Pattaya Patriots Gloria talks to Sr.Apinya Sornjan and Khun Chanida Vanijwongse (Ying) at The Fountain of Children’s Center

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, or 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.

For this month’s article I went to The Fountain of Children’s Center to find my patriots. I hadn’t heard of this drop in centre although I had heard about The Fountain of Life Women’s Center which was founded in 1988 by the Good Shepherd Sisters. It’s a place where women can attend language classes and train in hairdressing, Thai massage, sewing and handicrafts. These services are entirely free. The centre also provides counseling, health education, legal rights workshops, and human rights awareness sessions. It is a safe place for the empowerment of vulnerable women who wish to transform their lives through skill-building and restore their dignity.

The Fountain of Life Children’s Center was added in 1993. Open from 8:30 am until 3pm, Monday to Friday, it looks after around 150 children aged between 3–15 years of age. These children are considered vulnerable and come from impoverish families. If their parents are unable to bring them, there is a truck to pick up the children and drop them back. The centre provides them with a safe, nurturing space from where they participate in language lessons, basic literacy and cultural activities such as annual Songkran celebrations.

Sr.Apinya Sornjan has been at Fountain of Life for 7 years now. Although herself a Roman Catholic (having taken her vows in 2005), she tells me that the centre accepts and respects the many and varied religions of all the children. She has a gentle, kind voice and completely supports the Fountain of Life’s ethos to protect and educate vulnerable children through holistic support and compassionate care. Last year she launched an initiative to build a fully equipped playground to replace the aging sandy play area, recognizing that development‑oriented play supports both well‑being and growth,the children also help with the growing of the centre’s hydroponic plants.

What Sr.Apinya finds rewarding,as well as the formal lessons, are the life skills the centre is able to give the children. Many need to learn basic tasks such as how to wash their hands, brush teeth, put on and take off their shoes and learn manners and be respectful. Some of the children come with violent habits usually learnt from abusive adults. So the staff here need to provide therapy and offer alternatives to fighting. They teach the children to talk through their differences and arguments rather than resorting to hitting. The staff who work with Sr.Apinya need to be able to help with mental health problems as well as the academic lessons. There are 12 members of staff at Fountain of Life Children’s Center, among them are 6 teachers

One volunteer at the center is Khun Chanida Vanijwongse. (Ying). She teaches English 3 days a week to the 11 to 16 year old classes. Then for the remaining 2 days of her working week goes to the Women’s prison at Nong Pla Lai to teach English to the inmates there.

All this work is done on a voluntary basis because in her own words she feels she has a proficiency and wants to share her knowledge with others. The women she teaches have a variety of levels of expertise. Some need to start at the very beginning whereas others may just seek to improve their vocabulary or pronunciation. Many she tells me speak English with a very harsh Thai accent that they wish to change. Others have a really good grasp of the language, some even with Bachelor degrees but whose circumstances, often include drug use or physical abuse, have caused them to fall on hard times

Usually there are around 30 women in Ying’s class at the prison and she likes them to start by introducing themselves. Often they are keen to be heard, to share their stories and say what led them to become incarcerated. Working in conjunction with Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard Pattaya, Ying is able to give a certificate when her students have completed their 2 month English course with her..

They can then use this to show that they have made a real effort at wishing for rehabilitation which can then be submitted to help them with early release. Also in such an important tourist area as Pattaya learning English can really help them find employment once they leave the prison.

Both Sr.Apinya Sornjan and Khun Ying are remarkable women giving freely of their time, skills and compassion. Although we could not take photos of the children at the centre we met several who were happy, smiling and keen to try out their English with us.

The Fountain of Life Centers are non profit organizations and receive no Government funding but rely entirely on donations from benefactors. If you would like to find out more or see how you might be able to help

visit Fountain of Life Children Center Facebook page or phone 084 343 7465

Thanks to Rodney Charman for the Photos