The Land Of Smiles Team Is Steve Woodhouse (Brad Stevens), Jane Monks and Mike Winters.
This is the contents of an email sent to me, [Mr T] by Steve Woodhouse, so this is his story and as from today I will always think of him and his team as Saints...
The orphanage name is Baan Tharn Namchai and it is based in Takupa in Phang Nga in Southern Thailand.
This was our 5th trip over to the orphanage since the tsunami of 2004
The orphanage has increased in size and in numbers and now has 75 orphans after its initial 32 just after the tsunami
The orphanage also supports 32 children who live in the immediate surrounding area by funding their schooling and healthcare
Originally all the children were tsunami victims who lost their families but now there are a lot of general orphans who have been abandoned or their families cannot afford to support them
To date we have raised more than £15,000 but this year alone we aim to raise £20,000 to make our total £35,000
We have funded a large farm, a catfish pond, a rubber plantation, a large retaining wall, and funded the general day to day running of the orphanage including beds, bedding, food and clothes.
Whilst over there this time we met a young 5 year old girl called Peng who has cerebral palsy (see pics). She has under developed leg muscles and cannot stand so we have ordered her some custom medical splints and are shipping them over so that she can be mobile and develop her walking capabilities. She also needs an operation to straighten her eyes and is generally undernourished so we are trying to get her moved nearer to the orphanage so that the staff can attend her daily. At the moment she lives with her Grandmother as her Mother deserted her because of her disability. She is a lovely little girl who loves to be tickled and giggles all the time; she seriously broke all our hearts when we met her so we have taken an avid interest in her development and well being!
Just a few of the pictures of the Orphanage and the children.
This is the contents of an email sent to me, [Mr T] by Steve Woodhouse, so this is his story and as from today I will always think of him and his team as Saints...
The orphanage name is Baan Tharn Namchai and it is based in Takupa in Phang Nga in Southern Thailand.
This was our 5th trip over to the orphanage since the tsunami of 2004
The orphanage has increased in size and in numbers and now has 75 orphans after its initial 32 just after the tsunami
The orphanage also supports 32 children who live in the immediate surrounding area by funding their schooling and healthcare
Originally all the children were tsunami victims who lost their families but now there are a lot of general orphans who have been abandoned or their families cannot afford to support them
To date we have raised more than £15,000 but this year alone we aim to raise £20,000 to make our total £35,000
We have funded a large farm, a catfish pond, a rubber plantation, a large retaining wall, and funded the general day to day running of the orphanage including beds, bedding, food and clothes.
Whilst over there this time we met a young 5 year old girl called Peng who has cerebral palsy (see pics). She has under developed leg muscles and cannot stand so we have ordered her some custom medical splints and are shipping them over so that she can be mobile and develop her walking capabilities. She also needs an operation to straighten her eyes and is generally undernourished so we are trying to get her moved nearer to the orphanage so that the staff can attend her daily. At the moment she lives with her Grandmother as her Mother deserted her because of her disability. She is a lovely little girl who loves to be tickled and giggles all the time; she seriously broke all our hearts when we met her so we have taken an avid interest in her development and well being!
Just a few of the pictures of the Orphanage and the children.