How it all began
We are often asked how this charity began and for updates on the small kid who was really the start of it all. There were no preconceived ideas to set up a project then go and look for people to help, it was by pure chance (or my own clumsiness) that I tripped over a scruffy little street kid who was sleeping on a jetty in Pattaya and it is with this boy ‘Pod’ that the story starts.
‘Pod’ is the kid who was the catalyst for this project. I tripped over ‘Pod’ on Christmas Day 1999 whilst I was visiting friends working as doctors near Pattaya. He was homeless, age 10 at the time and was sleeping on the streets of Pattaya his hands had been badly cut and had become infected, he was ill with a chest complaint and for some reason which still escapes me I decided to try to help him during my last few days in Pattaya. It was not to be as simple as I thought and it took many journeys back and forth between London and Pattaya over the next two months before someone to care for ‘Pod’ was found but this arrangement did not work out, he was badly treated and ‘Pod’ ran off back to a life on the streets.
‘Pod’ was then arrested for sleeping on the streets and put in prison for a few days before eventually ending up at the Hauy Phong Children's Home where I was reunited with him again but not before he had run off a couple of times during his first few weeks at the home. ‘Pod’ and I came to an arrangment (his!), ‘Pod’ would stay at the Home and I would visit him three times a year, luckily this arrangement worked out and ‘Pod’ settled at the home during which time we managed to find his mother and reunite them although because of her circumstances at the time she was unable to have ‘Pod’ return home to her until he was aged 15. My three visits a year to ‘Pod’ continued and ‘Pod’ progressed and enjoyed his school studies and whilst still at the Hauy Phong Home, so that he could communicate better with me he learnt to speak and write English after telling me he was giving up trying to teach me to speak Thai as my ability to learn Thai was “you very bad you no good learn much”.
It was from what I discovered during my many early
visits to see him as to just how many kids there are
just like ‘Pod’ living in poverty that this project was
born.
Although ‘Pod’ has not been supported by this
charity, but rather on a personal level, he has
received the basic state education and in April 2007
during one of my yearly visits to see ‘Pod’ we met
up again to mark the conclusion of his education.
His story is typical of many kids in Pattaya and
demonstrates how important a little support can be.
'Pod' is now living happily with his mother and sister outside of Bangkok and looking forward to a future in the military which he joined for two years in April 2009. This has been one of his ambitions and when I visited him for a few days in January 2009 he was really looking forward to starting on yet another new adventure in his already somewhat eventful life. ~ Don Ford May 2009
Update September 2009: On September 6th 'Pod' phoned us to say that he was soon to be married.
Pod' January 2009:
'Pod' Christmas Day 1999
'Pod' Hauy Phong 2003
'Pod' with his mother 2004
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