When we were in the random, small city of Nagarkot, Nepal, we stopped in to a restaurant for dinner. There were a few other people in there including the couple at the next table who we suddenly found ourselves chatting and sharing food with. We’ve done this quite a bit during our travels. Strike up a conversation with someone at the next table and within a few minutes you are best friends for the evening, or travel buddies for a few weeks. Then you part ways and may or may not keep in touch. However, this interaction with the couple in the random restaurant, in the small city in Nepal, would lead us to one of our most meaningful experiences of our journey.
Their names were Gio and Noot, and they run a shelter in Thailand called Take Care Kids. They rescue children from trafficking situations and abusive or neglectful homes. We kept in touch with them over the past few months, and had the opportunity to visit the shelter and hang out with the kids. And let me tell you – these kids are awesome!
Every day of our time there, we would wake up, play with the kids whose school break had already started, leave for lunch and sometimes take in a movie while they lunched and napped, then back to play with them until dinner time.
As with most kids, bubbles were a big hit!
So were building blocks. One little boy around 2 years old one day built a small, replica prayer shrine and took it behind the play place for a private little prayer session. I found him kneeling in front of it with his hands at prayer. He noticed me before I managed to take photo, but he did bring it over to me so I could join him. It was precious.
They also love Frozen (aka “Anna Elsa”) and every day ended up like this to watch some of the songs on YouTube.
And of course playing chase with Brandon was one of the best games!
We wanted to do something to help get them out of the shelter, but with their school schedules the best option that would include all of them ended up being treating them to dinner. Where did we go? It was a tough choice, but we ended up at Pizza Hut!
(They were stoked about it. The other strong contender was KFC.) I have never seen such small kids put away so much pizza!! We had 13 kids and 2 adults eating and went through 12 pizzas! And this tiny little cutie put away more than most of the bigger kids!
What was interesting to see was when they wanted another slice, they didn’t yell or reach across the table. They simply – and quietly – raised their hand. When they were given another slice, their hand went down. It is how they are taught in school and at home to ask for more food, and it works really well!
Even though these kids were sweet, silly and warm, their backstories are not so. Many were horribly abused or trafficked. Some have had to work and clean every day since they could stand. Others had dangerous home lives. We heard a few of their stories and all were heart breaking.
Though some of these kids will be at the shelter for the rest of their childhood, Take Care Kids tries to place children back with safe and responsible relatives when possible. Sometimes this is a grandparent or aunts and uncles. But sometimes it is back with the parents – or often mom – after they have helped her get a steady job off the street and a reasonable place to live. All children must be enrolled in and attend school, whether at the shelter or back with the parents. There are two kids who have gone back home with their mom that spend a few hours a day after school at the shelter until their mom gets off work. It is a great system and these kids clearly feel safe and loved.
But Take Care Kids doesn’t just help those in their own shelter. They also work to help the community they live in by collecting and handing out donations of food, clothing, toys, household goods, and formula for families with small children. We got a chance to help give out donations in a local Cambodian village. Most if not all of the people living there were trafficked in for one purpose or another.
We really loved (and were completely exhausted) by our time with these kids. I know we will keep in touch to help the shelter and these kids on their journeys.
Click here to learn more about Take Care Kids or follow them on Facebook.
DISCLAIMER
With all this in mind, I do feel the need to give a disclaimer about the city in which all these wonderful things took place. It is called Pattaya, Thailand and is one of the worst (if not the worst) city in the world for human trafficking. Walking down the main strip, day or night, there were working women, children, and even men every few steps. It was also one of the few places during my travels where I held the top of my purse while walking. I really felt my chances of getting robbed were high.
But this city also isn’t true Thailand. The beaches are okay at best, but the entire area is westernized. Our hostel was nestled between a Burger King and McDonald’s on the left, and a Starbucks and Pizza Hut on the right. You could go to The Sizzler, Benihana, KFC, or any number of other places – which makes the strip feel like it could be any major, crappy beachfront in the world. Please do not go there for “vacation.” The only reason I can see that people travel there is for the sex trafficking which makes me sick.
Brandon & Devon (BaD) Journey 