Bahn Kamala Child Development Centre

The government of Thailand has stated that they will help with the funding of the school.

Many charities have pledged money for the rebuilding of the school. I believe they have enough at this time to completely rebuild the school. I am skeptical that if I support the school any more than we have that the government will not commit to the funding they have pledged.

After many meetings with teachers and family it has been decided that the best way to directly help the children would be to help the mothers, fathers and families supporting the children. These people need to get on with their lives and not depend on others for their living.

The basics of the operation so far have been to help get families on their feet with dignity so that they can provide for themselves and their family. The Thai people are proud people and do not want to continue with free food, Free temporary housing and hand outs from the public. They want to work hard and provide for their families as they had before the Tsunami disaster.

Fishermen need nets, line, hooks, boats and engines in order to fish and subsequently make enough selling their catch to provide for their families without support of others. Seamstresses need sewing machines in order to make the dresses that they can sell at the market. Small restaurants need cooking utensils and food products in order to open the restaurant again. People need refrigerators to keep their fish and produce fresh. These are some of the basics that are desperately needed and are not being supplied by the government.

I took a survey with the help of teachers and friends and came up with a list of the poorest and most effected families. We then asked them to fill in a form listing what would help them the most in becoming self supportive. What we came up with was a list of 160 families that were in more need than other. No matter how big a heart you have the reality is "You just can't help everybody".

I have also found a few heart breaking special cases that we need to address separately. In one case a 12 year old boy named Jay lost his mom, dad, sister and brother. He lived on his own for a few days before he was found by his Uncle and Aunt. The Uncle and Aunt have taken him in as their own two children died during the Tsunami. I asked the Uncle what we could do to help him and he just said "help me to work" and I can provide for Jay. The uncle needs a boat, engine and some nets. With your money this will be provided soon. There are too many cases like this to mention. We have spent approximately $33,000.00 USD thus far and have another $32,000 USD in the coffers.

Over the past few months we have been helping the children with a lunch program and the building of the temporary shelter.

I am doing everything in my power to make sure that your money is going directly to the children in a way that will help them the most over the long term. I am on the ground at the very basic grass roots level working with the families for the children.

24	Gas Cooker	18	Gas Stove	17	Dishes	17	Spoons
4	Noodle Pot	2	Coffee Pot	2	Coffee Glasses	2	Glasses
17	Tables	15	Chairs	17	Trays	5	Cupboards
17	Pots	7	Stone Mortar	2	Mixer machine	5	Coconut Machine
3	Fishing Nets and Supplies	10	Pan	4	Water Flasks	24	Fiber Cool Boxes
2	Enamel Ware	4	Somtom Cupboards	5	Spatulas	1	Ice Grinders
2	Fireless Cooker	1	Knife	1	Grinding Stone	16	Kilos
2	Cutting block	3	Pig Grinder	9	Cups	1	Rice Cookers
	Capital for Education	2	Intercool Drinks Deli	7	Washing Machine for Laundry	4	Iron
4	Ironing-boards	19	Side Cars	4	Sewing Machines	2	Wardrobe
2	Cotton cord	2	Pushcart	2	Building and Electric supplies	5	Welding Machine
6	Electric Saw	2	Hammers	1	Levels	2	Electric Stone Cutter
1	Powder Mixing Machine	28	Consumer Goods	28	Shelves	28	Refrigerators

25/04/05
I am so proud and pleased to announce that as of today we have collected almost 2.5 million Baht or approximately $65,000.00 USD. This is a great tribute to each of you. Due to the generous outpouring of so many, it is impossible for me to thank you individually for your contributions. Please know that in writing this letter each one of you is in my thoughts and in the thoughts of the children of the Kamala School, who will be forever grateful of your support.

I cannot close however without mentioning the following exceptional contributors:
* To all of you on the staff at Christie's restaurant, it is because of your extraordinary effort that this fundraiser was so successful. Numerous people have told me of your hard work and dedication to the event. I wish I could have been there. It would have been great to see all the familiar faces.
* To the people of Newport I would like to say thank you for your kind support. I am very proud to be a Newporter.
* To Mr. Stephens, and his family and friends for sending contributions rather than presents. Your reward will come in the form of the many happy smiles of these children.
* To my family, especially Casey, for helping to organize the event in Newport and for supporting me and giving me the opportunity to help others.
* To the students of Lyndon Institute, it is impressive that the teenagers in Vermont were so willing to help these young children in Thailand during their time of need. You guys did a hell of a job.
* To Doug Rostello, his family and the Tahoe connections, you guys are great!
* To Sharon Waterson and the St. Michael's School, again it makes me proud to see children helping children. These kids will live better lives because of you.
* To Seljm, Steve and Jessica both you and your owner and crew are fantastic people. It's good to know that there are people that not only can help but actually do help.
* To Nu and JJ, I new I could count on you. I have always had the best crews.
* To May Lou Altoff, the kids will love the dolls. I stole one for my granddaughter. Thank you.
* To Rena and Graham, from a small island comes a big heart. Thank you both for your help.
* To Sonny Behan, it was good to hear from you after all these years. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
* To the Marblehead Kelly's their extended family and friends. I know the Irish would come through. Thank you all.
* And lastly to Mr. and Mrs. Carver. You two are outstanding!

With sincere thanks and gratitude,
Captain Charles Dwyer

A letter of thanks from the Kamala Child Development Center <PDF Format>

8/2/2005 - A big thank you to all of you who participated in Kamala School Fundraiser held at Christies Restaurant in Newport Rhode Island. From all reports the evening was a huge success and will contribute greatly to achieving our goals.

To Family and Friends,

Thanks to all of you for your friendship, love, and genuine concern.
The past few weeks have been hard to digest as the enormity of the destruction, pain and loss of life are being realized. The vast number of emails and phone calls I have received from around the world have been so helpful, so uplifting, and gave me the strength and spirit to go out and try help in any way I can. I know of many people that were less fortunate than myself and would benefit from any help that we can give. I know of children that lost their parents, friends that lost their loved ones, simple local people that lost their entire livelihood. So many of you have offered their help, asked what they can do, and how they can assist. Whilst a huge effort has arrived to bring immediate rescue to the survivors in the disaster areas, a long and costly rebuilding process will also be required to bring some sense of normality to the people affected. Your genuine desire to help has urged me to create an appeal for a donation fund to help rebuild the lives of the children of Kamala .

This Kamala School Fund for the children of Kamala project will collect your donations, and such funds will be used directly by us to help rebuild a future for the local kids.

We will avoid any bureaucratic involvement and promise you that every cent will be directly spent on reconstruction of the structures that were totally demolished by the tsunami wave.

We will contribute to the rebuilding of the local school, kindergarten and playground, and start recreating a future for the local kids who represent the hope and spirit of this village.

How much we can do will depend on the amount of incoming funds, so please do not hesitate to contact your friends and ask for their help in this process, as every bit will be wisely used and not a cent will be wasted, this I pledge to you.

I have opened a separate bank account for this appeal, details are as follows:
Sorry, This is a non tax deductible Fund.

Bank of Ayudhya (Thailand)
Chaweng Beach Branch
Account Name: Mr Charles Dwyer for Kamala School Fund
Account # : 423-1-10682-2
SWIFT CODE: AYUDTHBK

Thank you all,
Charles Dwyer

As you may have heard, Kamala was the hardest hit beach and village on Phuket Island. Here you can view some pictures of the school and local village. Please be patient while the image gallery loads. http://www.eyenav.com/Downloads/KamalaTsunami Huge devastation, loss of lives, injuries and destruction are visible everywhere.

However, the resilience of the Thai people, and the human spirit of everyone is phenomenal. Removal of rubble, cleanup operations and the rebuilding of this village is the immediate focus of this community.

We have received so many encouraging responses from so many of you, and the pledges for donations are accumulating. In the name of the Children of Kamala, a huge thank you for your support, generosity, kind words and cooperation. Simply fantastic! We know now that with your help we will be able to make a real difference in the life of these Kids and bring back the smiles to their faces and lighten up their hearts.

Here is an update of our progress in helping the Children of Kamala.
We went to Kamala School, which is right at the beach. We met with the school master, and some of the teachers to assess the status of damage and the school needs.

STATUS OF DAMAGE
*	The school is 80% destroyed.
*	There are 374 children at this primary school / kindergarten aged between 3 and 12 years of age.
*	Two (2) children died during the Tsunami wave. (luckily, on Sunday 26th of December the school was closed, otherwise there would have been a huge loss of these young lives.).
*	16 teachers work at the school, 8 of which used to live on the school grounds, 1 teacher died, the teachers' living quarters are also totally gone.
*	The kindergarten building was annihilated.
*	The only building that is still standing contains 8 class rooms. It is unsafe, and in need of major repairs and reinforcement.
*	This is a government funded school, so most of the basic repair work will be financed by the government, and this may prove a slow and tedious process
*	All schools in Thailand reopened last Monday 3rd of January. Kamala school will reopen next Monday 10th of January, and classes will probably place outdoors.
SCHOOL NEEDS
A	Find urgently child psychiatrists to counsel and comfort the five young children who lost their mothers.
B	Purchase equipment for the playground :: swings / slides / climbing walls / little play cottages / sea-saw riders and more ( a list was written up by the teachers) and have such equipment installed.
C	Purchase equipment for the sports ground and a basketball court and supervise it's installation.
D	When a list is established next Monday, when the kids return for their first day back, we can purchase school uniforms / shoes / educational material.

We have our work cut out for us for this project over the coming months and looking forward to it. As mentioned previously, the amount of help that we will be able to provide depends on the amount and speed of incoming funds.