Orphan Profiles

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(This is a VERY long read...)

These are the children of Ban Tharn Namchai. I chose not to post proper names and use only nicknames in some cases. The children deserve a certain level of privacy,, and those with histories that may follow them into their futures have remained anonymous for that purpose.

THIS LITTLE GIRL CAME TO THE ORPHANGE IN 2007 AFTER HER MOTHER BEGGED FOR HER TO STAY. HER STEP-FATHER HAD BEEN ABUSING HER SEXUALLY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND HER MOTHER COULD NOT LEAVE HIM. THIS LITTLE GIRL IS SUFFERING TERRIBLE HOMESICKNESS AND MISSES HER MOTHER PAINFULLY. RECENTLY SHE CONTRACTED THE MUMPS AND HAD TO BE SENT TO A STAFF PERSON’S HOME TO RECOUPERATE. SHE IS A VERY HELPFUL LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES TO ASSIST THE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WITH CLEANING AND PREPARING FOOD. SHE WILL REMAIN WITH THE ORPHANAGE PERMANENTLY AND WILL ATTEND SCHOOL BEGINNING NEXT TERM.
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THIS YOUNG MAN IS AN OLDER BOY WHO LIVES AT THE ORPHANGE IN EXCHANGE FOR ASSISTING THE YOUNGER CHILDREN. HE CAME FROM A FAMILY OF 12 CHILDREN IN KHOK KHEN. HIS FAMILY ABANDONED HIM AFTER HIS UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL DISORDERS BECAME A CONCERN FOR THE FAMILY. HE IS A SWEET BOY WHO TAKES INITIATIVE WITH THE CHILDREN AND IS ESPECIALLY GOOD IN THE KITCHEN WHERE HE CAN OFTEN BE FOUND SERVING THE MEALS AND CLEANING UP AFTERWARDS. HIS DISORDER IS LIKELY SCHIZOPHRENIA AND HE OFTEN HAS EPISODES OF FANTASY AND HALLUCINATIONS WHERE HE CAN BE FOUND IN CONVERSATION WITH NO ONE.
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THIS YOUNG WOMAN IS THE ONLY SURVIVING MEMBER OF HER FAMILY. 20 RELATIVES DIES IN THE TSUNAMI. SHE WAS AWAY ON A DAY TRIP WITH HER BOSS WHEN THE WAVE HIT AND WHEN SHE RETURNED THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT ALIVE. THE REMAINS OF SOME OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE YET TO BE IDENTIFIED THREE YEARS LATER. SHE IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ORPHANAGE AND JUST THIS YEAR WAS OFFERED EMPLOYMENT AS A STAFF PERSON.
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AS ONE OF THE OLDEST CHILDREN IN THE ORPHANAGE, THIS BOY HAS MORE RESPONSIBILITY. HE IS A STRONG HEALTHY YOUNG MAN WHO WILL SOON BE LOOKING FOR WORK AND DOES HAVE PART TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH THE ORPHANAGES PUPPET TROUPE. HIS FAMILY WAS KILLED IN THE TSUNAMI AND ONLY AN AUNT AND COUSIN SURVIVED. HE LIVED FOR A TIME WITH THEM UNTIL THE FINANCIAL BURDEN WAS TOO MUCH. AT THE ORPHANAGE HE IS ABLE TO ATTEND SCHOOL AND FOCUS ON HIS STUDIES.
A YOUNG GIRL AND HER MOTHER ARRIVED AT THE ORPHANAGE OCTOBER 16 2007. HER MOTHER FLED FROM HER HOME AFTER THE CHILD’S FATHER, WHO REMARRIED, THREATENED TO KILL HER AND THEIR DAUGHTER. IN FEAR THE MOTHER SOUGHT SHELTER AT THE ORPHANAGE AND KHUN AE RECIEVED THEM. THE MOTHER MAY WORK HERE AS AN AID FOR THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS OLD. THE GIRL WILL CONTINUE TO ATTEND SCHOOL. SHE IS A QUIET GIRL WHO IS VERY HAPPY TO BE REUNITED WITH HER COUSIN, ONE OF THE OLDER BOYS LIVING HERE ALREADY.
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THIS 10 YEAR OLD GIRL HAS LIVED WITH HER GRANDPARENTS SINCE HER BIRTH THOUGH BOTH HER PARENTS DIED IN THE TSUNAMI. HER GRANDPARENTS HAVE GROWN TOO OLD TO CARE FOR HER AND SHE NOW LIVES AT THE ORPHANGE. SHE RECENTLY RECOVERED FROM DENGUE FEVER THAT WEAKENED HER, BUT SHE IS NOW RECOVERING SLOWLY. NORMALLY SHE IS A QUIET STUDIOUS LITTLE GIRL, WITH A BEAUTIFUL SMILE.
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THIS BOY HAS NO FAMILY SAVE HIS COUSIN WHO IS IN RESIDENCE AT THE ORPHANGE. HE WAS LIVING WITH HIS UNCLE AND AUNT UNTIL THE TSUNAMI CLAIMED HIS UNCLE’S LIFE AND LEFT HIS AUNT UNABLE TO AFFORD TO CARE FOR HIM AND HIS COUSIN. GAME CAME TO LIVE AT BTN IN 2005. HE IS A CARING BOY WHO IS A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR THE YOUNGER BOYS. HE IS FUNLOVING AND SWEET WITH A MISCHEVIOUS SIDE THAT MAKE HIM POPULAR WITH THE YOUNGER CHILDREN. HE ESPECIALLY ENJOYS CARING FOR THE ORPHANAGE DOGS AND WATCHES OUT FOR THEM.
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THIS SWEET, FUNLOVING 12 YEAR OLD GIRL DOESN’T KNOW WHERE HER PARENTS ARE. SHE WAS TAKEN TO HER GRANDPARENTS HOUSE LONG BEFORE THE TSUNAMI WHEN SHE WAS ONLY AN INFANT. SHE HAS ONE OLDER BROTHER WHO IS GROWN AND INDEPENDENT WHO COMES TO VISIT HER NOW AND THEN. HER GRANDPARENTS WORKED THE RUBBER TREE FARMS, LEAVING THE CHILD ALONE ALL DAY AND INTO THE NIGHT. THIS GIRL AND HER BROTHER DO NOT SHARE THE SAME LAST NAME AND NEITHER IS SURE IF THEY ARE REALLY RELATED OR NOT. SHE IS AN ESPECIALLY TALENTED GIRL WITH A GIFT FOR PERFORMANCE AND DRAMA. SHE PARTICIPATES IN TRADITIONAL THAI DANCE BUT HER TRUE LOVE IS TO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE WITH HER CHARM AND WIT. SHE WANTS TO TRAVEL SOMEDY AND SEE THE WESTERN WORLD.
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THESE SISTERS ARE A SWEET PAIR. ALTHOUGH THE FAMILY SURVIVED THE TSUNAMI, THEIR MOTHER SUFFERED EXTREME DEPRESSION AND ABANDONED THE FAMILY SOON AFTER. THEIR FATHER WAS LEFT TO CARE FOR THEM. AS A FISHERMAN THEIR FATHER WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING AFTER LOSING HIS BOAT AND THE FISHING INDUSTRY WAS DESTROYED FOR A PERIOD AFTER THE TSUNAMI. UNABLE TO AFFORD THEIR CARE, THE GIRLS CAME TO BTN ORPHANAGE.
*UPDATE. JUST WEEKS AFTER THE GIRLS CAME TO LIVE WITH BAN THARN NAMCHAI THEIR FATHER WAS PLACED IN BURMESE JAIL. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, HE IS STILL INCARCERATED IN BURMA.
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MAT IS A 20 MONTH OLD DAY CHILD WHO COMES TO THE ORPHANAGE EACH DAY AT 7AM SO THAT HIS MOTHER CAN WORK TO PROVIDE FOR HIM. HE IS A BRIGHT EYED CHILD WHO IS VERY INDEPENDENT. HE HAS NO BROTHERS OR SISTERS AND HIS MOTHER IS NOT MARRIED. THEY LIVE IN A SMALL HUT IN THE RUBBER TREE FOREST OUTSIDE OF TAKUA PA
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THIS 15 YEAR OLD GIRL’S PARENTS DIED WHEN SHE WAS SIX YEARS OLD. LEFT TO THE CARE OF A NEIGHBOR UNTIL SHE WAS 12, SHE RAN AWAY FROM HER HOME WHEN THE WOMAN TRIED TO GET HER INVOLVED IN EXOTIC DANCING. SHE CAME TO BTN BOTH AS A VICTIM OF THE TSUNAMI AND OF THE PERSON WHO CARED FOR HER. SHE IS NOW UNDER THE PROTECTION AND CARE OF THE ORPHANAGE.
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THIS STRIKING 14 YEAR OLD HAS NO SURVIVING FAMILY. HER MOTHER AND FATHER WERE KILLED WHEN SHE WAS ONLY FOUR AND HER OLDER SISTER RAISED HER IN THE VILLAGE HER RELATIVES LIVED IN. HER ENTIRE VILLAGE WAS DESTROYED BY THE TSUNAMI AND ALL EIGHT OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE KILLED IN THE WAVE. SHE WAS WITH HER FRIENDS FAMILY IN THE FOREST WHEN THE WAVE HIT AND WHEN SHE RETURNED HOME, SHE WAS FACED WITH THE LOSS OF EVERYTHING SHE HAD KNOWN. THIS YOUNG WOMAN HAS BEEN WITH THE DUANG PRATEEP FOUNDATION SINCE THE BEGINNING. SHE IS AN EXCELLENT STUDENT ACHIEVING TOP MARKS IN ALL HER SUBJECTS. SHE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED CLASSICAL THAI DANCER AND A ROLE MODEL FOR THE GIRLS SHE LIVES WITH.
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THE TSUNAMI HAS CREATED MANY HARDSHIPS FOR FAMILIES IN THE SOUTH OF THAILAND. AMONG THOSE HARDSHIPS ARE KEEPING A FAMILY TOGETHER. THIS 15 YEAR OLD BOY COMES FROM A BROKEN HOME. HIS MOTHER GAVE THE YOUNGEST BOY AWAY AND HIS OLDER TWO BROTHERS ARE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THAILAND. THE FAMILY IS VERY POOR AND THE ORPHANAGE HAS TAKEN OVER CARE OF HIM. THE YOUNGEST BROTHER’S WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN.
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THESE SISTERS, 12 AND 14 ARE FROM BAN MUANG. THEIR FATHER DIED IN THE TSUNAMI AND THEIR MOTHER REMARRIED TWO YEARS LATER. THEIR STEP FATHER SEXUALLY ABUSED BOTH GIRLS AND ROTJANA ACCEPTED THEM TO THE ORPHANAGE. THE SISTERS ARE VERY CLOSE AND LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER. BOTH ARE DANCERS AND THE ELDER SISTER WOULD LIKE TO BE A MODEL WHEN SHE IS OLDER.
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THIS GROUP OF SIBLINGS LEFT THEIR HOME INDIVIDUALLY BETWEEN 2005 AND 2007. THEIR MOTHER WAS KILLED IN THE TSUNAMI AND THEIR FATHER REMARRIED. THE CHILDREN’S STEPMOTHER KICKED OUT THE ELDEST GIRL AND SOON AFTER THE YOUNGEST BOY FOLLOWED. BOTH CHILDREN CAME TO LIVE AT BTN. WITHIN A YEAR, THE OLDEST BOY AND BABY SISTER (4 AT THE TIME) CAME TO LIVE HERE ALSO, ALTHOUGH DACH (THE 4-YEAR OLD) WAS ACCEPTED BACK TO THE CHILDREN’S HOME SOON AFTER. THE CHILDREN’S FATHER COMES TO VISIT OFTEN AND ON OCCASSIONS THE CHILDREN WILL OVERNIGHT AT THEIR FORMER HOME. THE STEPMOTHER DOES NOT WANT THEM.
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THE OLDEST BROTHER AND SISTER ARE ESPECIALLY WARM HEARTED AND OFTEN NURSEMAID THE YOUNGER CHILDREN, CARING FOR THEM. THE YOUNGER BOY (10 YEARS) IS ONE WHO LIKES TO FIND TROUBLE WHERE HE CAN. HE IS VERY SMART AND ALL THE CHILDREN RECEIVE TOP GRADES AT THEIR SCHOOLS
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TLE HAS NO LIVING FMAILY SAVE HIS AUNT WHO LIVES AT ITV HOUSING IN NEARBY BAN MUANG. HE IS ALSO KNOWN AS CHOOK DUE TO HIS TOPKNOT HAIRSTYLE. THE THAI PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT A CHILD WHO IS SICKLY OR MISBEHAVED CAN BE CURED BY GROWING A TOPKNOT THAT WILL BE CEREMONIOUSLY “SHAVED” AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN OR THIRTEEN IN A BUDDHIST CEREMONY. CHOOK IS A FUN LOVING BOY WHO IS VERY SWEET BUT CAN BE NAUGHTY AT TIMES. IN KEEPING WITH THE BELIEFS OF THE “TOPKNOT CURE” HE IS “MUCH BETTER” BEHAVED THAN PRIOR TO HIS TOPKNOT GROWTH WHICH NOW REACHES HIS SHOULDERS. HIS AUNT VISITS HIM OFTEN FROM ITV.
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TUUTNAM IS THE YOUNGEST CHILD UNDER THE CARE OF THE ORPHANAGE STAFF. HIS MOTHER IS UNMARRIED AND VERY YOUNG. SHE THREATENED TO DO AWAY WITH TUUTNAM WHEN HE WAS BORN IF NO ONE WOULD TAKE HIM IN. TUUTNAM CURRENTLY STAYS IN THE VILLAGE WITH A NURSE WHO CARES FOR HIM DAILY AS THERE ARE NO FACILITIES TO ACCOMMODATE A BABY AS YOUNG AS HE IS. WHEN HE IS 2 YEARS OLD HE WILL JOIN THE OTHER CHILDREN IN THE DORMS.
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THIS THREE YEAR OLD GIRL SURVIVED THE TSUNAMI WHILE HER MOTHER WAS STILL PREGNANT WITH HER. HER FOUR YEAR OLD BROTHER WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD AND WAS VISITING AN AUNT WHEN THE WAVE HIT. THE CHILDREN’S OLDER BROTHER AND SISTER WERE TAKEN BY THE WAVE AND THEIR REMAINS HAVE NOT YET BEEN LOCATED. THE CHILDREN’S FATHERS ALSO DIED IN THE WAVE. THEIR MOTHER BECAME SEVERLY DEPRESSED IN THE MONTHS AFTER THE DISASTER AND THE BOY AND HIS SISTER WERE TAKEN TO THE ORPHANAGE. WITH REHABILITIATION, THEIR MOTHER BATTLED HER DEPRESSION AND SOON WAS ABLE TO JOIN THE STAFF AS A CLEANER. HER FRAGILE STATE DOES NOT ALLOW HER TO CARE PROPERLY FOR THE CHILDREN BUT SHE HAS CONTACT WITH THEM EVERY DAY.
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FOR THIS PAIR OF 13 AND 15 YEAR OLD BOYS, LIFE HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE. THE BOYS LOST THEIR MOTHER AS A RESULT OF THE TSUNAMI. HER BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. THEIR FATHER BECAME AN ALCOHOLIC AS A RESULT OF THE DISASTER AND COULD NOT WORK. HE WAS ARRESTED IN BURMA FOR THEFT AND REMAINS IN PRISON THERE. THE BOYS MADE THEIR WAY TO THE ORPHANAGE WHERE THEY HAVE LIVED FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF. THE OLDER BOY IS TRAINING IN MUAY THAI WITH THE HELP OF A BRITISH EXPAY WHO HAS SET UP A FREE MUAY THAI TRAINING GYM IN THE AREA.
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NNE YEAR OLD BO-LEK’S MOTHER DIED DAYS AFTER THE TSUNAMI. SHE WAS BADLY HURT IN THE WAVE AND IN HER ATTEMPTS TO SAVE HER DAUGHTER. SHE DIED TWO DAYS LATER. BO-LEK’S FATHER IS UNABLE TO CARE FOR HER DURING THE YEAR AS HE IS A FISHERMAN AND IS AT WORK BEFORE DAWN AND DOES NOT RETURN UNTIL AFTER DARK. BO-LEK LIVES AT THE ORPHANGE BUT GOES HOME TO VISIT HER FATHER ON HOLIDAYS WHEN HE DOES NOT HAVE TO WORK.
BO-LEK IS A DELIGHTFUL GIRL WITH A BIG SMILE AND ALWAYS READY FOR A HUG.
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THIS FIVE-YEAR OLD DARLING WAS ONLY TWO WHEN THE TSUNAMI TOOK HER FATHER’S LIFE. HER MOTHER WAS UNABLE TO COPE WITH THE LOSS OF HER HOME AND HUSBAND AND THREATENED TO ABANDON HER DAUGHTER. A NEIGHBOR TOOK THE CHILD IN AND BROUGHT HER TO THE ORPHANAGE WHERE HER MOTHER LATER GAVE PERMISSION FOR THE DUANG PRATEEP FOPUNDATION TO TAKE CUSTODY OF HER. SHE IS GROWING INTO A BRIGHT AND HAPPY LITTLE GIRL, BUT NEEDS THE SECURITY OF A SPONSOR TO ENSURE HER FUTURE.
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FERN IS A SICKLY CHILD WITH AN UNDIAGNOSED GROWTH DISORDER. SHE IS AN EXTREMLY THIN CHILD AND HAS CHRONIC MUSCLE WEAKNESS. HER PARENTS DIVORCED EARLY IN HER LIFE AND HER GRANDPARENTS TOOK HER IN. AFTER THE TSUNAMI, HER GRANDPARENTS LOST THEIR LIVLIHOOD AND WERE UNABLE TO CARE FOR HER ANY LONGER. FERN IS NOW UNDER THE CARE OF THE BTN ORPHANAGE.
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THIS SEVEN YEAR OLD BOY’S MOTHER WAS KILLED IN THE TSUNAMI. HER REMAINS WERE LOCATED JUST RECENTLY BY DNA TYPING. HIS FATHER WAS UNABLE TO CARE FOR HIM AS A RESULT OF MENTAL ISSUES STEMMING FROM THE DISASTER. HE WENT TO LIVE WITH HIS GRANDFATHER FOR A TIME, HOWEVER THE GRANDFATHER HAS ADVANCED DIABETES AND SOON HAD TO LEAVE HIS EMPLOYMENT AS A MOTORCYCLE TAXI DRIVER WHEN HE LOST BOTH FEET TO THE COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES. THIS BOY HAS LIVED WITH THE ORPHANAGE EVER SINCE.
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BORN 11 MONTHS APART, GHUN AND KWANG ARE VERY CLOSE SISTERS. THEY LOST THEIR FATHER IN THE TSUNAMI AND SOON AFTR ALL FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE FAMILY CEASED. THEIR MOTHER, WITH NO SKILLS TO FIND WORK, WAS UNABLE TO AFFORD THEIR CARE. BOTH GIRLS ARE NOW UNDER THE CARE OF THE ORPHANAGE. THEIR MOTHER IS VERY POOR AND ONLY OCCASSIONALLY IS SHE ABLE TO VISIT THE GIRLS HAVING TO WALK THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE VILLAGES.
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JING JANG AND KAI DUMS PARENTS BOTH DISSAPPEARED AFTER THE TSUNAMI. THE CHILDREN WERE LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES UNTIL AN ELDERLY MAN THAT THEY NOW REFER TO AS UNCLE, TOOK THEM IN. HE WAS FREQUENTLY IN HOSPITAL FOR COMPLICATIONS FROM CANCER AND OFTEN LEFT THE CHILDREN ALONE FOR 20 DAYS AT A TIME. WHEN FOUND IN DECEMBER OF 2006, THE CHILDREN HAD NOT BATHED FOR WEEKS AND WERE EXTREMELY MALNOURISHED AND IN NEED OF HEALTH CARE. UPON ARRIVAL AT HE ORPHANAGE, THE ELDEST BOY RAN AWAY. THE CHILDREN TOOK WEEKS BEFORE THEY WERE COMFORTABLE AT THE ORPHANAGE, KAI DUM ONLY BEGAN MAKING ANY ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE A FULL THREE WEEKS LATER. ALMOST A YEAR LATER, BOTH CHILDREN ARE DOING BETTER ALTHOUGH KAI DUM IS STILL YEARS BEHIND IN HIS DEVELOPMENT. JING JANG AND KAI DUM ARE SPECIAL CHILDREN WITH THE INNOCENCE AND QUIET STRENGTH OF SURVIVORS.
*UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2007. THE CHILDREN’S MOTHER HAS BEEN LOCATED IN PHUKET PROVINCE. SHE IS WORKING IN PROSTITUTION AND HAS NO INTENTION OF RETURNING TO HER CHILDREN
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THIS GIRL AND HER BROTHER CAME TO THE ORPHANAGE FROM PETCHABURI SHORTLY AFTER THE FACILITIES OPENED IN AUGUST 2006. THEIR AUNT IS THE DIRECTOR, HOWEVER THEIR MOTHER DIED WHEN THIS CHILD WAS VERY YOUNG OF ILLNESS. THEIR FATHER WORKS AS A DRIVER FOR THE ORPHANAGE AND IS THUS ABLE TO SEE THEM REGULARLY. HER BROTHER RETURNED TO PETCHABURI IN MARCH OF 2007 WHEN HE LOCATED A JOB WORKING IN A SHOP.
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THESE 13 AND SEVEN YEAR OLD SISTERS LOST THEIR MOTHER IN THE TSUNAMI AND BOTH SUFFERED VARIOUS PHYSICAL INJURIES IN THE WAVE. THEIR FATHER SURVIVED AND REMARRIED. BECAUSE THEIR STEPMOTHER HAD CHILDREN ALREADY, THEIR FATHER ABANDONED THEM TO THE ORPHANAGE TO RAISE HIS NEW FAMILY.
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THIS 10-YEAR OLD GIRL LOST HER MOTHER TO THE TSUNAMI. HER FATHER DID NOT WANT HER AND ABANDONED HER WITHIN WEEKS OF THE TSUNAMI DISASTER. A STRANGER BROGHT HER TO THE DUANG PRATEEP TENT IN THE EARLY WEEKS. SHE IS AN ACTIVE AND DRAMATIC LITTLE GIRL WITH A BEAUTIFUL SMILE AND IS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES. SHE IS ESPECIALLY TALENTED AT BATIK MAKING.
THIS FIVE-YEAR OLD GIRL’S PARENTS SEPERATED AFTER HER BIRTH AND HER MOTHER ABANDONED HER ALONE AT HOME. ONCE FOUND SHE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE ORPHANAGE AS A RESIDENT. NO ONE HAS YET COME TO CLAIM HER. SHE IS SWEET AND CHARMING AND IS VERY LOVABLE.
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PON (12 YEARS OLD) IS ONE OF FOUR CHILDREN. THEY LOST THEIR FATHER IN THE TSUNAMI AND THEIR MOTHER WORKS ON FARMS IN DIFFERENT VILLAGES. SHE IS UNABLE TO CARE FOR ALL HER CHILDREN, SO PON NOW LIVES AT THE ORPHANAGE. SHE IS THE OLDEST IN HER FAMILY.
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LITTLE TWO YEAR OLD SA CAME TO THE ORPHANAGE IN MARCH OF 2007. HER MOTHER IS IN JAIL IN BANGKOK FOR THEFT. SHE HAS ONE SISTER IN BANGKOK WHO HAS A DIFFERENT FATHER. SA DOES NOT HAVE A FATHER TO SPEAK OF ALTHOUGH HER UNCLE ON HER MOTHER’S SIDE VISITS HER OCCASSIONALLY AT THE ORPHANAGE. SA IS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL WHO IS VERY BRIGHT AND CAN CHARM THE PANTS OF ANYONE WITH HER SMILE. DUE TO HER FIRST YEARS WITH NO PARENTAL GUIDANCE SHE IS SOMEWHAT DELAYED IN HER MILESTONES. HER SPEECH AND GROSS MOTOR SKILLS ARE, HOWEVER, VERY WELL DEFINED. SHE IS A STUBBORN GIRL WHO HATES TAKING BATHS UNLESS ALLOWED TO DO IT HERSELF.
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WHEN THIS 10 YEAR OLD GIRL WAS BORN SHE WAS LEFT IN THE JUNGLE BY HER BIRTH MOTHER. AN ELDERLY COUPLE TOOK HER IN AND RAISED HER AS THEIR OWN GRANDCHILD. THE TSUNAMI LEFT THEM IN DIRE POVERTY AND WITHOUT A HOME. THE GRANDMOTHER SUFFERED TERRIBLE PHYSICAL INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE WAVE AND HAS NEVER FULLY RECOVERED.
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THIS SIBLING GROUP OF TWO SISTERS, FOUR AND EIGHT, AND A SIX YEAR OLD BROTHER HAVE DIFFERENT FATHERS. BEFORE THE TSUNAMI, THE BOY WAS LIVING WITH HIS FATHER’S FAMILY. THE GIRLS LIVED WITH THEIR MOTHER. THE FAMILIES LOST THEIR HOMES IN THE TSUNAMI AND THE BOY CAME BACK TO STAY WITH HIS MOTHER. THEIR MOTHER WAS UNABLE TO COPE AND DEVELOPED MENTAL PROBLEMS. SHE LEFT THE CHILDREN WITH THEIR UNCLE. SOON AFTER THE UNCLE BEGAN TO SEXUALLY ABUSE THE OLDER CHILDREN AND THE ORPHANAGE STAFF INTERVENED AND BROUGHT THE CHILDREN TO LIVE HERE. AS A RESULT OF EARLY INFECTION, THE YOUNGEST CHILD SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS AND SKIN DISEASE. SHE BADLY NEEDS REGULAR MEDICAL CARE AND CURRENTLY HAS NO MEDICAL INSURANCE TO COVER THE EXPENSE. THE OLDER TWO ARE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN AND HALF BURMESE WHICH CONSIDERABLY LOWERS THEIR STATUS FURTHER IN THAI SOCIETY.
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10 YEAR OLD TUBTAB’S FATHER DIED IN THE TSUNAMI BUT HER MOTHER AND BROTHER SURVIVED. HER MOTHER WORKS DAYS AND NIGHTS IN ORDER TO SEND HER OLDER BROTHER TO SCHOOL AND THERE IS NO MONEY LEFT OVER TO RAISE TUBTAB. SHE IS IN THE CARE OF THE BTN ORPHANAGE IN ORDER FOR HER TO ATTEND SCHOOL AND MEET THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE. TUBTAB RECENTLY MET HER SPONSOR. HE AND HIS WIFE TRAVELLED FROM BRITAIN TO VISIT WITH HER DURING HTIER HOLIDAY. SHE IS A VERY LUCKY GIRL.

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