Back in the beginning of October I was offered a chance to travel with some of my favorite women who run a charity in northeastern Thailand. In my typical fashion I never really gave the trip much thought knowing that I just really wanted to go. I just knew I wanted to go and see what Women With a Mission and their boarding and school house was all about. The night before departure Jack asked me where I was going for the weekend my answer was Mae Sot. He asks Why? Hmmm I wasn't sure how to answer.
The trip is called an Exposure trip - what does that mean? What will I see? Where are we going? What am I being exposed to?
Women With a Mission was started by three courageous, strong, vivacious, incredibly determined and a little bit crazy women, Bronwyn, Rosy and Kylie. These women are trying to make a difference in the lives of children. It started 10 years ago with the strong desire to help when the tsunami hit southern Thailand in 2004. These women were expats living in Thailand needing something to do with their time while their husbands worked. When the tsunami hit they knew what was needed. Over the course of 10 years the need has changed into now helping the refuge children living on the Thailand/Myanmar border. They support a boarding house with over 200 children, the school attached, various older children with scholarships to tech schools to learn a trade or particular skill or to continue their higher education so they have a future, and Heavenly Home which is an orphanage for smaller children/babies some as young as a day or 2 old
We left on Thursday morning. Putting my stuff into the car Walter asks how long is the trip, Bron replies 8 hours. Hmm maybe that is something I should of asked first before agreeing. Lol. The drive is beautiful. Three of us in the car. Turns out I'm the only "guest". With a car full of hygiene supplies Bron, Rosy and I set off on our journey.
Driving in the car really gives you first hand exposure on how beautiful Thailand is. The vast rice fields, the random temples and the side road markets selling their wares from the villages that are tucked inside the land.
After several hours of driving we stop for fuel, lunch and a bathroom break. Oh look some shops with one named Exports. Bron wants to go in so of course we do. Old Navy, H&M, Kohls, JCPennys, North Face just to name a few brands are all represented in this store. So strange I'm sure it's either second hand brands coming out of Cambodia or Vietnam or stolen merchandise but it looked legit. We shop and purchase. How can you pass up an Old Navy t-shirt for 150 baht ($5)?
After about 8.5 hours we arrive in Mae Sot. Mae Sot is a busy little quaint town on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, a very remote part. It is a very active town with restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops, gem shops, hardware shops and really anything you could want. Little stands line the road side with fresh fruit, vegetables, and food trucks. We find our guest house check in and drop our stuff. Bron and Rosy come to Mae Sot almost every other month. It is to late to go to the boarding house and school so we make way on foot to find food. They want to take me to a particular Burmese gift shop. We walk around and go to Borderline Cafe Shop and Gallery. Lovely place selling traditional items sewn and created by Burmese women. 80% of the proceeds goes directly to supporting the women's group. We shop and have the most delicious lime and basil drink, wish I had 2. We are fortunate that it is also a special art exhibit display from a local artist so we check that out too. A sampling of their food is presented to us and we cannot pass it up and decide to have dinner here as well. Traditional Burmese food all vegetarian. Wow!
Heading home a man and his cart catches my attention. His cart is all lit up, he is selling wine probably the yuckiest grape juice I've ever tasted but so much fun buying from him and trying it.
Getting up early for our first day visiting the boarding house and school little did I know that I was going to be exposed to love, caring, dedication, determination and a lot of hard work by 3 women who tirelessly keep fighting and raising money for some forgotten kids. With me being a special guest that night the kids are treated to a special dinner, they slaughter one of the pigs. Lucky for me my love of pork -NOT- I was not expected to eat. These kids ate with gusto not a drop was left. All the dogs, cats, and chickens waiting around trying to get just one scrap, nothing. Earlier in the day there was a discussion of ice cream I just casually asked how often the kids got it. Boy did I have a lot to learn. Ice cream was a delicacy and all I could do was picture Jack eating ice cream almost every night. Do they get it - rarely unless some generous visitor buys it which is like once a year. Guess what they got that night - Ice cream! I couldn't wait to see their faces. Probably one of the best gifts I could buy 200 kids. Their faces priceless. I have never experienced this kind of giving before and actually see the rewards.
All waiting in line so patiently for ice cream
Over the next few days I was in awe of these amazing women. I had no idea the impact they have on these kids. We were cooked for twice by two families who help run the schools. I was invited into people's homes who have absolutely nothing not even a working fridge (they used a broken one for storage) and given a traditional meal. We ate dinner while sitting on the floor of the head masters house passing around beer and eating incredible food. We drove an hour and a half away to check on one of the students who lives in a Karen Village on the border. We were invited into the headmasters home to talk about Mo Di Shi, the student, while he chewed on a beetle nut (I found this fascinating, this is very common among the people of Karen tribes, most of their teeth are red and worn down and it is known to suppress hunger which is helpful when food is scarce). We went into a Karen tribe to see where Mo Di Shi lives and teach her how to make food. She is 17, lives by herself and has not seen her parents in over 5 years. Wow! No water, no fridge, no stove, no bed, 1 chair, 1 bulb for light and no bathroom in her house. She squats in a house not owned by her and has no idea who owns it. How lucky and fortunate my kids are. The entrance into the tribe is guarded by Thai military. No one is allowed to enter unless accompanied by a villager and the village people may not leave unless they have special papers. The tribal people live there on borrowed property from Thailand. Interesting and amazing to say the least.
This is in Mo Di Shi's house after we went and bought her food, water, charcoal and just neccessary supplies and taught her how to cook soup.
The entrance into the tribal village. Very nice officers.
The boarding house at Mo Di Shi's school. Way better accommodations then at the house WWM support. This school has way more funding.
At Heavenly Home with all the little ones. They couldn't get enough of me and I the same. They climbed all over me. It was so much fun.
All of us having dinner. 4 languages were spoken that night. We all communicated but didn't all speak the same language.
Where the boarding house cooks food.
Girls boarding house and where they sleep. No beds just flat mats that are rolled up and stored on shelves.
The pig that was cooked in my honor.
As you can see this trip had quite an affect on me. I took so many pictures and only have shared a handful but there was one experience that really got me. Back in the summer when my sister Betsy visited she met Bronwyn who is one of the Women With a Mission. They chatted about what Bronwyn does and Betsy was impressed. When leaving the US Betsy gave me a check to give to Bronwyn for WWM. I matched Betsys donation and gave to Bron. Bron said that the little ones at the boarding house were getting sick and really needed to add milk to their diet so the money I gave her would go to buying them milk. The money we gave provided them with milk for the children 10 years and younger twice a week for 2 months. Not everyday - I was dumb founded. While there I was fortunate to experience a milk day. All the little kids about 100 of them sit at the tables and wait until each and everyone is served. They stand say prayer then drink, slurp, suck down their milk as fast as one can drink hot milk. (Why hot they have to boil the water before mixing in the milk powder) I have never seen kids so happy about milk. As soon as their finished they may have a second helping until all the milk is done. Chaos ensues and they scramble to get their share.
Waiting patiently to drink their milk.
Completely dumbfounded by the reaction of these kids to the milk an idea came to mind to expand on the milk need. How could I help? What kind of difference could I make?
Maggie's Milk Money was created that day. My goal is to raise enough money to supply milk twice a week for the year, basically 208 boxes of milk or roughly 90000baht ($2700). Two boxes feed 100+ children for one day. So far after only starting since October I have raised 20000baht ($609)
Maybe your someone who has everything or maybe your looking for a worthy charity without worrying about the tax exemption but if you would like to make a donation I will take anything or everything.
1 box is 428baht or $15. Christmas is around the corner, sometimes the best gifts aren't wrapped!
Interested?? send me an email meee1984@aol.com and I'll tell you how you can send me a check.
Thanks
Cheers from the other side
😘. M
