The Chaiyapruk Foundation was established by Dr. Cleopandh Soorapanthu and her husband Dr. Somsak Somsugdi in 1985, after returning from 20 years of successful medical practice in Germany. They were devastated to see how extensive the problem of abandoned children had become and decided to contribute to a solution by providing a home for these children. It would have to be something special though, not just a roof over their head. It would have to be a home.

Thirty years later the Chaiyapruk Foundation consists of a three-house complex in Nakorn Nayok, with extensive farming land and plenty of space, providing a home for abandoned children.

It’s not only a place of refuge, it’s a loving environment to live, to develop and to grow ambitions in. They learn, they thrive and they experience that it’s not just about extending their lives, it’s about love and the nurture of independance in every one of them. For these children it is home.

It is not by coincidence that I chose to participate in the Chaiyapruk Foundation volunteer program. Cleopandh and Somsak are my aunt and uncle. I am very proud to have these two wonderful people in my family and am overwhelmed at the effort and selfless energy they both have put in this children’s home over the last 30 years and continue to do so on a daily basis.

This project is very close to my heart, which is one of the reasons why I’ve decided to spend winter 2018/19 here to help directly. As challenging as that may sound, it involves just as much routine work as it does extraordinary activities. For example, besides the regular daily responsibilities the weeks before Christmas included:

• cleaning the living houses, the kitchen, the bakery and the common areas
• washing down all the windows
• planting rows of new vegetables alongide students of Harrows International School Bangkok
• re-painting the church and re-coating the wooden shutters
• preparing and rehearsing the children’s Christmas performance

They however also included:

• welcoming and hosting visitors from all sorts of different organisations (from motorcycle clubs to corporations)
• sorting and coordinating the vast amounts of donations that arrive
• visiting the Chinese culture centre in Bangkok and a theatre performance
• spending time at the beach in Rayong with the kids, teaching them to swim and just generally having a good time

…and this was just the four weeks before Christmas!

Alongside the routine and the planned projects, there’s always things that surprise us and keep us on our toes. It’s great to be a part of this and I’m really looking forward to the next couple of months.

Chris / January 2019