Mercy Children Special Projects
 

When children first join our family, they feel lost in a vast world. They know they cannot stay with their old family. Many of them believe they aren’t wanted. Many have been traumatized, and have lost the spark that defines them as children. They feel miles away from discovering what makes them unique, special, even extraordinary.

And each of them really is extraordinary.

Whether it’s music, dance, martial arts, or academics, our children can find the activity that moves them, receive excellent instruction, and flourish, as children. They discover what makes them unique. They discover themselves

Classical Music and Dance 
Once a week our children meet in a kind of secular mass - a meeting of classical music and dance - as a family and community. Almost every child participates. Many of the girls dance while others, and all our boys tackle melodic and percussive instruments. They all feel the spirit. Together they comprise the Mercy Classical Music Orchestra, performing before royalty and diplomats and at major events in and around Bangkok.  For more information on how ethnomusicologist Professor Mick Moloney organized the program, here is an article from the Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1855074/dance-love-sing-live

Thai Dance from Jason Yeo on Vimeo.

English House
A group of Mercy children, currently eight, live, stay, and play, and of great importance, study together, in English, in their own home beside the centre. All these children are enrolled in international schools with full scholarships. As their brothers and sisters at Mercy have accomplished in the past,  it’s our hope that these children advance in English and attend a top university in Thailand or abroad. Over twenty children have already earned college degrees in the US.

Taekwondo 
Over ten years ago, Master Don Ferguson, who operates the Asia Pacific Taekwondo Academy, offered to teach our children this martial art for free. He wasn’t sure our children would be interested, but he made this simple proposal: “Stay in our program for six months and we will furnish you with a uniform.”  Today over 50 Mercy children are currently enrolled in the Taekwondo program, and have earned various belts, from yellow up to red and black.  (One former mercy child, Sasithon Siwila, is now a teacher at the institute.) If anyone thinks that this program is for boys, over half our Taekwondo participants are female. And every one of them, both boys and girls, are gaining self confidence as they advance in the martial art.

Our children prove it, no matter what their background, no matter how much they have been traumatized, no matter if they were beaten before reaching Mercy Centre: as musicians, martial artists, or academics, they are spectacular!