| Three Pagodas Pass, near Sangkhlaburi, is one of several trading posts on the long Thai-Burma border. About ten years ago, at one of the Buddhist monasteries near the Pass, on the Burmese side, the abbot began taking in children who had been orphaned by the civil war or abandoned by their parents. Today, the population of this orphanage has increased to three hundred. Taking care of that many children has become extremely difficult for the monastery.
Most of the support has come from a project in Sangkhlaburi, Weaving for Women, headed by Daisy Dwe, a Karen woman who has been tireless in assisting refugees and the needy for more than twenty years.
Burmese Relief Center--Japan, Burmese Relief Center--USA, and Buddhist Relief Mission have been offering some assistance to the orphanage, but now much more is needed.
Most of the children are attending a school near the monastery, but that school, not being "official," is under-funded, and the teachers are frequently absent. Some of the children are handicapped, and caring for them and offering them special training to overcome their disabilities is placing an extra burden on the monastery.
The greatest need is food. One bag of rice (1200 bah) will feed six children for one month. Therefore, for 300 children, rice alone costs:
50 x 1200 = 60,000 baht = US$1818 per month
(US$1=33 baht)
Of course, the children also need clothes and school supplies.
You can assist these children by making a donation to Buddhist Relief Mission. In this case your donation will go entirely to the orphanage.
You can also order products from Weaving for Women via their website:
Daisy will donate part of the profit from her sales to the orphanage.
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