Thailand: three days with the Mae Sot children

One of my acquaintances, years ago said: “wherever there are the poor, money also abounds.” I was young then and didn’t believe in those words:  after 26 years in Asia, I realised to my dismay, that this is true also in Mae Sot. Notwithstanding any type of sustainable development or minimum respect for man and nature, paths are paved, and projects are springing up to bring the big industries, relocating them from where they find difficulty in being productive or are kicked out because it is illicit and dangerous for people’s health. All this is because there is a “work force” at low cost, very low, if not at zero cost; and on the other hand, there are the very wealthy people, ready to exploit the situation.

The poor cross the border from Myanmar to Thailand, to escape from hunger and the discomforts of a country that is still struggling to reach social equality and protect the less fortunate classes or those of other religions. People are continuously expelled at the checkpoint and there are shooting incidents, with the children bearing the brunt of it all. There is a growing number of orphans, disabled and abandoned children, or those left alone at home while their parents are at work in the plantations.

It is really sad to see children suffering! And Mae Sot is full of them. This is why we are trying to do something for them through our project. Every time we go to that area, we find our “special spots”: the orphanages, isolated homes in the countryside, and our little school  Goccia dopo Goccia (Drop by Drop) with about 60 students: the places where you see so many of those kids with big black eyes that mark your soul indelibly.

Our project is now in its 6th year (even if we have been helping the Karen people for decades) and reaches about 250 people in three countries (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam). All are direct and concrete micro projects for families often living below the minimum subsistence threshold.

Their needs? Certainly food, clothes, but above all, love which means care, a smile, a bit of attention, in short: someone who says “how are you?” That means meeting people who know how to share the sufferings of a migrant population that is worth very little in the eyes of the rich, and is thus exploited. This is what we are trying to do: helping them, staying by their side, and giving relief, hope and warmth. Through our local contact person our aid reaches them monthly. Every three months we do the rounds of our projects, visiting them to make them feel that they have not been abandoned. They often say, “The fact that you travel so far to come and visit, gives us the strength and determination to go on living.”

Those black eyes and unsmiling faces say more than a thousand words. They remind us of the works of Chiara Lubich who inspired our project: “Bring to me all the lonely people.” And we feel that these lonely people are all “ours” because they are images of the face of Jesus who continues to cry out on the Cross asking for all the love we can give. This is the sense of our project, but even more, it is our intimate joy.

By: Luigi Butori

For those who wish to join in the project:

Banca Cantonale dei Grigioni, 7002 Coira
IBAN-Nr: CH19 0077 4010 2957 6490 0

Goccia dopo Goccia
Residenza Ragazzi 196a
CH 7742 Poschiavo,
Svizzera

e mail:
gica.ceccarelli@bluewin.ch
oppure
gocciadopogoccia.ms@gmail.com

Association recognised by the tax administration  of the Grigione district. Donations can be detracted from taxes..