A boat for Kuhn Armard Mhasam
 Ban
Ben is a fishermans village at the Andaman coast. The coast
hit by Tsunami in December 2004. Many people in Ban Ben lost
family members, friends, their houses, boats, their way of income.
Next to that there is a second group of Tsunami victims: those who
lost their mean of income because of the environmental and social
changes in their society because of the Tsunami.
Kuhn Armard Mhasam and his wife Phakamart Mhasam
lost their fishing boat and engine in the Tsunami. They could rent
a boat from some one else, so they were able to keep on fishing
and generate their income. However, the rent of the boat was high
and the owner of the boat forced the family to sell the fish they
catched to him (for a far lower price). This made them financially
dependent on the boat owner.
The Thai Child Development Foundation
decided to help them with a boat of their own. A two year old boat
could be purchased nearby with a good engine. Kuhn Armard Mhasam
is now an independent fisherman again, as he was before the Tsunami.
Setting up a daycare center
 The
Thai Child Development Foundation cooperate
with a number of organizations and private groups on a project in
Baan Talay Nok, a small fishing village in Ranong province.
A
report -made by the Carpe Diem group- can be read upon the work
in this village.
Baan Talay Nok 47 people in the Tsunami, of which 8 were children.
The projects upon re-establishing village life in this village
went well. Next to new houses, boats and engines and a temporary
school, two projects were started: making natural soap and a bakery.
The women of the village work in these -succesfull projects - and
by doing so they generate and additional income. They are not solemly
depending on fishing and the sea for their families.
Because the ladies of the village found a full time job (19 of
them) there was need for a daycare center.
The Thai Child Development Foundation
supported this project financially. One of the houses is used as
a daycare center now and local woman are employed for taking care
of the kids.
Voluntary work
 In
January 2005 a volunteer of the Thai Child
Development Foundation went to Takua Pa, a city in the
province of Pangna. Here was the morgue.
Many profesionals and volunteers worked hard for weeks there. Trying
to identify the bodies, register all the information on DNA, fingerprints.
The work in - what was called the temple of doom - was hard and
physically and emotionally very difficult.
Some stories are written down for you to read and for you to know
about this kind of work, but also about the goodness of people and
about the beauty that can be in a place of death. Click here for
the English
or the Dutch
version of the report on the heroes of Wat Yanyao.
Re-establishing village life
Directly after the disaster on December 26th, the emergency help
was set up by the Thai government and the local NGO's. A camp arose,
where all affected people can find shelter. The searching and cleaning
of the struck areas. The identification of the victims. It is all
very impressive and well done.
Now, one month after the Tsunami, the time has come to help the
people to rebuild their lives again. Not only family members are
lost, but also houses, schools and jobs and their social life. This
is what needs to be rebuild now.
The Thai Child Development Foundation
is joining in with other local people and groups. We are visiting
effected villages, talking to the people and the local leaders to
find out what their occupation was and how we can help them re-establish
this.
 The
aim now is not to keep buying fish for the victims, but to help
them get new boots and fishinggear. The focus is on occupation as
well as housing.
Together with some other - private - intitiative takers we started
a project in a village called Ban Talay Nork. This small fishing
village lost 47 people in the Tsunami, among them 8 children. Other
damage done: the entire school is gone, approximately 20 huts/ houses
for fishermen disappaered, approximately 47 boats (6m longtail and
12 m longtail) and 35% of the farmland is gone. Read
the report, by clicking here.
Sending goods
Shortly after the disaster guests of Runs 'N
Roses and staff and volunteers of the Thai
Child Development Foundation went to Ranong city to buy
emergency food and goods for the victims of the Tsunami wave.
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They bought:
mosquito-nets
mosquito-coils
medicine
hygienic bandage
toothpaste
soap
razors
washing powder
cotton balls
plastic for covering ground
food
and 50 dolls for the kids
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All was handed to the aid-center (local people and army) who transported
all the goods and food to Kapoe and Koa Lak, an area close to Ranong,
that was struck by the tidal waves.
Hospital and medical care for Malika's
baby
The baby girl of Malika - her name is King - was brought to the
hospital in January 2005. The girl, 5 months old, had asthma, a
lung infection and a hart problem. She was recovering from the lung
infection. After that she was going to be examined again and maybe
she could get an operation on her hart.
Malika spend 2 weeks in the hospital, watching over King. On 15
February King died of an pneumonia and a weak heart, at the age
of 5 months.
Malika went back home to her little son. The Thai
Child Development Foundation takes care - financially
- of Malika and her child.
Transport to the hospital for Kiaw's
family
Kiaw is one of the Thai Child Development
Foundation volunteers. Her grandfather was very ill and
dying. When he was transported to a hospital 75 km's away from home
the family could not afford to go with him. The Thai
Child Development Foundation supported Kiaw and her family
financially, so they could be with their grandfather all the time.
Financial aid for Ta and her baby to
come home
One of the girls of a village nearby lived with her boyfriend
and child on Koh Samui. When he left her behind with no money or
food, Ta's family contacted the Thai Child
Development Foundation. The foundation offered the money
for Ta and her baby to come home to her parents again.
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