(April 15, 2012) On a recent visit to the hostel, Lorel and Pramote met with a builder who provided a very reasonable price to upgrade the buildings at Kumpung’s hostel – the builder will: enlarge the boys’ dormitory, build verandas, extend the concrete, finish the floor on the multipurpose building. BFWA agreed to meet the total cost of these works -$2450.

   

The Prao hostel houses 60+ children. The hill tribe children (Lahu and Akha) stay for 10 months a year at the hostel so they can attend school down on the lowlands in Prao. There are no schools up in their villages, so the hostel provides a safe place to stay and basic food. The carers for the children are volunteers and the parents who can afford it, pay a small amount for their children’s board. Kumpung and his wife, are grandparents and also care for 30 children – mostly younger children. Hannah and John, also grandparents, and they are responsible for 30 children including some of the older girls and boys.

Any BFWA supporters who visit/stay at Prao are generous and take eggs, vegetables and meat plus pay a small amount to stay overnight. This really helps by providing all the children with additional nutrition and the visitors share the feast. Toothpaste, toothbrushes have been provided by Lenore at Colgate (Australia). Cotton towels have been donated by Jen and coordinated by Sue and Dan (WA). Thank you all.

Please see our facebook page for regular updates about the progress of the renovations at Prao hostel.

(April 10, 2012) Great news – BFWA was successful with their grant application to Orphan Aid (see details about the water tank project below). $6000 will build a water tank for the orphanage run by the monk plus pay for fuel for Pramote so he can check on the progress of the tanks and assist with the irrigation systems.

Many thanks to Jem Oz, Esra Erkilic and the supporters of Orphan Aid. Your generosity will make a real difference to the orphans in Kae Noi.

   

 

(May 2, 2012) – Water is running!! The tanks at both orphanages have been completed and the reticulation pipes have been laid. We look forward to seeing photos of lush crops and smiling children. Please see our facebook albums for photos showing the tank construction team hard at work. The tanks were built by hand – no cement mixers or bobcats! Thanks again Pramote for all your amazing efforts to make this happen for these very needy orphanages in the remote part of the mountains.

   

(April 1, 2012) With a BP Matching Grant, BFWA along with the amazing fundraising skills of Asia Knoblauch (see news item below) have funded the building of a water storage tank for an orphanage in Kae Noi. The orphanage is in a remote part of Northern Thailand close to the Myanmar border. Jafa and his wife, Naomi, founded the LOC (Lahu Opening Centre) orphanage and they care for 30 children (all are refugees from Myanmar where the Lahu people had been treated poorly and thousands of children had been left without parents). This water tank will provide the children with much needed rice and vegetables all year round. Currently there is no water available for the long dry season and food becomes very scarce.

Jufa and Naomi came to the area 16 years ago after fleeing the fighting in Myanmar (previously known Burma). They were given barren land on top of a hill and have transformed the site. The children range in age from 4-14 years and are busy going to school and helping with the farming.

   

 

BFWA is waiting to hear the outcome of their application for a grant from Orphan Aid (Western Australia). This grant will enable another tank to be built at an orphanage close by. In addition we requested funds for purchasing basic requirements for the 60 children at the 2 orphanages. The other orphanage is run by a monk. When Lorel visited the monk and met the children in February 2012, he explained about the dire situation – no water for irrigating crops and the soil was parched. In addition, both orphanages were also losing their funding from an overseas aid organization. We hope to hear from Orphan Aid in the next few weeks.

Thanks to Pramote for all his hard work getting these water tanks built – his negotiations with the builder, the constant visits and phone calls with all the stakeholders, have meant the water tanks have been built in the remote village of Kae Noi within budget and very quickly. These tanks mean that food can be grown all year round – helping feed the children and their carers, and making life a little bit easier for these hill tribe orphanages.

(March, 2012).  The Committee of BFWA is proud to announce that Prof Rosemary Coates has agreed to be the Patron of BFWA. As our Patron, Prof Rosemary Coates supports and advises the Committee, and advocates for human rights at an international level. In January 2012 Prof Coates’ was awarded an Order of Australia – read more about her esteemed career.