6 September 2012 • 60

Sangklaburi Community, Thailand. I wish to share the following three - month report (May - June) from Br. Joseph Klong as Director of the Sangklaburi Community in the Sector of Thailand:

★ Sangklaburi Community. The community is composed of three Brothers, Victor Gil, Stephen Pichit and Joseph Klong. During the month of May, three Brothers lived in three different places in the area where the school was located. Br. Victor lives in the teacher’ s house. Br. Stephen already stays in the community house while its construction is still ongoing. Meanwhile, Br. Joseph resides in a hut near the site where the community house is being built. The Brothers meet for prayer in the morning and evening. Mass is organized twice a week and each one has his own meal for the time being.

By June, Br. Joseph Klong moved into the community house, which is in near-completion. There are seven bedrooms and a dining room. Br. Stephen was very busy in landscaping the garden beautifully with trees and flowering plants. The community house is surrounded with young trees, which were planted two years ago. In the month of July, Br. Victor moved from the teacher’s house to the community. The three Brothers finally lived together in the same house. The dining room was used as a multi-purpose area as well for the time being. The priest from Myanmar, Father Elias, celebrates mass for the Brothers regularly.

During the past three months, the community was able to welcome many visitors from various places. Lasallian alumni from Singapore visited the community and donated many things to the bamboo school in May. Later on, Father Piyoung, Father Sakon and the Bishop of Rajchaburi, BoscoPanya, made an informal visit to the community. The Bishop also celebrated Mass in the community for the Brothers. He was pleased with the mission that the Brothers have been doing for the stateless children. Another group of visitors from Spain stayed at the teacher’s house and worked at the Bamboo School. There were four of them working as teachers

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teaching children how to speak English. They have painted the La Salle logo on the wall of the school at Parmenie.

★ La Salle Sangklaburi School (Parmenie). The school at present is a branch of a government school in Sangklaburi. The La Salle Foundation contributes financially for the salary of the teachers, workers and free lunch for students. The newly built two-storey building was used from the beginning of the school year in May. Many thanks to the family of Br. Stephen Pichit who donated a light truck and Vigo Pick-Up to be used at the Bamboo School. By July, Br. Victor used the money given from Spain to buy another six wheels truck for the school. The Brothers then asked the priest to bless all of the transportation used at the center.

The school was able to recruit two qualified teachers in the first semester. The rest of the teachers were asked to continue furthering their studies in order to obtain a teaching license. In July, one of the teachers left after teaching for two years at the Bamboo School. Luckily, the school was able to recruit another teacher who lives in the area of Songkalia and speaks English and local languages. The students were very happy to be in the school.

★ La Salle Learning Center (Bamboo School). With its “No Child Left Behind” policy, the Center is a completely free educational institution of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (La Salle Brothers) of Thailand through the La Salle Foundation. The first three months of the new semester was a difficult time for the students in learning to speak Thai. The communication in the center among the students would be Karen, Burmese and Mon. The local teachers kept encouraging them to speak more in Thai whenever they are at the Center.

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Assembly and Blessing Rites at La Salle Sangklaburi School.

In the month of May, the Center was able to welcome a group of visiting Lasallian alumni from Singapore who helped in building the toilet and washroom for the kindergarten. They also donated 4 televisions, 350 T-shirts, 300 pairs of sandals, a water pump, stationary and solar cell to the center. There were various groups visiting the center regularly.

In late June, a group of students from Prasarnmit University from Bangkok organized games and activities for the children. A social night was organized for them as a thanksgiving meal. In July, one of the teachers had to return home to care for her very sick mother. Her mother passed away after a few days at home peacefully. Some of the teachers went to the funeral to represent the Center. Another group who visited last July were master’s degree students from Chulalongkorn University. They helped in planning for the possibility of the Center becoming self-sustainable. They interviewed teachers and students in order to gather more information for future assistance to the Center. The last group to visit the Center in July was a group from Spain who volunteered to teach the children. They were four, two men and two women. One of them was a former Brother. They were very impressed with the work the teachers have been doing for the stateless children.

★ Night School at the Rubber Tree Factory at Hok-Phan-Rai. The night school began at the same time with the normal school in the area. The student population is between 40 – 50 and they are young people who live in the factory who want to learn the Thai language. Some of them are children who cannot attend the school during the

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“When nobody claims them as their own.” Caring for stateless children at La Salle Learning Center.

day and the rest are the parents of the children. Teacher Nann is very dedicated and has been teaching there for many years now. Brother Victor Gil is fully in charge of the night school. He looks for financial help from Spain and other organizations. Br. Victor visits the night school regularly.

Jubilee Celebrations. Let us remember in our prayers the intentions of our Brother Jubilarians for the months of September and October.

15 September Br. Lazaro Rodriguez De La Salle Santiago Zobel School Silver (25) Muntinlupa City, Philippines

06 October Br. Hans Moran La Salle Green Hills Silver (25) Mandaluyong City, Philippines

13 October Br. Justin Mobilik St. Martin’s School Chapel Ruby (40) Tampasak Tambunan, Malaysia

Br. Herbertus Gampok St. Martin’s School Chapel Silver (25) Tampasak Tambunan, Malaysia

15 October Br. Victor Franco La Salle Green Hills Golden (50) Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Fraternally,

Br. Edmundo L. Fernandez FSCHong Kong

YOUCAT. YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was launched on World Youth Day, 2011. Developed with the help of young Catholics and written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. (Ignatius Press) Learn more about YOUCAT and how to purchase one at http://www.youcat.org/

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