We had a visit last week from Angela, Joop and the rest of the board of Asian Kidz Support, a Dutch charity which helps children throughout SE Asia. Angela and Joop had been to Sarnelli House before but the rest of the group were making their first trip. They had fun at all of the houses, particularly the nursery where they did a great job inn the play room, and also got to spend time with two young adults they have helped through education. The young man they helped through his university course arrived in his graduation robes for a photo and Angela might have had a tear in her eye when she saw him. He is a fine young man, and their support made a huge difference to his education. They now sponsor a young woman in grade 11 and she is another terrific individual. She was delighted to meet her Dutch sponsors, having travelled from her boarding school in Khon Kaen just to meet them, and they video recorded an interview with her. Education is so, so important to these kids and we are enormously grateful to individuals and groups who help us to help them.
For everyone else however, the highlight of the visit from Asian Kidz Support was the fun game day held last Tuesday. All of the kids assembled on the big sports field in Don Wai village and 12 teams were organised, with a child from each house on every team. The games were more fun than sporty, but that didn't stop the competitive streak emerging in every child. There were games with nails, marshmallows and footballs and races with water and sacks. It all culminated in a massive tug of war series, where the children were joined by staff and guests. Everyone got a prize but three teams received special prizes for finishing in the top three spots.
We would like to thank Angela, Joop and their team from Asian Kidz Support for their visit and their continued commitment to the children of Sarnelli House, particularly to the education program. We hope to see them all again soon!