Tsunami Took Away My Mum

[CrazyExpat]

BRAVE little Got Saowana stares out to sea - remembering his mother who died in the tsunami that struck Thailand five years ago on Boxing day.

For a long time the nine-year-old was terrified of going near water and is still struggling to come to terms with being an orphan.

The body of mum Sopha has never been found.

Got now lives with sister Fang, ten, in the Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage, near the holiday resort of Khao Lak which was hit by 60ft waves.

Millions of pounds were donated to help victims - but now charities are struggling to find money just to pay for food for the kids left without families.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun to mark the anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day disaster, Got said: "My mum was washed out to sea - I still miss her."

He is one of many thousands of children who lost family in the disaster and is dependent on the kindness of strangers to survive.

Tent

The tsunami killed 230,000 people, including 149 Britons, and left millions injured or homeless.

Got said: "I was only small when the wave came but I do remember my mum. She loved me and took good care of me and Fang."

Kids like Got have been dubbed "The Forgotten Children".

Hundreds are going without food and some as young as EIGHT are forced to work to raise money for poverty-stricken relatives.

The Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage is run by Rotjana Phraesrithong, 40, and is supported by the UK-based Thai Children's Trust.

At mealtimes the kids are not allowed to leave even a GRAIN of rice as food is in such short supply.

Across Thailand more than 1,000 children are living in orphanages after losing one or both parents in the tsunami.

In Indonesia, the number could be as high as 15,000 and in Sri Lanka it is 10,000. Children in many other countries were also affected and thousands of them are still fighting for survival.

UNICEF estimates that as many as 1.5million kids were affected by the catastrophe.

Rotjana, who cares for more than 70 orphans, has made a plea to big-hearted Sun readers to sponsor a child.

The money you give will make sure kids like Got and his sister get three meals a day as well as school uniforms and books.

Rotjana, who is battling breast cancer, is called "Mum" by every one of the children she has taken in. She said: "The orphanage started out in a tent - we were told we would be looking after the children for two months.

"But after two months the children still had nowhere to go, so it became two years and now five. We were given donations to build the orphanage and now we have this beautiful building."

Rotjana added: "People are happy to make donations for this as they can see the building and what has been achieved. With bricks, people feel they are getting something for their money. But we are not getting money for food or to pay for the children to go to school.

"My biggest concern is to get rice on the children's plates every day.

"Five years after the tsunami these children still need our help and we would love for Sun readers to help us."

Got and Fang took a poignant trip to their old home. Today, only a couple of walls and a door frame are standing.

There are still boats lying where they were washed hundreds of yards inland. As well as their mum, the brother and sister lost several other relatives.

Their father survived but he abandoned them for a new partner.

Rotjana added: "A lot of children have lost their mothers. Some do have fathers but many have started new families. They cannot take care of all the children.

Rescued

"Got is a clever boy and is top of his class in school. He says he wants to be a policeman when he grows up."

Lek Srimek, nine, lost her mother and lives at the orphanage.

Her father, a fisherman who earns around £1.50 a day, had to give up her and sister Nam, 15, as he is away at sea for three or four days at a time. Rotjana said: "Lek's mother and brother both passed away in the tsunami and she was devastated. On the day it happened she was at home helping her mum to wash clothes.

"They got into a car but when the water caught up with them it broke down and they had to run away on foot. Water came up over Lek's waist and she was rescued by a neighbour. Sadly her mum and brother did not make it."

Rotjana added: "For a long time Lek was very scared of the water.

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"Of all of the children, she was one of the most frightened. She has only recently gone back to the beach and whenever she goes there she thinks of her mum."

Gaan Panthergan was one when his father and grandparents died.

His pregnant mum survived but after giving birth to Gaan's sister Benlen she suffered a breakdown and abandoned both. Rotjana said: "These two go everywhere together and play together - it's nice to watch after all they have been through."

In a poignant tribute to their lost families, the orphanage children, many in tears, went to the beach and released floating lanterns in the sea that claimed so many lives - and left thousands of little ones in need of help for years.

Got said: "I did not want to come near the sea but we had to be brave. We were brought here and we sat on the sand and meditated.

"After a while I held hands with my friend and we walked down to the water and paddled."

The Thai Children's Trust has stood by kids like those at Baan Tharn Namchai and has been doing its best to help feed them. You can sponsor a child for just £15 a month. The money will pay for food and school costs. To help, visit thaichildrenstrust.org.uk.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2785361/Tsunami-took-away-my-mum.html#ixzz0awxi24Po