Saving the World in Thailand

My daughter is back from her "expoitition and adventure" in Thailand. She is tanned and fit and her bed and bathroom have never looked this good to her. Digging trenches, breaking up rocks and building a water storage tank is not the average holiday pastime of 16 and 17 year olds but that is exactly what she and 14 other teenagers did this December. After a selection process that looked at community involvement and leadership skills, she was chosen for the project in Thailand. 

I was confident that she would be well looked after, judging from the very good organisation and preparation involved but made sure that she was prepared with medicines for diarrhoea, nausea, pain and fever and Wetwipes ... I had no idea that you could get so many wetwipes - wetwipes for outdoors and for feminine hygiene, wetwipes in lieu of  toilet paper, wetwipes with mosquito repellent and wetwipes for sensitive skin! And then there was the Tabard candle to burn to keep mozzies away, plus the cream and a little battery-operated gadget that was supposed to do the same. Satisfied that we had covered most medical emergencies, we put her on the plane with warnings ringing in her ears not to leave her bag alone nor to carry parcels for other people and breathed a sigh of relief when she got safely to the village.

St Cyprian's School is part of Round Square (which suits her aim of saving the world very well). Round Square has four other service projects in Honduras, Kenya and India and six St Cyprian's girls were chosen to go and do their bit. They have lived and worked with villagers, met young people from around the world and experienced firsthand what it means to make a difference. 

Accommodation in the village - 4 hours drive from the nearest town, not a word of English and (luckily) a flushing loo installed the week before they arrived! This was not her first time away from home, but there's a world of difference between staying in boarding school in Toronto and a hut on stilts in the hills of the north of Thailand!   

Halfway there! Boulders collected from the river, smashed up to make concrete, learning to skim cement...talk about hard labour!

Proud as punch to have made a difference!
In front of the water storage tanks. 

The highlight of the trip for her, was standing in front of the water tank for a photograph, and hearing it fill up, knowing that the village would have fresh water when they left - what a wonderful opportunity for students and villagers alike.