Bringing Hope in Times of Despair

On Sunday, May 22nd, fire roared through the dormitory of Pitakkiat Wittaya School leaving a trail of destruction and taking the lives of 17 primary age children. 19 more were seriously injured and had to be rushed to hospitals in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Pitakkiat Wittaya School was set up by the Phanthakit Suksan Foundation to care for underprivileged children from the remote hill tribe villages who do not have access to education.

As soon as we could, a team from iCare Thailand Foundation, headed up north to bring comfort and encouragement to those that whose lives had been impacted by this tragedy. Through personal interaction with the children, games and songs we were able to bring a glimmer of hope in spite of the pain and suffering that was all around. The principle of Pitakkiat Wittaya School said, “Thank you for bringing laughter back to our school, this is the first time we’ve heard the beautiful sound of laughter since the tragedy. It helps the children to forget their pain.”

Through many timely donations, we were able to replace the dining room furniture that had been destroyed and bring new backpacks and stationary sets for all the students. In addition, we were able to visit the homes of the families who have lost children in the fire, presenting each family with a month’s worth of food supplies and encouraging them during this time of tragedy.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. Thank you once again for making it possible for us to bring some hope and encouragement to the victims of this tragedy, we couldn’t have done it without you!