In receiving his promotion to Second Lieutenant within the Port Authority Precinct of the Royal Thai Police, Khun Aumnaj Boonyamatee asked Fr. Joe to pin his new insignia to his police uniform. Of the many formal and informal ceremonial duties that Fr. Joe performs, he says that this one gave him great honor because Khun Aumnaj is a true slum hero: Second Lietenant Aumnaj works with our Mercy legal aid teams to protect the poorest and most vulnerable Klong Toey children.

Yesterday we celebrated the Songkran holiday – as we always do, according to Thai traditions – by giving honor to our elderly neighbors. Hundreds of Klong Toey slum grandmoms and granddads attended the ceremonies, led by the Monks from Wat Saphan, our local Temple. Fr. Joe and Sister Maria spoke to our elderly neighbors, thanking them for being the heart and soul of our beloved Klong Toey slum: “You gave birth to your children here,” Father Joe said, “and  you raised your families here.... You are what make our slum a beautiful and holy place.  We are what we are today because of you.”

We wish all our friends a very Happy Thai New Year! (Photo gallery here.)

Please give a poor Mercy child a chance for life. Friends are launching a special scholarship fund to be awarded to the poorest children with the highest academic potential. With your support, one Mercy child will be awarded a full scholarship to the Marlorough College of Malaysia. 

Important: when making a donation on-line or by bank transfer, please write "The Mercy Marlborough Scholarship" in comments or instructions.

Donations by Wire Transfer

In Thailand:

Donate online: www.mercycentre.org.

You can donate by bank transfer directly to HDF in Thailand as follows:

Our bank details:

Kasikorn Bangkok Public Company Limited

Branch: Sukhumvit 57 Branch

Account: 046-1-03665-1

Account name:  Human Development Foundation

Account Type: Current Account

Bank Address: 1147 Sukhumvit Rd., N. Klongton, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel.: (662) 391 9434

Swift Code: KASITHBK

Note: Please inform us when making a wire transfer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, address, and donation amount, and a note indicating your gift is for "The Mercy Marlborough Scholarship". This information will allows us to track your donation to HDF and acknowledge your gift with a receipt and letter of thanks.

Donations for the Human Development Foundation (HDF) in Bangkok can also be made to the Mercy Center USA in Annapolis, MD.  Mercy Center USA (previously named HDCF) has been registered as a 501c3 non-profit, tax-exempt public charity in the US since 1999.

All donations flow through entirely to the Human Development Foundation in Bangkok. The EIN (Tax ID) No. is 52-2168462.5.  A written acknowledgement will be provided and the funds are fully tax deductible under US tax law as the foundation is an approved 501c3 organization.

For inquiries, donations by bank transfer, or monthly gifts, please contact Ms. True Rowan. 

You may donate online - www.hdcf.org - or write a check to "Mercy Center USA."


Address:
Ms. True Rowan

Treasurer and Vice Chairman

Mercy Center USA
P.O. Box 1604

Annapolis, MD 21404-1604

Phone -  (443) 837-7303 Website: www.hdcf.org

For inquiries, donations by bank transfer, or monthly gifts, please contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bank Wire Info;

Bank: Bank of America

Account # 4460 2418 6991

Account Name:  Human  Development & Children  Foundation

ABA # 026009593

Routing # 052001633

Address: 2120 West St. , Annapolis, MD 21401

Note: When making a wire transfer, please contact True Rowan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, address, donation amount, and a note indicating your gift is for "The Mercy Marlborough Scholarship." This will allow us to track and acknowledge your donation with a receipt and letter of thanks.

UK Residents:

Donations to HDF may be made to Mercy Centre UK, a registered UK charity:
Website: www.mercy-centre.org.uk

Foundation Secretary - Sue McAlpine
Mercy Centre UK
25 Wolsey Rd.
London N1 4QG
website: www.mercy-centre.org.uk
Please address inquiries to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I f you are a UK Taxpayer, Mercy Centre UK can receive an additional 25p for every pound donated through the government Gift Aid program.

Checks should be made out to The Mercy Centre UK.

To send donations by bank wire:

Bank: The Co-operative Bank

Account Name: Mercy Centre UK

Account #: 653 380 63

Sort Code: 089 299

IBAN #: GB37 CPBK 0892 9965 3380 63

Bank ID Code: CPBK GB22

Note: When making a wire transfer, please contact Sue McAlpine at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, address, donation amount, and a note indicating your gift is for "The Mercy Marlborough Scholarship". This will allow us to track and acknowledge your donation with a receipt and letter of thanks.

Residents of Ireland:
Mercy Centre Bangkok
c/o/ Gerry and Violet Morrissey
103 the Rise, Mount Merrion
Co. Dublin
Tel.: 01 288 1577 
Please address inquiries to Gerry and Violet Morrissey

Dear everyone,

Today is a grand and glorious day. All our children’s dreams come true today:
Graduation day for 500 of our kindergarten children.  Graduating from kindergarten 3 into the first grade into the normal Thai Government school system. We gather all the ‘graduates’ – dress them in “Graduation Robes” and make this the most memorable day of their lives thus far!!!!  And me, I dress in my Ph D Robes - which are ‘savagely awesome’ (to quote Gung Fu Panda #2) - and formally give each child a graduation diploma – signed by me and the local Government head man. All their parents are here and proud as only Klong Toey folks can be proud!!!

In our 40 plus years, counting today and tomorrow’s ceremonies, we have hit the 50,000 mark!!!! That’s right !!! Fifty Thousand children have gone through our slum school system. That “blows me away.”  What an honor and privilege to teach slum kids, who without this early schooling would be crippled for life –crrippled  meaning. a pretty much  illiterate future and sure  poverty. We’ve changed all that/  Actually, not us, the children themselves have done it!!!

So today, before all the ceremonies begin – I wanted to share this with you all, and thank you with all my heart – my deepest gratitude for making all of this possible. You, our Mercy Family, are  simply stupendous – beyond belief in your goodness to our 50,000 children throughout over 40 years.

Please continue to help – wouldn’t it be fabulous that you help child 50,001!!!!!

Must  go … they are calling me “do my bit” - to tell the children:  GO TO SCHOOL  GO TO SCHOOL  AND THAT THEY ARE  “MERCY GRADUATES.’

Because... what happens today…. is life changing and has to last for a life time.

Prayers   Respectfully  Fr. Joe

Photos above and below from today's graduation ceremony. Photo gallery here.
 

Our children celebrated Children’s Day this Saturday in perfect fashion – playing hard, eating ice cream and cake, swimming at local pools, roughhousing (pretending to be kung fu fighters), skipping rope, jumping and diving and cart-wheeling all around, and then, as the sun went down, finding even more ways to  play  harder and have even more fun.  Please visit our gallery of Children’s Day photos here.