Two people, one man and one young lady, one from Thailand and the other from Myanmar. They have never met each other, and are now unlikely to do so. They have very little in common, and yet they have both lived at and been educated by the Father Ray Foundation, and this week they both graduated.

Boong has lived at the Father Ray Children’s Home since she was eleven years of age. Her story is common with many children who arrive at the Home; from a poor family, left in the care of a relative who eventually brought her to the charity in Nongprue.

Thian came from Myanmar to study English at the Technological College for People with Disabilities. Contracting polio at an early age left him dependent on a wheelchair, but having a disability never stopped Thian thinking about his future.

Boong studied Tourism at university in Chachoengsao and is now working for a local cable TV company. Meanwhile Thian will be returning home to Myanmar and plans to work improving the lives of people with disabilities in his hometown.

Any charity can open its doors and offer a bed and a meal to someone in need. But what they really need is the opportunity to be educated so that they can improve their own lives. This is what the Father Ray Foundation does. It has schools for blind children, those with Special Needs and the Technological College.

There are currently twenty three residents from the Children’s Home and Children’s Village studying at university, while a further thirty four have received scholarships to a private fee paying school; costing the Foundation not a single baht.