The bad news is that twenty five slum houses burnt to the ground & six more mostly destroyed, but partially still standing, but really, nothing left, you can’t live in them.  Six of our kindergarten age kids who lived in two shacks with their grannies lost everything.  These are the kindergarten kids who grabbed their teddy bears, and dragged their crippled grannies to safety. Grannies ‘complaining all the way: “ now be careful, don’t fall down.”  Kids are staying happily in our school for a while. For them, it is an exciting adventure. There is  always room, & recently some good folks donated some mosquito nets plus  soft floor mats, & blankets, so we ‘are in business.’  Grannies staying  with cronies.

A proper cup of tea (or even whiskey in the ‘tay’) as you might hear mentioned in a pub in Dublin)  to thank you in the name of our bedraggled Klong Toey 4, 5 & 6 year olds, their slum kindergartens closed now for over two months.  To thank you in the name of their grannies, who are both mum & dad for so many of them, plus the lucky few with real mums & dads, but now some dads, even mums leaving  home, leaving their kids once again with their grannies, having lost their jobs; looking for work, anywhere & everywhere.  
 

Even though the dirty, ugly Covid – 19 Virus comes creeping and sneaking around our back door, like a smelly unwanted troll, our children won’t let the nasty monster in. “We wash our hands Fr. Joe.” All our mob of children and staff are safe and healthy.

Our children are home – happy/ beginning summer school vacation. Final exams finished last week – Four hundred finished kindergarten three (going into the first grade) from our 22 kindergartens where 2,000 slum children joyfully attend. Here is a letter from one of the graduates: thought you might want to share.

Greetings again for the New Year – it’s time for another fabulous story -a true story of Miss Grace. Today is her second day of school in the first grade in an international school. We’re proud of all our kids, but she’s special

This is such exciting news, I simply have to tell you today. It’s not just ordinary day of the week news, but real exciting – like Saturday & Sunday news !!! – Even, to be bold and cheeky, Almost Christmas News.