BanTharn Namchai

When you enter a happy home, you know it straight away, and so it has always been when we visit this family in Khao Lak. It is a family whose members have all suffered dreadfully in recent years. These beachfront villages bore the brunt of the Tsunami, which swept across them and travelled far inland.

Some of the children in Ban Tharn Namchai lost family in the Tsunami, others are there because their parents have died, or are in hospital or even in prison. The tales of the individuals are full of heartbreak. But together they are strong, cheerful, happy, a normal family with their wonderful Mum Khun Rotjana at their head.

Our welcome was typically warm, typically Thai. The girls gave us three dances - dances which must have taken hours of patient work to perfect. They smiled throughout, giving generously of their free time.

They don't have too much free time because, as the timetable shows, their weekday starts at 05:30. They are up early to start school at 07:15! They are, we told them, a credit to their Mum, who looked on with pride very well justified.

This family is, admittedly, a little larger than most. The kids bring their friends around, and just like the Irish there is always room for one more... So 56 children sat down for lunch today.

But Khun Rotjana has a problem. People were very generous after the Tsunami, but interest has waned. She needs regular funds to pay for food, clothes, medicine. Since t is is exactly what Pattaya Orphanage Trust is good at, I hope we can help by adding Ban Tharn Namchai to the sponsorship programme. Sponsoring one of these lovely children will bring some kind people a lot of pleasure and the satisfaction of being surrogate members of this very special family which is Ban Tharn Namchai.