Pattaya Patriots Gloria Speaks to Khun Toy
I am using the term Patriot for a series of articles to feature in the magazine. Firstly because I love the alliteration, and secondly because I wanted a word to describe some very special people who live amongst us here in Pattaya. Sometimes given a military connotation, the word patriot actually describes someone who deeply loves, supports and defends their country (or, for the purposes of this article, their city). They often demonstrate loyalty through service, sacrifice, and civic engagement. True patriotism goes beyond mere pride—it involves striving to make improvements for all, for freedom, and for progress. If you missed any of the earlier Pattaya Patriots articles you can still find them online at our website pattayatrader.com.
I personally believe that Christmas isn’t Christmas in Pattaya until the children of the HHNFT (Human Help Network Foundation Thailand) sing at the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard’s annual party. Even before I met Khun Toy, I had always been impressed at how well the children sang the carols both in English and Thai. The beautiful outfits they wore and most importantly their wonderful smiles especially during “Jingle Bells”. It is for that very reason that I waited until our December issue to write about Khun Toy because I have always thought of her as being a “Mother Christmas” to the hundreds of children she has helped and is still continuing to help.
This September Khun Toy (Ratchada Chomjinda) who is the Director of HHNFT, celebrated her 70th birthday! For many of these years she has worked tirelessly for charitable foundations, 18 of them at HHNFT. Her excellent English can be attributed to the secretarial work she did after leaving school. Firstly working for the Japanese embassy and then as secretary to the Finnish ambassador in Bangkok.
When she followed this by working for UNICEF she told me that the job was mainly admin based, she never got to see the children that were helped. So when she came to Pattaya to work at the orphanage here and saw first hand the good work that was being done for disabled, blind and generally disadvantaged children, she knew she had “Come to the Right Place”.
In August of this year HHNFT Director Radchada Chomjinda was selected as a distinguished female role model and honored by The Senate Standing Committee on Social Development and Children, Youth, Women, the Elderly, the Disabled and the Underprivileged Affairs. She received the award at Thailand’s Parliament Building (The Senate Wing) in Bangkok and in her typically modest way, Khun Toy says the best thing about receiving the award was the recognition it gave to HHNFT.
Shining a light on the
multiple programs, the foundation does including:a drop‑In Center, offering food, clothing, medical care, and counseling to children in crisis. A Child Protection & Development Center (CPDC), which houses abused or trafficked children cared for by nannies, teachers, and counselors. Outreach programs on the streets and in migrant communities, supporting children at risk of exploitation, and an Education Center for those whose families lack access to formal schooling such as migrant children, many from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar who otherwise would be begging on the streets or sleeping rough on the beach
Khun Toy is keen to praise her team which includes a professional psychiatrist and associate judge, plus two who have degrees as licensed social workers. This means that each child can be properly assessed and cared for. They can also benefit from mixing with other children and learning languages,and skills to give them real tools for independence. Under Khun Toy’s guidance, HHNFT runs initiatives like the Decoupage Project: where the youth learn to make decorative handicrafts, which are then sold to raise funds and buy presents (at Christmas for example).
Also the kids love working in the organic garden which teaches self-reliance through farming. Learning to cultivate pesticide‑free vegetables using aquaponic systems, combining ecological awareness with practical life skills. The HGM Education Fund: In partnership with HHNFT also awards scholarships to underprivileged children so they can continue their studies right through into University. So the care goes on even beyond the 150 children I was privileged to see and hear sing to me at the Drop in Centre.
Help and donations are
always needed for the excellent work the HHNFT does, especially now as recently and quite unexpectedly the foundation mourned the loss of Ewald Dietrich, a key founder and supporter, which created a huge and sudden gap both emotionally and financially. Khun Toy and her team have had to step up their fundraising efforts as a result and in fact she had just returned from a trip to Germany to do just that when I went to visited her at the centre. If you would like more information go to www.hhnft.org or to find out how to help go to the Human Help Network Foundation Thailand facebook page or email [email protected]