Home of Praise nursery is a ministry operating under the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand Diakonia Department. It is located in the notorious Klong Toey slum, in central Bangkok. Dating back from the 1950s, Klong Toey is one of the country’s oldest and most well-known slums. Many inhabitants of Klong Toey originate from the country’s […]

Home of Praise nursery is a ministry operating under the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand Diakonia Department. It is located in the notorious Klong Toey slum, in central Bangkok. Dating back from the 1950s, Klong Toey is one of the country’s oldest and most well-known slums. Many inhabitants of Klong Toey originate from the country’s poorer northeast who have been attracted by the work opportunities of the district’s river port, Bangkok’s largest wet market, the business district, as well as the oil refineries in nearby districts. Aside from poverty, drug addiction is a very pressing problem among the slum’s youth, and basic amenities such as water and electricity are always in short supply.

In Klong Toey, an average household earns only around half of the national average. Against the backdrop of the intense and humid tropical heat of over-urbanised Bangkok, accompanied with the putrefying odor of the city’s sewage system, the residents of Klong Toey experience murders, abuse, petty and serious crimes, drug addictions, unmanaged waste, unemployment and grinding poverty on a regular basis.

Home of Praise cares for children aged six months to four years. We currently have 35 children enrolled, with an aim to have 40 by the end of the year. We base the decision of who we allow into Home of Praise on the needs of each family. Some children have a single father or single mother who alone are responsible for taking care of their children. Some families need an additional income but lack someone to take care of their children. Some are from poor families who cannot afford to send their children to a nursery.

The aim of Home of Praise is to help children from those families who are economically and educationally disadvantaged to receive good care, and through doing so, be provided a good quality of life in four areas: mental, emotional, social, and intellectual. We raise the children in our care by providing them with love, warmth, and a safe place to stay. We also offer learning activities appropriate for their age.

In addition, Home of Praise teachers need to be prepared to be involved in situations of violence that we notice are occurring in families of the children. Many parents do not understand that violence can create wounds in the hearts of their children. And they didn’t know that there are laws protecting children’s rights. For example: you as a parent cannot be violent to your child.

For these reasons, the Strong and Safe Family Project, also run under the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand Diakonia Department, has arranged seminars for Home of Praise teachers and provided training to parents, to give knowledge and understanding about child-rearing. After the training sessions we can see that family violence has decreased and the family atmosphere has become warmer. This has a positive effect on our children. It makes them happier and gives them a feeling of warmth and safety. The knowledge that the Home of Praise teachers have received from the trainings is very useful, and the teachers will use it to give advice to parents, who will then create a safe and good home situation for our children.

Currently, Home of Praise operations have improved and been developed in many aspects. For example, we have worked to ensure the place is cleaner and the food we provide is healthier. Home of Praise teachers and parents of the children we care for communicate regularly, and the teachers remind the parents of the importance of working together to solve problems to develop their children in the same direction.

Thank you for your financial and prayerful support, which enables Home of Praise to become a beacon of hope into a community where people work hard to survive. Through your generosity, Home of Praise is able to join Jesus in inviting those in our care to encounter a God of love and to play a vital role in changing the lives of Klong Toey’s most vulnerable residents.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in mission, serving in practical ways, teaching English, teaching in the seminaries and institutions of our partner churches, or in local churches, you are invited to phone LCA International Mission on (08) 8267 7317 or email lcaim@lca.org.au. For more information, go to https://www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/volunteer/

Read more stories about volunteering at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/join-gods-mission/volunteers/