BNN Post Edition 6 - Jan/Feb 08

Please find below the link for the first edition of the BNN Post this year featuring a story on our wonderful staff member Pee Pee!

http://www.childlife-maesai.org/newsletters/Edn6_JanFeb.pdf

We would love you to pass this newsletter onto any of your family or friends who would be interested in our activities. If they would like to be added to our mailing list please email mailto:childlifemaesai@gmail.com

Support Tsale in Chaing Mai!

"Tsale" will be doing a live performance at Sudsanan, Chiang Mai this Friday night.

Tsale is a young Akha man from Shan state in Burma, who has been living at the Baan Nana for many years. Over the past two years Tsale has been composing songs in Akha about his experiences, and working with other children at the shelter to encourage them to express themselves through singing and playing music.

As a result of these efforts, Tsale has recently won a scholarship to study music at the Gitameit Music School in Rangoon. Before leaving, he will be performing a concert with friends at Sudsanan.

Please come along and bring your friends! Tsale is very excited to be able to present his music to an audience in Chiang Mai, and it would be wonderful to send him off with a big cheer!

"tsale"
Contemporary Akha music by original artist "tsale"
Friday 29th February, 9pm Sudsanan (Down the small soi opposite Shell petrol station on Huey Keaw Rd.)

Designing new t-shirts!

This week we held a design workshop with the kids at the shelter who do not go to school to design a t-shirt in conjunction with a new promotion for our Friends of Childlife programme.

The kids got their creative juices and skills flowing with some beautiful artistic pieces being created. After looking at each others designs the children then chose their favourite, which will be used for our new t-shirt which they will produce themselves in the coming week.

Building at Baan Nana

The past week has seen a few of the boys and volunteers busy fixing up one of the huts at Baan Nana. After the tough rainy season and a quite a few birds the thatch roof and bamboo balcony needed repairing to ensure it remained safe.

After a few days of dedicated and hard work the hut has a new lease of life and will ensure the occupants stay dry the next rainy season!

The kids have also been busy at the new farm building a small shelter so they can have some relax time away from the hot sun when working on the farm. Some of the kids may also sleep here on the days they want to get a really early start!

Donation boxes

If you are headed for Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai keep an eye out for some donations boxes which have been distributed through many businesses and organisations to raise some money for Childlife.

These boxes also have some information about Childlife's activities in both Thai and English.

If you see one, please pop in some of your spare change to help our children!

Huge thanks!!!

A big thanks to the i2i volunteers with us this month from all different parts of the world. Hayley, Tanya, Dave (Australia), Beth (UK) and Tammie (USA) have volunteered over the past month providing the children with lots of laughs, smiles and energy!

The group spent their time teaching English at SanKhong school, planting in the new gardens at the entrance of the shelter, making a solar hot water tank (great incentive to have a bath on those cold winter nights), doing craft and creative activities and playing sports as well as spending some time with the street children at the bridge.

Everyone at Childlife says a huge thanks!!!

Making furniture

The last few days have seen some of the boys using their creative and practical skills to make furniture from Bamboo. With the bamboo the boys have been busy making some beds, tables and other pieces of furniture.


Thanks to a friend from Germany who donated money to purchase some additional equipment and tools to help the boys along.


This week we have also been busy putting together some new furniture for the children's dorms. Thanks to some generous donations from Mr Raja and the i-to-i foundation we have been able to purchase some new beds and lockers for the children. Previously we had some children sleeping 3 or 4 to a bed. The new beds should make sleeping at night a bit more comfortable for the children!