We took a leap of faith seven years ago and spent three months on a retreat, thinking about how best we could use our experience and talents. Our final decision was to volunteer at an Orphanage in Pattaya, Thailand. Pattaya is probably best known as a sex tourist destination so we knew it may be tough.

The orphanage was a wonderful place, well run and caring and the children actually had quite a good life so we were drawn more and more to the plight of the many street kids found wandering the streets, day and night in search of food or begging from the tourists who frequented the bars. They mostly lived in slum areas which were unhygienic and overcrowded, with many people sharing one room in shanty style huts. These street kids are consistently preyed upon by the numerous paedophiles and human traffickers and have no hope or chance to make a better life in the future.

There are thousands living in slums scattered throughout the city and the problem at first seemed overwhelming and too big for anyone to even begin to tackle.

Our constant cry of ‘someone should do something about this’ fell on deaf earsAfter months of anguish both Andrew and myself almost ‘threw the towel in’ and our constant cry of ‘someone should do something about this’ fell on deaf ears.

One night while reading the biography of Mahatma Ghandi, his words, ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’  jumped off the pages at me. We stopped accusing everyone from the large charities to governments for doing nothing and looked at what we could do ourselves to at least make a dent in the problem.

Our sincere belief is that education is the only way to end poverty. And with this in mind we decided to set up a small scholarship fund for a few of the children that we were privileged to have become particularly close to.

This has mushroomed over the past 6 years and to date we have over 450 children totally relying on us for education which will give them choices in their future, give them the dignity to believe in themselves and make a better life for both themselves and their families.

We came home to Belfast and went back to work to finance our ideas and we employ an amazing Thai lady, Khun Noi, to co-ordinate and run the project on a day to day basis in Pattaya. I liaise daily via the internet with her and somehow we manage to make this work with very little administration costs.

Education, while the main focus of our project, is only the tip of the iceberg. We strive to improve the home conditions of the kids and help their families (made up of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, neighbours) the one thing you learn about the poorest people is that they will take another child into their home if parents die or are ill or have to travel to find work.

• Uniforms are bought and school fees paid at local government schools.
• One nourishing meal each day is provided.
• Fresh water tanks are built and kept topped up as stagnant water can cause many illnesses.
• Basic medical conditions are taken care of.
• Adults are helped with literacy problems.
• Allotments for growing food for self sufficiency.

Advice and help with the registration of children is extremely important, without this no one can go to school or has any rights under Thai law.

We provide materials for housing to make them water tight. The rainy season lasts for about 5 months and this brings many problems with mosquitoes and flooding..... the makeshift shacks are often constructed with old posters and bits of tin and they cannot withstand the severe rains.

Education is the only way to end povertyOne of the most important things we can do for the poor is listen to them, not just give handouts. Our families have often lost hope and feel dehumanised, and just to know that someone will listen, sympathise and advise them is worth more than money. Often the only thing mothers ask us when they come to our office is ‘please help us to educate our children’.

The children themselves love school and are hungry to learn, they see this as their way out of the cycle of poverty they have been trapped in. Thailand is a Buddhist country and our children are Buddhists. On Christmas day when you are enjoying your dinner and opening your presents our project children will be at school as usual. This makes them happy though, as school is the best present we could ever give them.

They are amazed that people from the other side of the world are interested in them, they are curious about the God who sent us and ask many questions about our Christian beliefs, they respect the images of Our Blessed Lady and Jesus that we have hanging on the wall.
For the past five years, on the closest weekend to Christmas, we have had a traditional Christmas Party and Nativity play which is the highlight of the year for the kids. The presents under the tree though are rice and basic foods with the odd wee treat for the smaller ones.

We give our families love and a sense of dignity and belief in themselves. Unconditional help is freely given and our reward will be seeing how they can rise out of their situation.

Remember we are not talking about a third world country but a developed country. These slums are up against many luxury houses and hotels. Some of the people work in the hotels and bars for less than a pound a day, it is worth remembering that this is one of the reasons that Thailand is a cheap place to visit.

Be the change you wish to see in the worldKeeping Kate’s Project going with the clinic and uniforms and the day to day expenses, costs around 30,000 pounds a year. For a long time Andrew and myself paid most of this ourselves from our savings and credit cards and thanks to the generosity of friends and family we have managed to continue our work with these amazing people and at least make a difference in the lives of a few, but struggle constantly to find funds. We are only a small candle in a huge darkness but if many people lit similar candles and worked in small projects where the money and help goes directly where it’s needed and not wasted on expensive administration then we would really accomplish so much.

We have a website: www.katesproject.com which gives much more information on our work, and donations can be sent via paypal or by cheques made payable to:
Kate’s Project Trust,
35a Oranmore Street,
Belfast,
BT13 2RU.
UK Registered Charity XT5405.

As I said at the beginning, we jumped and God caught us, we must keep this belief strong as we go back to Pattaya this weekend to oversee the project and discuss where we go in the future. 

Bring a brighter future with Kate's Project

Helping the poor and abandoned in the slums of Pattaya, Thailand.

Kate’s Project Trust works in the slum areas of Pattaya in Thailand and since its inception in 2006 has helped hundreds of children attend school and also improved living conditions for many families.

Maintaining the Project with its present level of care takes a lot of funding and it is only through donors and sponsors that the charity can keep going. There are many more families and children who require our help so if you can help us in any way please do contact us or send a donation to:

Kate’s Project Trust,

35a Oranmore Street, Belfast, BT13 2RU.
(Please make cheques payable to Kate’s Project Trust.)

For more information about Kate’s Project or to donate via paypal, please visit:

www.katesproject.com
or email:
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