Education & Health for 2,500 in Bangkok Slum

Concordia Daycare and Community Center

CWEFT was founded to help the marginalized of society, especially orphans, those living in poverty, and women with no one to turn to.

Concordia Daycare Center : We primarily look after small children before they go to school, between 2-5 years old. These children are at risk, and live in a crowded slum area, often with both parents leaving for work during the day, making just enough to get by. The community is plagued with many problems, including drugs and child abuse, but children are often unable to join their parents at work and are left to fend for themselves (or in the care of elderly relatives) during the day. Therefore, Concordia Daycare is open to these children Monday through Friday from 7 am until 6 pm.

In the past 3 months, we’ve seen an influx of new children, with a total now of 34, including Thai children and children of migrants from other Asian countries. Some children do not speak Thai, and for the most part they run around near roads without anyone to look after them while their parents are not home. Other children are past the age of needing to be in school (6-7 years) but have never been registered to attend. We help to prepare every child to go to school, learn important communication and emotional regulation skills, play together and work as a team, have fun with music and games, and learn to take care of themselves in life skills such as dressing, toilet training, and feeding themselves. We provide proper nutrition to supplement common malnutrition issues in the community, and help them reach appropriate growth for their age.

At the beginning of March, our staff also prepared documents to enroll children in school at the beginning of the new school year on May 1st, for a total of 15 children who have reached the appropriate age of 5 years old.

Fire Safety Training : On the 16th of February, the Concordia Center had the opportunity to receive volunteers and officers from the emergency response and fire safety district of Bang Na. They conducted a training for us on safe usage of electricity, cooking gas, and how to use fire safety equipment, as well as escaping an emergency fire situation. This knowledge is so important for us and the children, as the crowded Bang Na community is a high-risk area for fires.

 
Saturday Program : The purpose of this program is to help those children between 6-17 years old affected by poverty and struggling in school. We provide tutoring help in the subjects of math, English and computers every Saturday from 8:30 am until 12 pm, and then once a month we do an extra activity such as sports, art, cooking, self-defense, discipline, etc. The program enables children to see the value in education and become braver to speak up for themselves. It is also an opportunity for us to build relationships and help families with the problems they are facing. Over time, we see many academic improvements in the children!
 
Special Activity: Art Therapy : Concordia Daycare organizes special activities on Saturday afternoons for children grades 5-9, once a month, starting in the month of February of this year. Included are art classes taught by an art therapist for the purpose of sharing knowledge, and assessing the emotional well-being of the children in their transitioning teen years. They face many challenges, such as physical changes in their bodies, emotional and hormonal changes, becoming attracted to those of the opposite sex, and craving independence. This is often a time of struggling in relationships with family members, which can cause children to become at risk to many dangers, such as illicit drugs, internet addictions, bullying, sexual predators, and emotional problems such as depression. Therefore, art therapy at this age is important because it helps children understand their emotions and builds confidence and trust.

After establishing this program, we have found that the children enjoy the activities, work well with others, and are successfully learning something new. It is exciting for them and makes them very happy. Our team is intentional in relationship with them, and if they have any emotional needs, we are there to help them work through their problems and experience hope.

Easter Activities : Because Easter is an important holiday, Concordia Center held Easter themed activities on March 25 to share the message of Easter with the children. They made special greeting cards to sponsors and supporters, learned the story from the Bible, played games, shared a meal together, and even decorated eggs and participated in an egg hunt!

Project for Helping Victims of Fire Emergency: On the 18th of December, 2022, a fire broke out in the Bang Na community that the Concordia Daycare Center serves. In total, 3 houses burned down, including the home of two of the daycare children, Neptune and Ninja. We quickly found ways to help these families, and helped them rebuild. All three families have now been able to move back in to the community since the month of February.

We would like to especially thank World Help for helping us in this matter, and for all the believers that came together to pray for us and donate to help these families. They are starting over with your help, and the two children are now successfully attending elementary school. The families and community expressed their gratitude, and were able to see and experience the love of God. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to show the community how genuine we are in our desire to be there for them.

Collaboration with External Agencies for Community Development : Thailand’s elderly population has grown, with over 10% elderly (those 60 years and up) in 2005, up to 20% in 2021, with numbers continuing to grow. We are therefore looking for people and agencies who are interested in partnering with us to support the elderly of society, and provide for them a fulfilling and joyful life.

Magnolia Quality Development Corporation is one such partner that has worked with us since the Covid-19 crisis until today, helping the elderly in our communities who experience housing instability, illness, and poverty. Their desire is to help in both the short and long-term, with projects to help elderly make a living to provide for themselves. They also help with supplementing nutrition, and helping seniors with transportation for hospital visits. For example, they established a garden at Concordia Daycare that the children help look after, and are then able to harvest and bring back vegetables to their family to eat. Thank you so much to Magnolia Quality Development Corporation and all officers involved for their generous and thoughtful support!

Buddharaksa Foundation in partnership with The Aspen Tree work with us with the express interest of supporting elderly people in the communities who experience chronic illness, through physical restoration, activities, work opportunities, as well as helping to prepare younger generations for a rapidly aging society. Together with Buddharaksa Foundation, CWEFT is meeting with village elders to ask permission to work with and survey seniors in the community to plan for sustainable community development projects.

Dell Computers, Thailand came to the Concordia Center to hold activities on March 28, 2023, for their employees to be involved with valuable community service. They held fun recreational activities, and donated 10 tables and 50 chairs for the children, as well as provided lunch for the day.
 
Volunteers: Both our local and international volunteers are key components to growing our projects and creating new opportunities for CWEFT to help people in need, educate, and support children and families in poverty with low access to resources.

On February 1-12, 2023, faithful supporter Ms. Debby Suchyta visited us from America because she was interested in working with us to protect children from abuse and trafficking, through education efforts with children and their families in Bangkok and the Northern region of Thailand. We highlighted the importance of protecting against strangers on the internet and other internet safety measures. The children practiced identifying the behaviors that predators often use to gain trust, how to ask for help, and safe relationships.

Mrs. Sarah Legband and family from the United States came to visit our Saturday students, and held fun activities and sports with the children to build relationships with them.

Student Testimony: “Cartoon”, Grade 6 

“Since studying at Concordia Center, I have been able to take part in many activities, such as learning about Christmas, improving mathematics and English. I have received many presents from my teachers during holidays, Normally at my school there are many students in the class, and I have trouble following the teachers or asking questions, but at Concordia, the groups are small and I can ask questions whenever I need, which helps me understand. I have many new friends to play with too. I enjoy my time here, and I’m always touched by how my teachers always remember me and all the other students by name. It is like being a part of a family. Thank you Concordia Center for sharing knowledge and love, may you have good health and never change your good hearts for us.”

Ninja Testimony “The fire burned all of my toys and clothes. Thank you for building my family a new home to live in that’s all our own again.”

Caregiver for Neptune and Ninja Testimony “Thank you to Concordia Center and all supporters who helped us build a new home that had been taken by fire. If we did not have you to help us, I would not see any way out or way forward. Thank you so much for helping Neptune and Ninja and our family, so that we have a safe place to live and are not homeless.”

CWEFT would like to thank God for your generous donations and prayers that make it possible for our team to be the hands and feet of blessing, love, and good news to children and families in need!

Links:

• Concordia Day Care & Community Center - report

• Concordia_Day_Care__Community_CenterApril_2023.pdf (PDF)