Le Refuge really is a refuge

A refuge for abused young girls

Nopniwat Krailerg

Many social problems in Thai society have not been adequately addressed. One of these consequences involves several girls living here and there in little corners of society who have suffered sexual or physical abuse while others have just been abandoned.

Le Refuge is run by Stephane Tong, a former French-Cambodian architect.

Several girls escape from bad home environments and became homeless beggars. They had to live in the street but do not have a chance to go to school like other children. And as the victims in society, and of the society, some of them become involved in prostitution while others become drug addicts.

Government agencies try to solve these problems, but through inadequate government funding and insufficient personnel, they are unable to provide comprehensive assistance covering all children in need. It is then that non-government organizations step in to assist these underprivileged children and to give them an opportunity to change and develop and get back on the right track.

Praying as thanks for lunch meals

Le Refuge Home for (abused) girls is a private organization that provides assistance for 25 girls with differing problems.

Le Refuge is run by Stephane Tong, 40, a former French-Cambodian architect (who lived in France since childhood), and his 38 year old wife, Phikun Tong, who is registered with the authorities as the manager the home. Phikun, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, is experienced having worked with the Siam Care organization in Bangkok before coming here.

Phikun Tong the manager of La Refuge Home.

Stephane told Chiangmai Mail of the origins of Le Refuge where he and his wife moved to live in Chiang Mai several years ago and had worked for a while helping children in San Kamphaeng district. After that, the Social Welfare Department told him that if he were interested to continue providing assistance to children, they would allow him to do so, because the government already had a very large number of children in their care.

Cleaning up

He rented a house behind Mae Rim market in 1999 and Ban Wiang Ping Orphanage gave him five children to take care of. Along with the children came funds of 2,000 Baht per month for each child.

As time went by, more children moved in and the number doubled. After three years, he met people from the Ban Nok Kamin (House of Homeless Bird) Foundation, an NGO providing care for children. He contacted them and requested assistance.

Le Refuge Home for (abused) girls is Baan Pak Ping.

The foundation found a piece of land, a little larger than one rai, and built two buildings. This land and these houses are currently used as the new ‘Le Refuge Home’ operated with support from the Ban Nok Kamin Foundation.

Time for washing

“We have moved here one year ago. We are now taking care of 25 girls and 1 boy, aged from 5 to 18. The children are living in two houses, 13 of them in each one, and are taken care of by other two caretakers apart from my wife and myself. Older children are assigned to take care of the little ones. Eighteen percent of the children came from orphanages and others were homeless, with many suffering from sexual abuse.”

The living room

All children go to school. Twenty-five of them are in grades 1-9 line up each morning and walk to Pa Tiew School located close to Le Refuge for their classes. The remaining one goes to Mae Rim Withaya School for continued education after grade 9.

Stephane continued, “It is always very difficult in the beginning when children from different environments come to live together. However, they were able to adjust over time because we were with them 24 hours. This is like a big family. Though this family may not be their real one, but at least, whenever they feel that they don’t have any, it is a substitute. It encourages them to keep on fighting for a (better) life. They are proud of having a place to live in and a family to belong to.”

Their bedrooms in their boarding ‘home’

Every child takes rostered turns with housework, washing clothes and dishes, and cleaning the house. After school, all children take a bath, have dinner and do their homework. Watching TV is allowed only for Saturdays and Sundays.

By 9 p.m., they must all go to bed. Every day, there is a discussion session about their problems and trying to find solutions.

As Stephane and his wife are Protestants, children have religious activities on Sundays. An area on ground floor of the house is prepared as the place for devotions.

Each month, Le Refuge has around 60,000 baht of expenses. It receives partial support from the government, from Ban Nok Kamin Foundation and at times from donations made by friends. There were in some months that the amount received does not cover expenses. This is when Stephane pays the remaining expenses himself.

“A” (not her real name) is a 12 year old member of Le Refuge Home who has lived there for six years. She shared her feelings that, “I feel warm while staying here. Mama and Papa (referring to Stephane and Khun Phikun) teach me well. I did not receive warmth from my birth family so I left my house and wandered around living in the street. That’s why I was sent to Ban Wiang Ping Orphanage before being transferred here. My every day duty is to take care of younger children in the house and help do some housework. In the future, I would like to be a social worker so I can help underprivileged persons like I was before and help them to have a better life,” she said.

Anyone wishing to know more can contact Le Refuge Home telephone 053 860587, (01) 8822542 or email: baan pakping@omf.net

quoted from: http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/095/features.shtml