On the 16th of May 2019 that the great and good of Pattaya society gathered to welcome the Minister of Transport to Pattaya. The Minister was in town to open the brand new bridge across Sukhumvit Road, the first one of its kind in the city to include an elevator for easy access for people with disabilities, those with young children and the elderly.
It is a bridge that was first promised to the students with disabilities at the Father Ray Foundation over two decades ago. They were told a bridge will be built and yet they waited and waited, and they protested here in Pattaya and at the Ministry of Transport offices in Bangkok until eventually their dream became a reality.
Once a month the students take a morning off from their study to clean the bridge. They mop the floors, polish the signs and the glass and also sweep the stairs. The exercise is not just about keeping the bridge clean, it is for safety reasons, so users can read the signs, people with disabilities and the elderly won’t fall or slip over, and any rubbish won’t cause an injury to anyone.
More information can be found at www.fr-ray.org or email info@fr-ray.org