Onion Fest 2008
The big fundraising event over the summer was the fourth annual music festival, a celebration of Char’s life and staged so very expertly by all her friends.
Read more about the the festival here <
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Our Work In Thailand
Three New Children
Tanapol Sittipoljareon (Mai)
Was born on the 24th December 2533 (1990), the year of the horse, and he
is now sixteen.
He writes, ‘I like playing football and table tennis and my favourite
food is fried rice with eggs and krapraw (herbs)
I would like to be a doctor when I qualify in order to help human beings
who are sick or injured.
At present I am living with a friend at 70/9, Muang Phuket Lane and am in
secondary year 4 at Muang Phuket School..
My father is Mr Somboon Sittijareon, a builder and my mother is Mrs Juraiporn
Panurai. She works for the Electricity Board.
I don’t have my own family as my parents are divorced. I live with
my friend and I don’t have much money to live on. That’s why
I applied for help from Char’s Fund. It is making me much happier
now as I am not a burden to my friend’s parents. I can now afford
to go to school and pay for books, food and transport. Thanks so much.
I love Char’s Fund.’
Narapong Nogsunteer (Boom)
He was born on 6th June 2535 (1992) at Maharat Hospital, Nakornrachasima
and is now fifteen years old. His address is 185/10 Mu 2, Wiset Road, Thumbol
Rawai, Aumpur Muang, Phuket.
He writes, ’I am the second child of two and my brother is at college
in Sagaw Province. My favourite subfects are English, Maths and Science
and I would like to be a psychologist one day. My father, Som Nogsunteer,
is a soldier and my mother, Mrs Oranooj, is a labourer. Since their divorce
I live with my mother and she only earns 4,500 Baht per month, which is
not enough to pay the rent and my school fees.
Char’s Fund will be a great help to my mother and she will be able
to afford my bus fare to school, the cost of school activities, books etc.
Char’s Fund has been a great encouragement to me and I now look forward
to being educated and facing the future. I really appreciated it.
My favourite saying is, ‘Stop the past; start the future.’’
Tonnagrit Siripangawong (Boy)
Was born on 20th January 2535 (1992) and is now fifteen.
He writes, ‘I live at 70/9 Mu 5, Muang Phuket Lane, Wiset Road, Thumbol
Rawai, Aumpur Muang, Phuket Province 83130.
Father, Mr Teerasit Siripanyawong, is an air conditioning mechanic, earning
only 6,000 – 8,000 Baht a month and mother, Mrs Somsri, is a housewife.
He writes, ‘I am in year 4 at Muang Phuket School and I have a younger
sister, who is in year 1 at the same school. We used to receive 40 Baht
as pocket money each day but this was reduced to 30 Baht. Then we have a
friend who lives with us because his parents are separated; his mother lives
in Surathani and his father in Phuket town. So there are five of us in the
family, which is why I decided to apply for help from Char’s Fund.
Now we are much happier as we can buy school uniforms, books, pens, pencils,
rulers, etc.
The three of us have much more money and we are very, very grateful to Char’s
Fund.’
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Alan, Liz and Vicky were in Thailand over Easter 2007 and met the children for the first time. They say it was a most uplifting experience. And the teachers they also met said that probably folk had no real idea on what a huge difference the scholarships were making to the children's lives.
Monies raised for the Fund have now reached £58,865 of which some £5845 has already gone directly to Muang Phuket School in Thailand to support 13 children there aged between 12 and 17 (mostly girls) on long term educational bursaries. We have received individual letters from each of the children (in Thai) and this is what 16 year-old Kachornsri Tannucroh had to say: "I deeply appreciate the scholarship you have given me and I will use it to my utmost to improve my education". Kachornsri comes from a broken family and lives with her sister in rented accommodation. She has now moved on from the School and has to support herself at Phuket College where she is on a Business Studies course.
We have replied to each child (in English!) to let them to know more about Char and where she came from and what she was doing in Thailand.
