Pattaya Street Kids

School Lunch February 24th 2012

We've just come back from a school  lunch with around 20 students.  We followed the same format as before - assorted khao phad or garlic chicken and rice, with water; and an apple, a vitamin fruit treat and fruit jellies for dessert and snack.  The kids all seemed to enjoy it.   It was good to see the little girl we once bought leg braces for (which she hates wearing because in the heat they chafe her, and she has trouble walking up and down stairs- so much for our good intentions).  She is now resident in Father Ray's, but takes some of her lessons at school 7.    We also met a lovely little boy whom the teacher says desperately needs help.  He wasn't able to tell us much though, as he's very young.  Still, when we get the application at least we'll have the photo.   We were asking if they had the application for the case they mentioned to us last week, where the mother is partially paralyzed, but they have little information, the father having asked the school for help through the Director, who asked someone else to deal with it,   A Home Visit hasn't yet been done, but we did learn that before the older child (still only in Kindergarten it seems) can come to school in the morning, he has to clean mum's affected/infected area, and he does so again when he gets home.  We've asked them to treat it as urgent, so we can go round and see what needs to be done, and investigate the possibility of finding a neighbour/nurse to help out.   A 'grandma' brings him to school and gets him home again, but we don't know if that's a blood relative, or an honorary title.  We wonder if she might be able to help mum?  Dad is the sole wage earner, but what he does and how much that nets him, I've no idea at this time. Has mum been to the hospital, I wonder?   We also learned that Pipat  has been in a motocycle accident and hurt his leg, so he isn't at school at present, and we have arranged to pick up Patacharamanee  after school today, take her back and do a Home Visit - with particular emphasis on the debt they carry,     http://www.ladyboysofbangkok.co.uk/Pattaya-Street-Kids.html