of the environment they live in. But such exposure is often difficult to come by for many disabled youngsters who find it hard enough just to go about their daily lives. Many spend their entire lives in silence, while others live in darkness. The physical disabilities cut them off from society and the world of Nature and thus deprive them of love, joy and self-understanding. Giving these children a chance to appreciate Nature is therefore a good way to let them know they are part of a very beautiful world. And that's the idea behind the Nature Conservancy Club's Handicapped Kids Camps. Last month, the club took 30 children from the Bangkok School for the Blind trekking in the forest in Kanchanaburi to give them first hand experience of the wilderness-a trip many children never dreamed of. "We expected some difficulties, but the children proved they are tough and needed only guidelines to challenge the trail," said Prasit Charoensasanakul, a volunteer guide. The trekking started with one volunteer guiding two children. The 2.6 kilometre trail at Kaonampu Nature and Education Centre was chosen since it is not too tough-nor too smooth-to spoil the children's fun. The walk through meadows and bushes, up small hillocks and across a stream, was achieved without complaint. In fact, there was much laughter as the youngsters fumbled their way with their hands and hearts-and plenty of sweat and smiles. "It doesn't have a bad smell!" cried 12-year-old Anucha Ngarmyingmak as he checked out the aroma of fresh elephant dung found along the trail. Along the way, the volunteer guides told the children about the plants. The children listened eagerly and had fun familiarising themselves with the new trees they were introduced to. They hugged the stems to measure the size, felt the bark, the branches, and leaves to get a sense of the shape and descriptions. A call for attention to avoid a thorn bush did not stop Pramote Vichitsarn, the eldest of the group, testing their sharpness. "They're very sharp," he declared to his friends who were waiting for his analysis. "Listen, there is water running in this tree," said Pramote at another stop. He placed his ears close to the bark of a big tree and concentrated on listening after he was told trees have networks, just like the human body, to transport food and water to their various parts. As he felt up and down the bark he wondered aloud at the difference between the upper and lower parts. "Why is the lower part is tougher than the upper part?" he asked. "It's like someone's polished it!" A volunteer then explained to the children, the trees are called "elephants' back scratchers" as the mammals love to rub their skins against the trees when they are itchy. The explanation won appreciative laughter from the blind trekkers. "So, elephants feel itchy too!" one remarked. Another plant that drew interest from the youngsters was the prong (or cycad-a large and fern-like plant with stiff, shiny leaves). These ancient plants are contemporaries of the dinosaurs. Some youngsters proved they have an explorer's soul, chewing the leaves when their guide said they are not poisonous. Half way along the trail, the group rested in a bamboo forest and learned about the usefulness of bamboo-and also some important values in life. Anucha, for example, was given a stick of bamboo and he broke it easily. When he was given a pile of bamboo sticks to repeat his act, he could not. A young blind boy touches the leaves of the prong plant to get a feel for its shape and size. He learned the popular Thai folk story about unity and working together to overcome difficulties. When asked to display their impression of their trip via art, the youngsters surprised their guides with their imaginative works. Sithichai Chaengrung, 12, who has very limited vision, sculptured a forest scene with mould, complete with trees, mountains, stones, a waterfall and the sun. Another boy, also with very little vision, sculptured an elephant. Those who are completely blind, wrote poems in braille. Nopporn Phraemuang, 11, wrote: "A forest with a creek so long as eyes can see. There are eight hills. In the creek, there are fish. In the bamboo forest, there are animals. Then there is a rainbow. It is a beautiful forest." When asked what plants they liked most, many gave names of the trees, but Sithichai Sae Heng gave a surprise answer-he said he loved the watershed forest. The day ended at the camp site, and the children jumped into a shallow creek to relax after their tiring day. Many splashed each other and played, others found an islet to sit in and absorbed the beauty of Nature quietly on their own. Laughter echoed through the forest as the sparkling water gleamed on the children's faces. And then it was the children who opened the minds and eyes of the organisers'-by showing physical handicaps do not necessarily limit the spirit. Against all odds The Nature Conservancy Club's Handicapped Kids Camps started in 1991, when members of the club accompanied the first batch of handicapped campers on a visit to a forest in Chaiyaphum province. The trip was full of difficulties-but the delight of the children was evident in their laughter. Also, the determination to overcome their physical disadvantages made the volunteers realise their problems were nothing compared with what these children faced. The boys and girls taught the volunteers disability is not a handicap-so long as they had dreams and the chance to make them come true. Three more camps were held in 1993, 1995 and 1997 for crippled youngsters. The fifth camp was held last month at Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province. This time, the participating children were 30 students from Bangkok School for the Blind. Camp leader Thammarat Sukpinij said the Nature Conservancy Club raised funds for the programme by seeking donations and selling postcards and souvenirs. Sithichai Chaengrung gives an artist's impression of the forest trip. "The camp was supposed to be held at the end of last year, but we didn't have enough money then," he said. "Then at the beginning of this year, the children were busy because of the Asian Games and the Fespic Games. Many of them were involved in related activities. Some were athletes themselves. Also, they had to go to school. So, the camp was put on hold until now." Of all the camps, said Mr Thammarat, the one for the blind youngsters was the toughest. "There were a few problems at first, but, luckily, we were pretty well prepared. We learned a lot about the children from Acharn Renu Duangdao, the principal of the Bangkok School for the Blind. And we learned about similar camps held in other countries through the Internet." he said. "We found despite their visual handicaps, these kids can do so many things just as well as non-disabled kids. Some even attend mainstream schools and some are gifted with special talents many normal kids don't have." In their preparation, camp volunteers underwent special training. With assistance from teachers from the School for the Blind, the volunteers learned how to communicate with the children and how to help them. They also visited the school to observe how the children manage in their daily lives. Info for donations: Name: The Nature Conservancy Club. Contact person: Thammarat Sookpinij. Telephone: 929-7392. Pager: 1188-4400296. Bank account information: Savings account name: 15839-8. Handicapped Kids Camps, Siam Commercial Bank, United Nations Building branch. Account number: 004-2 15839-8. Or, send your cheque payable to Post Publishing Public Company Limited (For Nature Conservancy Club) 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.		Current Issues in Thailand Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review NEW! 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