My life with orphans

Our children range in age from as little as 10 months up to Chom who is twenty. Thirty-seven of the children reside in Ban Tha Song Yang, where they attend the local school. The school is overcrowded and under-funded, and only goes up to grade ten. To finish high school and begin college the children must move to Mae Sot where they live with Tasanee.

Tasanee tries to pass on her knowledge to the children. Tasanee has not had any formal education but she is a good mother to her children. Tasanee teaches the children to make beaded bracelets, weave Karen bags, make candle holders and picture frames; and she is creating new products for them to make all the time. Many of the materials used are gathered in the jungle by the children. She does this so the children will learn to make money for themselves. She also wishes to instill in them a good work ethic and to appreciate the hard work required to make money.

The children learn responsibility and independence from a young age. All the children in Ban Tha Song Yang are expected to do homework and chores before being able to play with their brothers and sisters. They eat, work, study, and play together and this infuses them with the sense of family that they desperately need. Only through education and integration can we expect change for them and their people.

In Tasanee’s own words, “I lost my father when I was 9 years old; you know when you have parents and you are rich and famous, you go everywhere, every one respects you and wants to be your friend, and after my father pass away every thing in my life is change, I really want to go to high school and ask for some help to go to school. They say that I am an orphan and not responsible. I can not get sponsor and can not have a chance to go to high school. I wonder why the people look down at orphan children and the poor children like this. I really do miss my father and really call father as my friends are call but no have for me. I am really sorry in my life. And every day I hear my neighbor scold her children and say that look the Karen people who is not have knowledge are stupid and have to be slave. Since that time I decided I will take cater all of the orphanage and the poor children, I will give them as high an education as I can, and not like they look them down like be before.

Tasanee knows the children well. She tries to teach the children who have lost their parents to be strong and to dream as far as they can. Tasanee tells the children they must believe in love, peace, endurance, and loving kindness. She lets them know that they can make their dreams come true, and they should be proud of themselves, and that they will be happy. She tells the children that life is very difficult and sometimes you have to fight you life is very hard. If you are not strong and determined you will lose and you will never be happy. Life is a big lesson for us, if you try your best your life will be happy, but if you give up or follow a bad example your life will be sad and wasted.

Tasanee has one little girl, she is 7 years old, named Malee. She just came to the orphanage 2 years ago. She lost her father when she was 2 years old, and her mother gets nervous, she can’t remember anything. She says that she is very lucky that she will have a new place, and have good food. One day Malee came to Tasanee and she held tasanee’s hand and she was smiling. Tasanee asked her, “What happened with you today Malee?” and Malee stodd up and said, “I don’t want to call you big mother any more” and tasanee say why I make you not happy? And she smile and say can I call you mother please; this spoken word make me tears come up, and I ask her you happy to call me mother? She says that she really happy and tasanee also say to her I will be your good mother and she come close to tasanee and give tasanee a big hug, and tasanee also give her a big hug and she was very happy).

I would say the children were orphanage because of many different reasons and to steer them away from lives controlled by anger and sadness, I rely on the children to foster a sense of love and commitment within themselves. Only through education and integration can we expect change for them and their people as a hole.

Tasanee has gone through her life with many deaths in her family: first her brother who was younger than her died of diarrhea (1967); 2 years later (1969) her father passed away; 24 years later (1993) her older brother was murdered then 10 months after that her husband was murdered too; 7 years later (2000) her youngest brother died of cancer; then 2 years later (2002) her step-father passed away too. Obviously Tasanee has met with lots of death in her family but she has never given up in her life. And she says that when she was born she came into the world with nothing and she says that when she will die she cannot bring anything. So while she is still alive she wants to live a life benefiting others and helping orphans and poor children. And she needs all her children to have a good life in the future. Because she does not have a high education so wants all of her children to have a high education. She will try the best that she can to make it so.

I want to say my sons and my daughters: I hold you in my arms and dream of all that you might be. Many of you have grown into special people with traits I’m proud to see.