This little boy in the front of the picture… Oh, my he is a menace!
He just came to live with his mom within the past month. He used to live with his dad who drank a lot. So far he has ruined my dress with a purple crayon, bruised my legs and chest from climbing like a monkey, and threw a rock at my face. He also enjoys sticking his fingers in your eyes, punching, kicking, and hitting anyone within reach. He does all of it with this crazy smile on his face.
The children here are so precious, but as I work more with the teenagers I have realized how important it is to have programs for youth. Most of them drop out of school at a really young age (13) so have lots of free time. When they enter the work force they want to have the newest cell phones, and fashion. This puts most of them at risk of entering the bars to make some quick cash. Center 1, the one I have had a little time in, is mostly teens that are at risk but have not actually serviced customers in the bar.
One of the main problems is that in order to put your kids in school in Bangkok you have to be an official resident, which means that you own something. You cannot simply rent somewhere and be a resident, but you must own property. Most of the girls stories are like this- they had to provide for their parents, and the rest of their family. They also wanted some extra money so they moved from their parents home in villages to Bangkok to work in bars. When they get pregnant from customers, or from boyfriends their kids cannot go to school in bangkok. The schools in the villages are not good, and there is an older parents caring for way too many children. The process happens over and over because the family unit is deteriorated. Most mothers do not really have that much concern for their children because they never see them. The thai government keeps the village laws of ownership this way to prevent overpopulation.
It’s sad, and the families here need help!
Hopefully Jess will update soon, but she is not feeling well. She thinks she has infections in both eyes(mom don’t freak out).
That’s all for now, Elaina
