After my recent trip to Thailand I have seen first hand what this amazing charity does and exactly where the money goes so please donate as little or as much as you can for a great cause!
Saichoon above is 5 and has cerebral palsy. The new centre will help by providing the physical therapy he needs, along with education
Thanks Ali xxxx
Thai Children’s Trust UK backs major new disability project:
Father Ray Centre for Children with Special Needs, Pattaya
A much needed centre of excellence for children with special needs in Thailand is the major project chosen by Thai Children’s Trust’s for this year’s online Big Give Christmas Challenge – the online match-funding event which takes place on Thursday 5 December 2013 at 10am. The charity’s target is £60,000.
The Father Ray Centre for Children with Special Needs will offer schooling, therapy and family support in the local community of Pattaya, the popular tourist resort two hours’ south of Bangkok.
It is intended to become a beacon for future state-funded provision and is a constructive effort to respond to the current disparity between the quantity and quality of services necessary for children with special needs and the facilities currently available.
The state-of-the-art facilities will provide physical therapy, individual development and education plans; education and vocational training for children with a range of special needs; and information and family support for over 300 families in the local community – many of whom live in outlying areas.
Official figures report 1.2 million people living with a disability in Thailand out of a population of some 66.79 million, with some 220,000 identified as having special needs. However, estimates of those who are not diagnosed or registered as having special needs lift this figure to 700,000. This means that with more than one in four disabled people not recognised as having a disability, the challenge is immense.
People living with a special need in Thailand often face prejudice, embarrassment and exclusion, largely due to lack of awareness of disability in general. Moreover, there are not enough inclusive public schools to support the population of children with special needs in the Pattaya area, having now grown to the size of a city which attracts increasing numbers of families migrating there in search of employment.
The total cost of the new Centre to construct and equip is £800,000 plus running costs of £140,000 a year.. Plans are to start construction by the end of the year and to be ready to receive children with special needs by the end of 2014.
Andrew Scadding, Director of Thai Children’s Trust, says:
“This much-needed Centre will give these children the specialist support they so desperately need, and that their parents are unable to provide or afford.
“Having supported the Father Ray Foundation for over 30 years, we are now able to realise Father Ray’s last dream, which he was unable to complete in his lifetime. This appeal marks the 10th anniversary of his death and is a most fitting tribute to the wonderful work he tirelessly carried out in Pattaya for thousands of disadvantaged, vulnerable and disabled children.
To contribute to The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2013 please go to www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/the-big-give
Contact information:
Patricia Orr. Thai Children’s Trust. T. 020 7250 8292 M. 07889 140 139
Pop & Mai above both 4 and have downs syndrome. The new centre will give them the education development they need, as well as support for their families and friendship