Holy Cross School Visit Father Ray Foundation
The recent media reports from Bangkok of rioting protesters, shootings and footage of burning buildings may have put many travelers off visiting Thailand, but not the students of the Holy Cross Catholic Girls School in New Malden. Following the successful 2009 trip made by six students, this year saw nine young ladies pack their bags and accompanied by two teachers they arrived in the seaside resort of Pattaya to spend time working at the Father Ray Foundation.
Most mornings for the Holy Cross students were spent at the Father Ray Day Care Center, which each morning welcomes one hundred and thirty pre-school children from the poorest slums of Pattaya. These youngsters find a safe place to spend their days, nutritious meals, medical help and a kindergarden education.
The UK students also spent time with the orphaned and abandoned children who reside at the Father Ray Children’s Home, and whilst there they showed the residents that there are some in England who can play soccer by beating the Home’s team, much to the embarrassment of the local boys.
To raise funds for the trip to Thailand the nine six-formers came up with a variety of ideas including a fun filled pyjama party where grade 7 students were charged £5.00 to attend. The students also packed shopping bags at Tesco’s, baked and sold cakes, held house parties where they charged an entrance fee and Usborne Book Publishers generously donated £500 to the fund.
Before leaving Thailand the students decided to donate funds to the Father Ray Drop-In Center for Street Kids to build a much needed laundry and washing area. Children who are begging, youngsters who are prostituting themselves on the streets of Pattaya, toddlers from broken families and teenagers released from government detention centers can all find help at the Drop-In Center. The UK students spent time with the youngsters at the Center, and also took part in dance classes with the older residents.
The Holy Cross students will return home with memories that will last a lifetime, and they have shown the underprivileged children of Pattaya that there are people in the world who care for them.
