Re: School bells are STILL ringing...
Just another small example: right behind the Emporium is a building marked only in Thai script where people of all walks of life are given free sight-saving cataract surgery -- hundreds of people per day, day in and day out. The charity has its own buses which it sends out to the provinces to collect patients and bring them into Bangkok, where it also houses and feeds them while they are recovering, and takes them home afterwards. All at no cost to the patient, and all funded 100% by private contributions -- from Thais. I visited them once, and they confirmed that they even treat stateless people (hilltribes), as well as foreigners if they happen to show up.
There are thousands of charity operations like this working selflessly and tirelessly throughout the Kingdom, which few farangs would ever hear about or know about.
Re: School bells are STILL ringing...
It does my heart good to hear of Thai people helping themselves through private donations. There is far too little charity in the world, overall. I suspect some of you have Beach Bunny on тАЬignoreтАЭ (I don't myself because he can be informative and helpful when he chooses to be) but the cataract center he mentioned sounds like a worthwhile cause and I applaud their efforts.
Here in the US there are also worthwhile and socially conscious aid organizations that arenтАЩt allied with any religion, other than the individual faiths of those who participate, and I applaud them, also тАУ but as individuals we can only do so much financially. I do what I can for a couple of them here, too, but have chosen to help a few kids via the PSKSP - and it's been the most emotionally rewarding one of all.
One more time, in case some may have missed it: the Pattaya Street Kids Support Project is NOT a church-based group and does nothing to influence the sponsored studentтАЩs own religious beliefs. I (and other members of this board who may still chime in) made the choice to support it for that very reason.
Re: School bells are STILL ringing...
I sponsored an adorable 7 yr old boy this weekend. I'm going to arrange a visit with them when I get to Thailand this October. I'll sponsor another child or two if they are everything that they appear to be.