Safe House

When the Japanese embassy bought us our house in 1998, it was our intention to set it up as a refuge for abused children. Unfortunately we haven't been able to find funding to staff the house overnight. In the day time, children from slums in Phuket town are ferried to the center for a basic education and a nutritional meal. Our dream is to operate both services simultaneously. We are busy at the moment advocating for the children in the slum areas whose parents have no house or birth documents, to enter local kindergartens and schools. Despite the government policy to allow itinerant children to study, the schools are reluctant to accept them.

Uncle Pitak Home (Prison)

In 1996, the director of Phuket municipal prison asked CWP to help with the problem of prisoners who have nobody outside to look after their children. We set up a day care center in the grounds of the prison and take care of the children in the day. At night they sleep with their mothers. When the numbers decrease we take in children from nearby building sites and slums. The children often have medical conditions which need immediate care and many have the psychological scars of arrests, constant changes in environment and various traumas from the horrific experiences of their young lives. Phuket province does not have a resident child psychologist although we are constantly seeking funds to hire one.