Pastor Christa Lund Herum of the Danish Church in Thailand paid a courtesy call to the Father Ray Foundation in Pattaya on 28 August 2020. The Foundation has over several decades received much support from the people of Denmark.
Pastor Christa was welcomed to Pattaya by Father Paul Sukhum Thanasingha C.Ss.R. and Derek Franklin, President and International Relations Manager at the Father Ray Foundation respectively.
Pastor Christa regularly visits Pattaya and the Scandinavian Church, but this was her first time visiting local Pattaya charities. Due to time constraints Pastor Christa first visited the Human Help Network, spending one hour there before coming over to the Father Ray Foundation. Her aim was to visit these projects and get an overview of the work they do.
The projects managed by the Father Ray Foundation have been receiving support from Denmark for many years, and many young Danes have given up their time to be volunteers at the foundation.
The Foundation manages several schools, the Pattaya School for the Blind, Father Ray School for Children with Special Needs, Father Ray Day Care Center and the Technological College for People with Disabilities, as well as the Father Ray Children’s Village, currently home to 150 children and teenagers who are orphans, neglected and abandoned, survivors of abuse and children from poor families,
The Human Help Network manages the ASEAN Education Center, providing an education for underprivileged Thais and migrant children, who would otherwise not have the chance of being educated. They also manage the Child Protection & Development Center. Located several kilometers outside of Pattaya, the Center provides a safe environment for children at risk of harm, a place where they can live in peace and be children. They also run an award winning Mobile Training Unit, offering training sessions and workshops, dealing with issues relating to child protection and the safety of children.
According to Derek Franklin, Pastor Christa’s first visit was short, but the foundation is looking forward to the next visit when she will have more time to meet the underprivileged children and students with disabilities, and see the work that both the Human Help Network and the Father Ray Foundation are doing in Pattaya.
