Bandekdee Orphanage

Kiyora Spa @ Bandekdee Orphanage
Saturday, 28 June 2014

Bandekdee Orphanage was established in June, 2012 by Mr Manop Jaocharoen. Manop was a simple Hmong boy that lived in the mountains of Northern Thailand. He knows very well what it’s like to live under poor conditions, which is why his involvement with kick-starting an orphanage was easily driven by his passion for helping children whose early paths in life were once his.

Why Bandekdee?

Bandekdee Orphanage was chosen due to the diligence and whole-heartedness of Mr and Mrs Jaocharoen’s approach in parenting, disciplining and overall organization of over 20 children under their roof. It is truly remarkable how much individual love and attention they are able to provide each child, whose ages range from four to 14 years.

The staff members from Kiyora are a very kind-hearted bunch whom all love children. Each member has had their own trials and tribulations in their own lives and are blessed to be in a position to be able to give back to those who are less fortunate.

Big Breakfast

Before starting any activities, we dined in style with a “Big Breakfast” for all. Big enough so that we could get through the morning’s planned activities and games. Staff members prepared all dishes, carefully chosen to have that ‘special’ kind of feeling. Manop led us in prayer before partaking our delicious meals. The children ate with glee leaving no leftovers!

Let the Games Begin!

Once the dishes were cleared and washed, then the games began. We broke into four teams and the competitive spirit from all came out and made the vibe even more enjoyable. We had an MC, drumbeats and cheering from all team members, setting the tone for friendly competition.

After two or so hours of fun and games, exhaustion crept up on everyone. A combination of plenty of laughter and physical exertion took its toll. May be not so much for the children but definitely for the adults.

It was time to give the children individual gift packs, which included some notes, pens, other study guides and equipment, hygiene consumables such as toothpaste, soap and toothbrushes. Donations to the orphanage included monetary donations, used and unused clothes, sacks of rice, dozens of eggs, cooking condiments, cakes, soft drinks, juice and milk. The look on the children’s faces was priceless.

We would like to wish Mr and Mrs Jaocharoen the best for the future and commend them for the fantastic job they’ve done.

On that day, everyone was a winner.

Check out Bandekdee’s Facebook for more photos.