Safe Haven Orphanage Visit
December 2007
We rolled out of Bangkok about 7am on December 28th with as much stuffed into our pick-up truck as it would reasonably carry. Our destination was the Safe Haven Orphanage which is located about 150 km northwest of Mae Sot, a small town on the Thai-Myanmar border. Mae Sot is a 7-hour drive from Bangkok – assuming the traffic isn’t too heavy.
We had purchased many things to donate including new clothes, toys, teddy bears, school supplies, first aid supplies and some sports goods. Additionally, Somporn’s sister Tha, a school teacher, had collected 6 bags of serviceable used clothing all of which were sorted and washed. One of the most popular items were the many tins of Danish sugar cookies, just like you can buy in the U.S.
Since there aren’t any hotels in the village of Tha Song Yang where the orphanage is located, we stayed at a resort in Mae Sot. The next morning we met the lady who founded and runs the orphanage, Mrs. Tasanee Keereepraneed, and drove about 3 hours to Tha Song Yang. Before leaving, we visited their Mae Sot office which is staffed by Tasanee’s daughter and a middle-aged widow. There we met Ruby, age 1, who had just be released from the hospital after a 4-day treatment for pneumonia. She was so cute and cheerful!
The original orphanage is located at the village in the home of Tasanee’s mother, which is an old wooden house scarcely big enough to house the children, Tasanee and her mother. Fortunately, a donation from Ireland of land just outside the village will eventually provide a new location to expand to orphanage. This land is currently being graded and prepared for construction. Because school is currently out of session, the kids are “camping” in makeshift shelters they built on the “new land”. The children seemed to enjoy a change of scenery and a break from their normal daily lives. This was only possible because it is the cool, dry season which makes their primitive shelter acceptable for a short period.
Upon arrival at the “new land”, we were greeted by a swarm of kids of all ages from 1 to 21. Boys outnumbered girls by a significant margin. As is to be expected, the exact number of children is in a constant state of flux but there were 38 children being supported when we visited. A majority of the kids are ethnic Karen. These people inhabit parts of northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as, some parts of Thailand along the national border. However, there are children from various ethnic groups, including Thai. Each child is allowed to retain their own cultural identity.
The children were obviously happy to see that we had brought gifts to make their New Year more fun. Their smiling faces were truly a joy to see! The kids clustered around to help us unload the truck and carry the “stuff” to their hut for distribution. When Somporn and I finally climbed up into the hut, the children sang songs and hymns to thank us for coming. First, the kids devoured about half of the sugar cookies we had brought. For some, it was their first real cookie. Then Somporn and Tasanee distributed everything else in as fair a manner as possible. Because of communication difficulties, we hadn’t realized that there were a number of teenagers. Fortunately, the used clothing provided some good choices for the teenage girls but we didn’t have many things for the boysexcept some T-shirts, a football and a couple of badminton sets. Somporn polled 8 boys who hadn’t received much and the consensus was they would like blue jeans. So we drove them 20km to a nearby market in search of jeans. Unfortunately, only two boys could find their correct size but we recorded the sizes of the other 6 boys and promised to buy them jeans in Mae Sot. While at the store, Somporn also remembered that we hadn’t brought any drinks for them so we purchased a big box of mixed fruit drinks in individual cartons.
We also met Maeve Bartlett, a young lady from Oregon who has been the current resident volunteer English teacher. She has been cheerfully braving basic meals and 1-star accommodations for the past few months to teach the kids English. Her efforts appear to have been successful because many of her students could communicate in basic English. When she leaves in a couple of months, Tasanee will try to find a replacement for her.
Prior to leaving, we drove into the village to visit the actual orphanage which is very old, cramped and in need of more room. However, it was clean and provided basic shelter for kids who have no other place to go. Tasanee has arranged for them all to attend primary and secondary school.To her credit, she has also arranged for some of the older children to attend Thai state own colleges and universities where most do very well because the have been taught to appreciate the value of education.
We had enjoyed the visit but as the shadows were lengthening, we felt it was time to head back to Mae Sot. On the trip in, we had to pass many military and police checkpoints, as well as, a vast Burmese refuge camp with over 50,000 refugees which stretched for about 5 kilometers directly along side the highway. It is little known but is, in fact, the largest refuge camp in Thailand. Its primary source of support is apparently the U.N. Although all had been congenial on the way in, we decided that prudence dictated that we clear the last checkpoint before dark. Four-wheel drive trucks are in high demand and low supply in that area but guns are plentiful!
During our uneventful trip back to our hotel, we reflected on what we had seen and our personal impressions. The children all seem well cared for and well adjusted. They are obviously a close group who love and support each other. While resources are extremely limited, Tasanee has managed to satisfy their basic needs. She is a strong lady with an iron will – and that is just what is needed to handle 38 children in those conditions! We were very impressed by how polite the children were. During the distributions of the gifts, they were all fair and patient – there was absolutely no pushing or shoving. Given how much the things meant to them that was truly amazing.
So our trip was very satisfying and we hope to return again someday with another load of “stuff”! Oh, and before leaving we deposited 6 pairs of jeans and 2 Frisbees at the Safe Haven Mae Sot office.
Don and Somporn Watson
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