#EverydayHeroes, Everyday Challenges
Unfortunately we do come across cases in our work of children whose parents were forced to abandon them at a very young age. Three years ago, three-day-old Chai*’s mother left her with a neighbor and never came back. Facing what she felt were many insurmountable hardships in her life, her mom felt no choice but to entrust her baby to her neighbor, *Ming, to take care of her and raise her.
Ming also has a difficult life – she is an illegal immigrant from Cambodia and is living among the people in the migrant community in Talad Thai, Bangkok. She has no connections in Cambodia anymore. While she herself has very little, her heart went out to little Chai from day one. Ming really wants Chai to have a better life and getting Chai to have the necessary official documentation will enable the 3-year old to have a better shot in the future. One day, when she heard from her neighbors about Peuan Peuan (Friends-International Thailand) and how that organization could give her the support she and Chai needed towards a better future, she resolved to contact them.
On one of the regular visits of Peuan Peuan staff to the area, Ming approached one of their social workers to tell them about Chai and the life they have together. The social worker found out that Chai did not have a birth certificate–a document that is vital to get herself registered in the government system so that she can access the services which are available to her and to get her started with school. As Ming is not her birth mother, Ming cannot be given Chai’s birth certificate.
Further investigation by our #EverydayHeroes from Peuan Peuan revealed that Ming is an undocumented migrant and she is in debt.
Right now Peuan Peuan is on a mission to get Chai her birth certificate, and get her registered, while still providing Ming with whatever emergency support she needs to sustain her life and help her take better care of Chai. Although an ongoing case with many difficulties to overcome, hopefully greater stability and a better future for Ming and Chai will be just around the corner with the help of Peuan Peuan.
**names changed for privacy
