Trustees Annual Report Year ending April 2022
This has been the year of love, courage and faith in the face of extreme adversity. Through it all, the work of Lert Sa Wat has continued. We began this financial year with Thailand in Covid Lockdown. Project Leader Deeo, Administrator Joop, Nursery Coordinator Nong and 9 year old Boss were in hospital after catching Covid. Nong and Boss recovered relatively quickly despite a secondary infection. After a few weeks, Joop was discharged, then readmitted with a very serious Deep Vein Thrombosis. After a total of 4 months in hospital, Joop was allowed home, on a strict diet and having to take Warfarin.
Deeo continued to be on a ventilator and critically ill. Over a dozen times, her daughters, Joop and Nong were told to prepare for the worst. Miraculously Deeo survived, again and again, and despite visitors not being allowed into hospital due to Covid restrictions, Joop and Nong were given special permission to visit and talk with her. In September, Deeo’s heart stopped for 10 minutes. She was revived by CPR, but since that time has been barely conscious. While there are glimmers of understanding, there is very little communication. In October, Deeo was allowed home, with Nong and Joop providing 24 hour care. The Lert Sa Wat Office is now the Lert Sa Wat family living quarters, the boys also doing what they can to care for ‘Grandma Deeo’.
In Thailand, education has been badly disrupted by Covid. Schools and Colleges were closed from May until October, though full school fees still had to be paid for online learning. In November, all Secondary pupils were vaccinated, and schools reopened, only to close again when there were Covid outbreaks. After one outbreak, all students in a Secondary School were forced to quarantine for 14 days in the school!
Some Primary schools reopened in November; others stayed shut. Online learning became the norm for many children, including Boss. He was fortunate in that Joop and Nong were able to help explain his tasks. It was a struggle for children whose parents who could barely read themselves.
Due to Covid, Nurseries were closed. Nong demonstrated and set academic and life skill tasks online. Families were encouraged to send back videos of their child completing the tasks. The Lert Sa Wat teachers supplemented online earning with the fortnightly delivery of work packs to the Nursery children.
Lert Sa Wat sponsored children continued to receive their sponsorship money. Joop had the difficult task of obtaining bank details so that transfers could be done online during Lockdowns. Some rural families did not have their own bank accounts, or online banking. The Thai government did give every school age child a small allowance to pay for WiFi in their home, enough for them to do their school work – but not play games. Christmas was a happy time, when many sponsored children were able to go to Lert Sa Wat for their sponsorship money and gifts kindly donated in memory of Sandy Harvey and by St Oswald’s Church.
The Lert Sa Wat family also continued to reach out to people in need in the community. On the occasions that the local Sikhiu hospital ran out of food due to high numbers of Covid patients, Joop, Nong and Tonkhao delivered supplies.
Despite all that was going on, TonKhao was able to complete a 4 month work placement as part of her degree course, which meant she was able to obtain her degree in Social Development. TonKhao follows Tee in becoming the second person from the Lert Sa Wat Home to graduate.
Schools and a smaller Lert Sa Wat Nursery plan to reopen in May 2022. The families of our sponsored children are very grateful for the support
of Lert Sa Wat through a very difficult year. Joop and Nong, always committed to the Project, have taken up the mantle of being joint leaders.
Thank you for your continuing support for Lert Sa Wat. For 22 years, children from some of the poorest families in North East Thailand have been given a chance to escape the poverty trap. Whatever the future brings, Lert Sa Wat staff are determined to do their best to continue to help local families.
The Lert Sa Wat Trustees
June 2022
R•c•iFts and paym•ntJ a¢eounts CC16• Al
T
•Jt
CIIARIIY (l55M I Ind•pgndènt •x•mln•rf8 report on th• EW>l ANO AWI WAL counts SDrlw)n A libtknpgnrt¢MI Eilinitier s R•porl ba•1• 41 riport Idr ¥e(kn t4¥¢5Kbl orih 4. Ind•F•fO•n¢ ¢Rffl* or OEtXrt•