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11th January 2005
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We have visited again the "vally of tears". First stop at the school of Ban
Bang Muang. The orphans there are well looked after and appear to be a bit more
stable then at the previous visit. The poor kids have been happy to see us back.
At least this ones that are old enough to understand their situation. Guess that
they might have thought at the first visit that we have been the sort of "Horror
Tourists" that unfortunatly now show up at places of disaster.
There
came glare to the eyes of the orphans when we unpacked a big bag of toys that
Karin and Günther Strothmann, sponsors from Germany, had brought. While Simone
entertained the kids Prob and myself could clear things with the headmaster and
Detlev and Tsunami Diver Dao collected missing data and fotos. We agreed with
teachers and headmaster formalities for sponsorships. The direction of the
school was very cooperativ and sparing concerning sponsors money.
The school
is very dated and siple and had to adopt after Tsunami many orphans and other
pupils. They need urgently a new toilet building (its true - we know from own
experience!), a new waterpurifier (its cheper then buying drinkíng water), a
library and if possible a computerized self learning centre.
After the school we visited Baan Nam Kem to see "our" twenty fischermen families.
We offered them either to buy a larbe trawler that they would have to share in
form of a cooperative. Or to buy as many as possible small boats for them. They
coosed the small, individual baots as they have been more used to them and as
they could use them at bad weather to fish in the river.
After that meeting
we wanted to hand them over the rest of the last time promised money for the
first difficult time. At this moment trouble started - the rats crawled out of
their holes! Suddenly an obviosly wealthy man was present and wanted to
partizipate at the "blessing". After quering he hat to convince that he had two
large trawlers. A bit damaged, but not destroyed. And the governement had
promised to help with the repair. For our opinion a man that owns two large
trawlers and whos house is not destroyed foes not need our support. We
understand more that we should help the ones that have lost home and boat and
have nothing left than the life. Shortly after Prob whatched that a new
aproaching lady just before joining the group took neckless and rings off from
her body to hide them in her bag. After she showed us papers that proofed that
she was born in the village and wanted money. Asking one of our local sources we
learned that this lady came from the villag, but lived in an other province.
There she had work and home and nothing was lost!
An other wealthy lady
apeared with an "orphan" and wanted sponsorship for the boy. She was the aunty
of the boy. After quering she hat to commit that the boys father was alive, had
a job and wanted to have the boy with him! We got so fed up that we stuffed the
money back into our bag, asked that everybody who wanted help got the necessary
documents to proof where he had lived, what he had lost and that we would
carefully check if this person was really without any possibility to look after
himself. We felt sorry for the twenty families. But we feel responsible for the
money that good willed people from Europe and America send and dont want to wste
it for parasites.
At the temple area where the homeless live in tents ap. 200 soldiers work like
slaves to build as quick as possible temporary shelters for the victims. At our
visit we realized that the soldiers had run out of drinking water since half a
day. Very hard at this climat and this job. As there was no help in sight we
bought a pickup full of drinking water. The commander in charge was a bit amazed
of this spontaneous foreign aid.
Apart of the victims relief we still search for missing people. Meanwhile exist
a lot of web sites and data bases which list unidentified survivers and death.
Unfortunatly most of this surces are not up to date and contain errors. The Thai
Authorities help as much as they can. But the workload is astronomical.
Untill
now we have only found four alive and three dead ones. Not an amazing result,
but the search is really more than difficult. |