Take Care Kids

After Un’s father died (we sponsored his funeral which lasted three days) and after another round of flu, which affected 80% of the kids in the orphanage, I decided to take a three day vacation on an island I truly love…Koh Chang….I wanted to turn off all my switches and this island (the second largest in Thailand right next to the Cambodian border) which is very peaceful, was the ideal place to do so. I left everything in the hands of our wonderful volunteers and took off. I drove 250km to the port and then took a ferry, which would lead me to paradise at a snail’s pace. Peaceful beaches and crystal waters were right in front of me....and most of all, exactly what I was looking for, some peace of mind. But I just cannot stay still....I cannot stop thinking.....I always have to be on the move.....blimey!....and during one of my trips, I stop in a shop and see a brochure hanging on a wall…I take it and start reading “Cambodian Kids School”, and my stomach starts churning….as I said before, this island is right next to the Cambodian border and many seasonal, illegal Khmer workers are “employed” in the construction sites and hotels. Of course, not being Thai they have no rights whatsoever….no medical coverage and no education for the children…..I keep reading and find out that a Thai man by the name of Uan decided to rent a small piece of land within the island and build a little school in it for the children of these “outside” workers….I turn my car around and follow the directions on the brochure to visit the school…..as soon as I leave the main road a small dirt road starts and heads for the deep forest, and I think of how the road must get during the rainy season, which will start soon....it will surely turn into a swampland...and then my mind goes to malaria, dengue fever, both very common diseases in this area.....at a certain point, a small sign, posted on a palm tree, shows me the way, and after a little while I see the school....and I hear the sound of kids’ voices.....I stop the car on the left, and many deep and dark eyes start staring at me....on the right there’s a village with metal and wood huts which are the “houses” of all their families...I get out of the car and I am immediately surrounded by “affection”…the kids’…..their ages go from 3 to 14….in the little school I find, two teachers, who also act as nannies and cooks, some tables, red plastic chairs, a steel closet for the books and pens, a hay roof and wooden poles holding it up….a little farther away, two small swings and a scorching slide with the sun reflecting off it…there’s also a tin can to play basketball….the kids ask me what my name is…they speak Khmer….some of them say a few words in Thai…..so I start playing with them….I use sign language to communicate…some of them start hanging on my legs..then they start calling my name….Khun Gio….the older ones play ball with their flip flops….the girls follow me around…the teachers have to go buy some food so they ask me if I can take care of the 50 kids while they go out for groceries and take off….without waiting for the answer…so I start doing some magic tricks….and they all flip their eyes around to try and understand where the vanishing coin has gone….lunchtime comes around, some rice with vegetables….I decide I have to meet the person who’s responsible for this project….so in the evening I meet this small 60 year old man….he has a sweet but firm voice while he tells me that this project is actually illegal according to Thai law…. “But where would these kids go? No one wants them!” says Uan....and I start thinking to myself “We are Take Care Kids, we already have a big project underway but, can we really leave these children in this situation?” and this is the question I’d like to ask all of you…please give me your answer …..I go back to Pattaya…the kids at the Orphanage are still sick and Un’s hut is falling apart…..and what about my peace of mind?....I got none….