DAY TO DAY...
Projects in Asia and fund raising in America
Stanley with some of the
kids at the FERC Give and Live Benefits Concert/Dinner at the Fondue House
in Chiangmai.
Happy kids from Children's
Garden at the New Year's Lahu celebration with nine tribes from around three
countries in San Sai, Thailand during January 2005.
THE CHILDREN’S GARDEN
In March 2003, The Children’s Garden, a project to help poor and
disadvantaged children, was begun.
Aik Lone Khammui
(nickname Stanley) is the founder of the project. Stanley was born in
Southern Thailand of a British father and Thai mother. His parents were
killed in World War 2 when he was one year old. Stanley was raised by a
French priest until the age of 7, which resulted in a devout Christian
faith. After this period, he grew up in the care of a Lahu family in Burma
and attended school in Rangoon. The Lahu are one of the many ethnic
minorities living in the area. When he was a second grade university student
the situation in that country became too dangerous. Together with his wife,
his 2 children and 70 other Lahu families, he fled the country and came to
Thailand, built up his life again and started projects helping those trapped
in poverty.
In order to support his family and to finance these projects, he tirelessly worked as a trekking guide for many years, bringing tourists into hill tribe communities. A couple of years ago Stanley recognized the problem of orphaned children and those from broken homes in the hill tribe communities of Northern Thailand. From scratch he and his family founded an orphanage on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. This orphanage still exists and is now under the supervision of a Christian organization.
Stanley
later decided to begin his own orphanage, The Children’s Garden, on a plot
of land he owns in Doi Saket, approximately 20 kms from downtown Chiang Mai.
In the running of The Children’s Garden, Stanley is assisted by his wife Bu
and their 6 daughters. Presently there are 26 children living at the
Children’s Garden. Some are from the Akha, Karen, or
Lawa minorities, but most come from the Lahu hill tribe. Some are orphans
while others are from broken families or from families that are unable to
provide support for a number of reasons.
Aim of the project
The most important
goal of the project is to provide the minimum care needed for the children:
housing, food, and schooling. Stanley has turned The Children’s Garden into
a farm that aims to be self-sufficient within a couple of years. Fruit trees
and a variety of vegetables have been planted. Through donations, Stanley
has bought chickens and pigs. There are two large ponds for breeding fish
and a new shallow one that makes harvest much easier. Frogs, snails and
mushrooms are also grown for consumption and sales.
Donations
PayPal, credit cards or checks! Click here.
Give and Live
11700 Live Oak Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55303
