This is a picture of the interior of the center. We have 3 floors. The ground floor is for the children. They have access to computers, to American games, and various other supplies. To the right above the computers are some of their artwork.

During the last visit by the Board Members, we gathered the children and the community for an informal get together. Gifts were exchanged as well. In this picture, Tommy Tang and Dr, Ratjatawan are siting with a few of our participants.

 

Sandy Tang distributed gifts during the holidays. You can see one of the kids politely acknowledging the gift. Despite all of the tragedy that they have experienced, we have observed that Thai children are very resiliant and remain polite despite all circumstances.

 

 

This is a group picture in front of the center. From Left to Right: Dr. Sunya Ratjatawan, David Simister and his two children, Daa Poungmanee, Rosalyn Patamakanthin, Tuk Chow and Tommy Tang.

 

We use the local areas to initiate desensitization sessions. This pic was taken at one of the area waterfalls in order to deal with anxiety issues connected with water.

 

This pic was taken next to one of the major hotels destroyed by the Tsunami. One of our participants lost her mother to the Tsunami exactly in this area. The children next to Dr. Ratjatawan have been affected by the Tsunami in one way or another.

 

This is a pic at the same beach. The children are able to approach the ocean without as much apprehension; although, we have noticed a few who still exhibit various levels of anxiety. The girl in this pic is placing flowers on a tree stump which is a reminant of the event. This pic was taken during the anniversary, and the children wanted to revisit the beach during this day.

 

Although Khao Lak has been progressing, there are various areas that are still not rebuilt. Many in the area feel that much of the land is haunted or cursed. This is understandable when you consider that hundreds of people died at this particular location.

 

Much of the economy in Khao Lak has been defined by the tourism industry. As you can see, many of the area resorts have not been reconstructed by the time of the tourist high season. Tourism is down in the area. Many of the tourists in the area during the 2005-6 high season are revisiting areas in which they lost relatives or in which they wanted to see if their favorite places still exist.

 

The anniversary ceremony in Khao Lak was centered around the patrol boat washed ashore by the Tsunami. The captain of this patrol boat survived, and he actually was given a promotion. The flowers in front of the boat were given by various visitors and survivors. Many people, both Thai and Western, were crying during the event. This pic was taken after the ceremony had ended.

 

This is one of the local beaches in Khao Lak. If you notice, the sand is not sand, but pieces of dead coral. What you are looking at is a beach in which a coral reef was pushed towards the shore. At low tide, you can walk almost half a mile out. This photo was taken on the beach. Our students are walking out into the low tide waters. You can see various forms of debris left over from the Tsunami. The locals do not gather these items because they respect the fact that they did not own these items. Sea grass, sea cucumbers, crabs populate this area. This is perhaps the most disturbing beach to walk due to the obvious damage that the Tsunami had caused here with all the Tsunami victims personal belongs mixed in with the dead coral.

 

This is one of two boats by this beach. If you notice, the boat is useless, and it has been abandoned since the Tsunami hit. The trees in the background are cut off. In the woods behind the boat, there are a number of memorial trees for the dead. If you walk on this beach, you are walking on a former graveyard of the deceased from the Tsunami.

 

Many of the locals in Khao Lak can readily live off the fruits of the land. During our trip to this beach, they began to gather seafood for a small lunch. As these two students were gathering items, they often observed reminants of the Tsunami and noted it verbally. They discussed their stories with each other.

 

The girls decided to make a soup using local vegetables from the market behind the center and our stove. They then sat down together for a meal.

 

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A Surprise Visit in February 2006

 

Recently, James Ashworth and Walee Ng visited our center. After a conversation with our Khao Lak Center director, Dr. Ratjatawan, they decided to give their entire donation package to TCF. This donation was subsequently distributed to the youngest members of our target school, Khuk Khak. This school is located in the heart of the Tsunami impact zone of Khao Lak. A large number of the students who attend this school have lost one or both parents, lost friends and relatives.

They have given the following items to us:
1. UHT Milk 72 boxes
2. UHT Milk 72 boxes
3. Cereal 72 boxes
4. Talc Powder 24 each
5. Talc Powder refreshing 24 each
6. Toothpaste 48 each
7. Toothbrushes 48 each
8. Cotton 2 packs
9. Tissue Papers 2 packs
10. Soaps 24 each
11. Cotton Buds 24 pieces

We distributed the items to the Kindergarteners of the school soon afterwards, and they were quite excited with the prospect of receiving these items. Many of the previous donations were too big for this age group, so many of them received little in terms of items like shoes. It must be noted that a Canadian Organization recently completed the construction of an outdoor sink with faucets in order to allow the children to brush their teeth and take care of their personal hygiene. The timing of this donation was uncanny. Now they have toothbrushes to use with the new washbasin.


Distribution of the items was orderly, and this is a distinct characteristic of Thai schools. If you are ever able to tour the area, the contrasts between the new construction and the old buildings is very distinct and perhaps a little troubling, especially at this school. Change is slowly happening, but the initial drive that immediately occurred after the tsunami has lessened a little bit.

These are the Kindergarteners who received the items. In the distant background is the newest building constructed by the Royal Thai Army which houses the language lab and computer labs in which TCF is offering assistance and consulting. Some of these children wear the same clothes every day, but they also wash their clothes every day too.

We distributed all of the perishable items immediately after receiving them.

Thank you, James Ashworth and Walee Ng for stopping by.

 

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2005-2006

A Year in Review

 

Overall, TCF immediately had an impact when we first opened our doors. The first year proved to be extremely productive but now without growing pains. On the postive side, we have been actively involved with the children of the Khuk Khak community. After our first year of full operations, we have established a long term relationship with Khuk Khak school. Our relationship with the school was further solidified when we provided the electrical infrastructure for the Language Lab/Computer Lab. We have also developed a relationship with various NGOs who are still committed to the community here. We have an active relationship with Duang Prateep Foundation. We have various advisory relationships with other groups such as Ecotourism Training Center among other small NGOs.

During our first year, we vacated the original location. TCF relocated its office near the Tsunami Craft Center partially due to the proximity to other NGOs, and the more stable maintenance of the building. The original building had some severe problems with electricity and with plumbing. A previous NGO called Making Waves vacated the space, and we took over their office location.

(Trivial Pursuit information) In terms of our new location, it is one of the few original buildings that survived the event. When cleaning out some of the office space, sand from the tsunami was discovered.

 

Keeping Educational Dreams Alive

Education is one of the cornerstones of TCF's long term vision. Without education, an individual limits their ability to improve their quality of life and their future employment options. One of the problems evident in our service area is the uneven levels of educational opportunity. Although it might appear to be mandatory, some schools do not always offer kindergarten instruction. It is a well known fact that the earlier introduction of such skills as reading and socialization are vastly improved by the incorporation of as much early childhood education as possible. TCF currently works directly with Wat Kommenekite School (Khuk Khak School to the locals).

In terms of programming, we have been careful in terms of the usage of funding. At a point in time, Khuk Khak was going to cancel its Kindergarten program due to lack of adequate funding. With the help of Mike Simms Family Foundation, we have managed to stabilize the program by hiring 2 Kindergarten teachers. We are currently seeking options to expand their kindergarten program due to class size problems.

With the help of Mike Simms and his family, we have managed to power a language/computer lab which was built by the Thai Army but not not supplied with the electrical infrastructure needed to power up the lab. As of 2006, the lab is fully functional and used by the educational staff of Khuk Khak School.

Partnerships, Programming and Healing

The one thing that you discover is that a team often works better at a project than just one person. This is true of such a major undertaking as the healing of people's lives after a major natural catastrophe. TCF has developed a number of partnerships with various NGOs in the Khao Lak region. Coordinating our work with Ecotourism Training Center, The Well, DTRAC and Duang Prateep Foundation has been one of the most productive developments in our brief tenure in Khao Lak. No other NGO has a resident US trained psychotherapist available. In fact, we are the only US equivalent psychological treatment group in this area.

 

Although the event occurred 2 years ago, Ban Nam Keem still shows significant damage. Several of the old resorts are still left in ruins. Tourism has not fully recovered to pre-tsunami levels, but the area itself is regaining the previous natural luster that make Khao Lak a key family oriented Thai tourism location.

 

 

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2007-08

Notes from Thailand

There are still alerts in Thailand. As you can tell, there are drills still occurring as of 2008.

These signs were posted everywhere. Here is a more closer look at it.

And there are still damaged building in the area.

Many of the construction workers will not go into some ruins due to the high body counts often associated with some locations. The Tsunami Memorial Cemetary has been decorated with sunflowers. Upkeep of the cemetary is getting better, especially after we noted the conditions to the Amphore of Takuapa.

Each of the unidentified bodies are numerically coded and ready for DNA analysis.

Our association with Yaowawit School has yielded some positive results. Brian Cochran of Princeton in Asia made a site visit on PIA's behalf. He was impressed by the student centered philosophy that governs the school, and how TCF has helped to developed intervention plans for students showing emotional difficulties.

At one point, a key staff member of Yaowawit was in a terrible accident. We had them make and write cards for her, and it was also a way to gauge the emotional temperment of the students. Dr. Ratjatawan interacted with the children and counseled them.

TCF is now actively working with the Amphore of Takuapa. We currently maintain an office at this location.

And we also maintain a satelite office in Bang Nieng's Samsung Community Center. 

We now work heavily with the local governmental entities.  

We are currently working with the Thai Government to develop drug prevention education, a mental health hotline, a program to help GLBT individuals and their families, and various economic development programs. 

With the Amphore of Takuapa, we were advising them on how to promote ecotourism in a largely untouched section of Takuapa with mangrove trees and wildlife.

 The idea was to give former fisherman an income generator. Some have a fear of going into the sea after the Tsunami.

And where else can you see snakes in the trees.

At the Samsung Community Building, with the Ministry of Social Welfare, we have begun to conduct drug education programs. The use of Ya Baa and Methamphetamines in Thailand has been of great concern to the Thai Government.

We are hoping that we can intervene at the 5th and 6th grade equivalent levels in order to curtail drug abuse.

Along with these programs, we still have time to conduct site visits to schools that we have supported, and gauge the mental health of the children.

The Beauty of Khao Lak

Although Khao Lak was heavily impacted by the Tsunami, the area still retains its beauty. Unlike the heavily urbanized areas like Patong Beach of Phuket, Khao Lak still retains a natural look that could only be described as green and lush.

Khao Lak National Park is one of several parks in the area that retain this sense of beauty.

 

The resorts are slowly opening here and there. This is a view from a dinner table on the beach in Khao Lak. Not all of the resorts are running as of this day, (January 15, 2006).

 

Things are in the process of renewal. As the people recover, the land is also recovering.

 

As of 2008, much of the beaches have recovered. The hotels are open. Occupancy rates has not reached pre-tsunami levels however.

The waterfalls are still beautiful.