The Thai-ED Project
One of the most persistent lessons that I learnt from my family was that 'charity began at home'. Even at the age of eight I felt some misgivings about this philosophy. One day I told myself that would change. Of course for most of my life it did not. However about five or six years ago with the seeds of Shudosho slowly germinating in my brain I decided the time had come to try and set up a charity of my own. The Thai-ED project was born.
On a holiday in Thailand I discovered the deprivation faced by many children there, especially the children of bar-workers in Bangkok. These children are left in the care of often very old and enfeebled grandparents who are financially dependent on their working children. The low pay in the bars means bar-workers see their children once a year or less. Most of these children do not have much of a future and neither unfortunately do their parents.
The north-east area of Thailand is colloquially referred to as Isaan. It is one of the poorest areas in Thailand with about ten million people living in abject poverty. I travelled up to Isaan and began a dialogue with the education department and the schools as to how I might help. One of the big problems was that children dropped out of school early, meaning they left without prospects. I discovered that families were reluctant to pay the additional costs of keeping children in school when they could produce an income by working on the farms. I decided therefore to support a scholarship scheme attempting to keep children in school longer.
Over the period the project has helped to support more than 700 children and their families. Thai-Ed has also funded the building of a school canteen for one school and a school playground for another. On our most recent trip to Thailand this year, an additional 85 children have been awarded scholarships.
So what has any of this got to do with Shudosho? I believe quite a lot. Compassion has, at its heart, shared humanity. Giving to others allows you to act in a way that acknowledges in a direct way that shared consciousness that allows humanity to be human. Acting outside yourself allows you to penetrate your real internalised self. The two then meet in a confluence that is Shudosho. It is a way to set yourself free.
One of the most persistent lessons that I learnt from my family was that 'charity began at home'. Even at the age of eight I felt some misgivings about this philosophy. One day I told myself that would change. Of course for most of my life it did not. However about five or six years ago with the seeds of Shudosho slowly germinating in my brain I decided the time had come to try and set up a charity of my own. The Thai-ED project was born.
On a holiday in Thailand I discovered the deprivation faced by many children there, especially the children of bar-workers in Bangkok. These children are left in the care of often very old and enfeebled grandparents who are financially dependent on their working children. The low pay in the bars means bar-workers see their children once a year or less. Most of these children do not have much of a future and neither unfortunately do their parents.
The north-east area of Thailand is colloquially referred to as Isaan. It is one of the poorest areas in Thailand with about ten million people living in abject poverty. I travelled up to Isaan and began a dialogue with the education department and the schools as to how I might help. One of the big problems was that children dropped out of school early, meaning they left without prospects. I discovered that families were reluctant to pay the additional costs of keeping children in school when they could produce an income by working on the farms. I decided therefore to support a scholarship scheme attempting to keep children in school longer.
Over the period the project has helped to support more than 700 children and their families. Thai-Ed has also funded the building of a school canteen for one school and a school playground for another. On our most recent trip to Thailand this year, an additional 85 children have been awarded scholarships.
So what has any of this got to do with Shudosho? I believe quite a lot. Compassion has, at its heart, shared humanity. Giving to others allows you to act in a way that acknowledges in a direct way that shared consciousness that allows humanity to be human. Acting outside yourself allows you to penetrate your real internalised self. The two then meet in a confluence that is Shudosho. It is a way to set yourself free.