What’s Been Happening
Thank you for your ongoing support as we re-establish the work of RM4C Inc. This is the 9th monthly newsletter for this year I am sending to keep you informed of what’s happening at the Centre.
Each newsletter I will share a little of the journey one child has had before they joined us.
Mother’s day ceremoy
It was such a special moment for the children on this year’s Mother’s day. The school had their annual official ceremony to honour mothers and the student’s families took part in the celebration. The atmosphere of the event was filled with love, gratitude and honour for mothers. It was also a day of rewarding the students with Academic achievement awards. The eyes of the majority of people at the event were fixed upon my beautiful stateless Akha children, who received most of the awards. I am the proudest mum in the whole universe! These children are just as capable of achieving academic performance as high as any other children in this world.
The only thing these stateless children need is the opportunity to prove their ability and accomplish tasks, the same as us.
Booba Woimae
Booba Woimae, is a 9 year old Akha girl who comes from Myanmar and she has been with us for this year. Booba’s family is so poor, that mum and dad were unable to support her. Booba has 4 more siblings that are living in the most poverty stricken situation. Booba’s family has been moving around to different locations for survival. Booba is very friendly with a kind heart. She is a bright, very outgoing and very hospitable girl. Because of Booba’s friendly nature, she quickly made many friends when she first arrived. Booba has never known the concept of what a school is, therefore she was unsure about going to school at first. Booba is now feeling the stability of being in one place, being able to go to school and she is settled and happy here at Rescue Mission for Children.
Planting Day
One Saturday was another perfect day for learning vocational skills with hands on practice of activities. We decided to plant more fruit trees, namely Guava. The quickest and most fun way of learning hands on vocational training is to get all of the children involved in learning every step of the activities. The children enjoy learning any vocational training that is hands on, so the motivation is already developed in the children which made the whole process of learning become a fun, enjoyable adventure for the children. It was a cloudy, damp and cool day which was good. The children enthusiastically participated in every task, right from digging the dirt all the way to planting the seedlings.
Thank you for your help and support for the stateless children and giving them the opportunity to have a quality life. Asa Jupoa (General Manager – Rescue Mission For Children).
Thai Times
Warm greetings from Paul and Dee in Thailand. We arrived back onsite on September 13 and began immediate preparation for the Genesis Team of 12 volunteers led by Lenore Dickson. What an amazing team they have been, completing the Homework Room Project with such excellence. The children were so excited that they commissioned it themselves the night before we finished the final touches and hand over. The Recreation Room that the 2015 Genesis Team delivered was also given an overhaul and upgraded to a much improved facility for the children. The enthusiasm to help our children didn’t stop there with James Dickson doing all manner of repairs and improvements to the buildings, machinery and sports equipment. We are so very thankful to every single volunteer and all the supporters that came over in September.
Around the Grounds
After five weeks back in Australia Paul arrived back to a lot of onsite work. Asa was short-handed for a whole month and did a great job upgrading the transport system (3 utes) while she looked after the children, with a make-shift team prior to RM4C’s new House Parents, Aga and Ader commencing work on September 12.
Asa also continued the Guava Orchard planting that Paul and the children started before he went back to Australia with Dee. This is an exciting project that aims to deliver many benefits including a vocational training project for the children to learn about sustainable fresh fruit production and agribusiness development, in the process of producing high quality fresh produce and an income.
Asa and Paul have also been busy planning projects for a 14 strong Rotaractor Team (young Rotarians) that will be coming to site, mainly from New Zealand, in November 2016. This team of energetic young people will complete Stage 2 of the Guava Orchard Project and install Thailand’s first Waterculture system, here at RM4C.
Waterculture! What’s that?
Waterculture is a fresh produce growing system that has been developed by two Australian horticulturists, David Hallmark and Paul Evans, to produce high quality, naturally grown fruit and vegetables.
The system is inexpensive and maximises the usage of natural and local resources, as well as renewable energy (Solar). Therefore, it is well suited to application in developing countries and remote villages.
The quality of the fresh produce is outstanding. Waterculture delivers fresh produce with a long shelf life, i.e., minimising shrinkage. The nutritional value of the produce is extremely high and improves the health of its consumers, especially growing children. Waterculture systems are scalable and easily developed, delivering high yielding crops with lower risks of infestation from soil-born pests and diseases. Another unique feature is that production system becomes an action learning process and harvesting is made easy for people of all ages. The old, the young, the handicapped, anyone can join in and help selectively harvest produce over the whole life of the plant. The ultimate enjoyment of Waterculture production comes when families can sit down and enjoy a continuous supply of aromatic fruit and vegetables that are full of flavour and goodness.
Please contact Paul Evans by email rm4cmt@gmail.com if you want to be a Project Sponsor and help us continue with our sustainable development program that includes:
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Education
• Child care
• Health and Hygiene
• Vocational Training
All donations are Tax Deductible with RM4C’s Donor Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
As always with warmest regards and gratitude to our generous supporters…Paul and Dee Evans (Site Managers – Rescue Mission For Children).