October 27, 1998
We Care The smiling faces of the children arriving at the Fountain of Life Children's Centre in Pattaya say it all. Some 90 children aged from three to 13 years, who live in Pattaya's slums and are considered "seriously at-risk", attend classes at the centre with the goal of preparing them for regular school. Sisters of charity WOMEN AND CHILDREN: The Good Shepherd Sisters are giving poor children and sex workers in Pattaya an education which will help them have a new beginning in life Suzanne Dooley Sister Michelle Lopez prepares lunch as a child looks on. Although founded by Catholic nuns, the Fountain of Life now has staff from various religions. "No one religion has a monopoly on God's compassion and love," she says. A stroll along Pattaya's Beach Road reveals their boredom and lethargy. Heavily made-up faces propped up on bars by sad hands with polished fingernails. They wear skimpy skirts and booster bras. Minds dulled by heat, loud music and surreal lighting, one rouses herself a little at the sight of passing foreigners. "Come in, Sir." "Have a drink, Madame." The foreigners tell their friends that Thai people are very friendly. They neglect to mention that these same Thai people are lifeless, bored and snared in the sex industry. Two blocks east of the beach, the scene is dramatically different. Women arrive on foot, on motorcycle or on the baht bus with their friends and boyfriends. They are enthusiastic and smiling. They bring lunch to share. Some 150 people cram into a smallish room to join in the singing, laughing and dancing. They are taking part in the monthly celebration day at Fountain of Life, a non-governmental organisation founded by Catholic nuns which aims to help sex workers get a new start in life. Later in the morning, a doctor will speak to the women about Aids and safe sex practices. She answers questions from the women, many of whom have little or no education. Discussion topics include sexually-transmitted diseases and nutrition for babies and adults. This year, Fountain of Life celebrates its 10th year in Pattaya and now runs two community centres for women and children. Up to 300 women come to the women's centre each day, and some 90 children attend school at the children's centre. Sister Michelle Lopez, who started the women's centre in the old Two Buffaloes restaurant in 1988, says their initial focus was on counselling, crisis intervention and support groups. Today the centre offers vocational courses in computing, dressmaking, hairdressing, typing, Thai and English. The focus, however, is still on relationships and counselling. "We try to build an atmosphere of trust, love, acceptance and dignity," says Sister Michelle, who belongs to the Good Shepherd Sisters, an order of Catholic nuns founded in 1835 in France. The founder of the order, Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, aimed to work for the empowerment of marginalised people, especially women and children. Explains Sister Michelle: "She wanted to help those most in need, irrespective of race and religion. She helped women caught in the sex industry and children whose rights were violated." The Good Shepherd Sisters first came to Thailand in 1965. Their operation in Pattaya now involves 15 staff, five of whom are Catholic nuns. Sister Supaporn Chotipal, director of the women's centre, says women hear about the group mostly through word of mouth. "We don't walk the streets looking for women to help. We don't advertise. Women find us. Most come because a friend brings them to us," she says. Sometimes bar owners or mamasan bring the women to the centre. Sister Supaporn recalls: "One day a mamasan arrived here saying, 'Sister, I have five girls to study English with you.' We looked at the girls and wondered how we could help them. Perhaps they could learn to speak up for themselves with foreigners. So we taught them." Staff member Bunyadee teaches Thai at the women's centre. Some women who come to the centre have little or no education. The daily routine at Fountain of Life begins at 8 a.m. with an inter-faith prayer meeting attended by Buddhist, Muslim and Catholic members of staff. Sister Michelle explains: "This is the heart of the whole ministry. Our prayer inspires our work and our work inspires our prayer. No one religion has a monopoly on God's compassion and love." After prayers, the staff meet for ongoing education, planning and discussion. The focus may be psychology, advocacy, children's rights, women's issues, paedophilia, or counselling skills. The session is led by a different staff member each day. At nine o'clock, Sister Michelle drives the group's pick-up truck to collect "seriously at-risk" children from the slum areas of Pattaya. The children, aged from three to 13 years, are fed lunch and taught for four hours a day at the children's centre. The goal is to eventually enrol them in regular schools or prepare them for a non-formal education. Sister Michelle says the centre gives the children some structure in their lives. "These are children whose mothers move around a lot. Sometimes we wake the children up in the mornings. Many have no consistent carer and lack nutritious food." The pick-up truck arrives at a garbage dump where people are looking for things to sell. A three-year-old sees Sister Michelle approaching and jumps with glee. Older children smile broadly as they climb into the back of the pick-up. Some of the adults glare at the nun: they want the children to work instead of going to school. At the next stop, a ramshackle dwelling comprised of garbage offcuts, a little boy is alone. He begins a dance of delight as the truck approaches. "He never misses school if he can make it," says Sister Michelle. Potholed roads along the railway line lead to a mother with a young boy firmly in hand. She was told yesterday that her son would have to stay home if he continued to hit other children. She wants to talk to Sister Michelle. "Don't you let him beat up his friends. If he hits the other children, you whack him hard." Typing is one of the vocational classes offered by the centre to enhance the women's job prospects. It takes more than two hours for the group's two pick-up trucks to collect 90 children. Each truck does two trips. Some children spend nearly four hours on the road every day. To pass the time, they sing and play games. The atmosphere gets electric as they approach the children's centre. Cheering and clapping erupt. Five teachers welcome them into one large room. The children have no uniforms, no schoolbags and no playground. They grab pencils and exercise books on the way in, ready to learn. The facilities are basic, but for most of the kids it's the only schooling they're likely to get. Fountain of Life relies on donations. The children's centre needs a driver and another pick-up truck so lessons can begin before 11 a.m. It needs rooms and a playground so the children can learn more effectively, and play. The lease on the women's centre ends soon and no new building has been found. Sister Supaporn says the existing building is already too small for the group's activities: "A woman came to me crying because we had nowhere for her to sit in a classroom. I didn't know what to do. We had no room left. The women were already packed. There was no air, even though we had all the fans going. "I feel the women are happy to come here. When we have a holiday, they complain, 'Oh, Sister, why so long?' "Most of these women are not in their home towns. They need someone to relate to. It is very hard for them to trust anybody. We want to be here for them." Info for donations: Name of organisation: Fountain of Life Contact person: Sr. Michelle Lopez, Sr. Jiemjit Thanapichai, or Sr. Supaporn Chotipal Address: 463/49 Soi Srinakorn, North Pattaya, Pattaya City, Chon Buri, 20260 Tel: (038) 361-540 Fax: (038) 361-539 The Fountain of Life staff are happy to talk with volunteers who wish to work with staff in various activities. Help is always needed and appreciated. If you want to donate to the women's or the children's centres, send your cheque payable to Post Publishing Public Company Limited (For Fountain of Life). Send it to Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110. Please also include your name and address with your cheque so we can send you a receipt. "We Care" is a weekly series honouring people who believe in giving. You can show you care by supporting the projects featured here each week. You can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can honour them in these pages. Fax "We Care" on 240-3666 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Alternatively, e-mail <sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net>.		Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons NiteOwl Student Weekly Real Time Special We Care Street Art Back Issues Last Month Archive Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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