The hot season is still brutal, and the monsoon deluges have begun, making living in the relief camps difficult for everyone, but the Thai school year has started, some replacement housing is finished, and the trauma of the December 26 is very gradually lifting.

It has been awhile since my last update, and we have been very fortunate to get some new sponsors for our students. The Thai schools opened last week, so I went down to see how they are faring. I am please to announce, that the lives of the four Rattana girls who lost their parents in the Tsunami, have been greatly improved with the arrival of their maternal grandmother to care for them. We presented the girls with some new supplies for school, and topped up their bank accounts and they were all delighted. I am so pleased that their grandmother is now living with them, she is a wonderful and caring lady.

Khun Tawatchai, our young man who is supporting his family with odd jobs, has been accepted to his new school, and he promises to study hard, although he has very little spare time. His mother and small niece, who lost her mother in the Tsunami, came to meet up with us at the school. They were most appreciative of the support from his sponsor, and though they are still struggling, the family will move into a new house very soon. The other students that we met are doing OK, and one of them Suwannee, has written a very moving narrative, that I will have translated, and attach to this website soon.

	Kathy & the Baan Nam Khem head master with Rattnana girls and grandmother	Tawatchai and his mother and orphaned niece, & Diana Worthen

The seas have been quite rough, but our 5 new Minor fishing boat owners, have done well with their squid and reef fishing, and are happy to be making their own livings again.

Our small business programs have had mixed success. The noodle shop is faring very well, as is the woodworking shop. The computer store and internet site has good days and slow days, and is working on setting up some classes to help his income. Khun Sayan has outfitted his new truck, and is delivering nursery school children to and from school daily after he makes a midnight run to pick up wholesale items for resale in the camp. We are making a new loan to a cement block company that needs to upgrade its equipment to be more competitive in this booming business. With all the rebuilding taking place, the potential is very good.

	Cement block factory needs upgrading	Woodworking shop is doing well

Our ladies business training center is lacking good leadership at the moment, so our sponsorship is on hold until they reorganize, and find a committee to lead the program.

We have gone ahead with the funding of three new houses in the Mogon Sea Gypsy village near Khao Lak, and that village is doing a remarkable job in self help with the completion of 47 of the needed 70 homes to restart their village. They have also completed a number of their new fishing boats, and have drawn up plans for their community/ cultural center. Hopefully to be funded very soon.

	Boat building at the Mogon village	Pillars for house building

There is much still to do, for the survivors, but there are some wonderful people working on site, daily, to see that the lives of the survivors are improved.

We have met some extremely generous people through our projects.

But…………….It seems that most people feel that the crisis is over. In areas such as Patong where the damage was limited, the tourists are slowly returning, and business is improving, but in the Khao Lak area, and the non-touristy locals, that suffered most of the casualties, there is very little employment available, and much of the monies pledged in the early months, has still not been delivered.

It is really crunch time now for those living in the camps. There are few freebies, and the camps themselves are scheduled to close done soon, but still not all of the replacement housing has been built, and many have found that they had no title deeds to their land, and so are not entitled to return. Women who have never held a job, are trying to support their families the best the can through small home jobs, and many of the men, are still too afraid to return to the sea, so are looking for construction jobs.

It is not all doom and gloom!!! The students are in new school uniforms, and some have been sponsored to visit the USA later this month, and most all of the schools have been rebuilt and outfitted, and are doing well.

	Minor founder, William Heinecke with Samran and Sayan At book presentation	Kathy with some of the sponsored students

We thank you for any further donations that you would like to make to our projects, and I will continue to ensure that every Baht is well spent.

Thank you for your kindness, and good thoughts! Kathy Heinecke