Family

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I joined the family meeting after dinner today…I have missed the last few as they were a continuation of dance practice and I wasn’t dancing…

Tonight, however, the Loi Krathong festival is over and we all gathered on the patio for a fairly quiet meeting.

I have really grown to love these “meeting” and to see the value they have, not only on the kids but on myself as a temporary member of their family. Some of the kids, the little ones especially sit near the front crossed legged and watching the older kids and the leaders take their turn to speak. Some of the older boys especially, like to hang back a bit on the outskirts of the group and lounge against each other in a quiet form of independence…the older girls take this time to play with each other’s hair, or fiddle with jewelry often slouching on each other as supports. I usually sit behind the group, nearer to the independent boys.

Tonight though, I was called to the front to distribute new sets of underwear and school undershirts that Malie and Buud donated their own Christmas present money towards. It came about when we were purchasing Malie’s school uniform. One of the older girls was with us and came to the market to make sure Malie ended up with the right uniform.

While there we noticed her looking at underwear and returning it to the pile as we left. I asked Pee Gop about it later and she said the girls sometimes have to spend their own pocket money (left overs from lunch money) on extra underthings. The older girls especially as they are the ones that have more reason for needing new and clean underwear.

I talked to the kids about it and we decided that an early Christmas present was a good idea. The undies get pretty ragged here fairly quickly.

So, we purchased 47 sets of either: two pairs of undies and a pair of school socks, or two undershirts and a pair of undies depending on the age and needs. Mostly the boys got socks combos (I have never seen more holey feet!) and the girls an undershirt combo.

The little kids all got two pairs of undies (we splurged on comic book character ones instead of the utilitarian brown)…they were a huge hit! Half of the kids were walking around with them over top of their shorts after the meeting just to show them off!

The meeting took a more serious turn as Pee Gop told the kids about two important events happening in the next week. The first is Rotjana’s birthday on December 1st. I was unaware of this until this evening…and realize now I will be away in Bangkok for my exam that day. It is especially important that this day be a good one for her. The chemo is hitting her pretty hard this month and she has days of severe depression. I won’t go into detail for her privacy but she is having a hard go.

The second major event is the arrival of four more children to the orphanage. This is another story of sadness where the mother cannot care for her children and has abandoned them to the whim of whoever can care for them. The government social workers apprehended the children two months ago and the mother bailed to Phuket to work in the bars there I am told. She did however make one last effort for her children. She sent Rotjana a letter pleading for her intervention.

When the children were taken, they were spread out among four different social welfare homes in four different provinces. I can’t understand this practice myself…splitting up siblings?

The mother’s letter to Rotjana pleaded for her to take the children from the homes and bring them to Ban Tharn Namchai so they could be together. Rotjana of course, said she would try. Our initial attempt to intervene brought a fairly curt letter and response from the Department of Social Welfare. They outright told us to stay out of it and for effect commented that how could we, “a poor organization with no money” possibly do a better job for these kids…

Rotjana stirred up a bit of a hornets nest in response…(I think personally she was very offended and a little pissed at these guys)…she sent the mother’s letter to the mayor of Takua Pa (also the hometown of the kids originally) and another copy to Khun Prateep (our founder and also a current elected governor in the Thai government). Today we had word that the police would be rounding up the kids from the various homes (one a four hour drive away!) and that “at the recommendation of the municipal principle (Mayor of Takua Pa) it was requested the children…” be brought here. However, Rotjana’s move has made the Thai government lose face a little ( a big no-no) as this process indicates that a poor organization is the preferred place for the children. It questions the ability of the “state” to do what they are tasked to do. Khun Prateep is dealing with that aspect from Bangkok.

So now we have….50.

The family meeting covered the basics of how to accept the new ones and where they would sleep. The littlest boy will share a bed with Kai Dum…and Ghan…and Tum. The littlest girl is only 11 months and will share Tuutnam’s nanny in the village. The older two are girls I think and will double up with two of the remaining four girls who don’t share a bed…yet.

This house built for 20 will soon house 50.

I watched the kids soak in the news tonight and realized that no one complained a bit. Not even the boys who are already three crowded to a twin bed. I don’t know what else I can do…

The sad details aside, I think the little boys (the terribly trio of Ghan, Kai Dum and Tum) will soon have a forth and I’ll need to make up t-shirts for the lot of them that read “Monster” or some such title! …I personally can’t wait to meet the new girls.

The “family” is across the way chanting their prayers as I write this and the sound is the perfect backdrop to your introduction of new ones joining the fold.

nite

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