Good Shepherd school opens in Phuket



PHUKET: -- After 18 months of hard work, The Good Shepherd School on the outskirts of Phuket Town finally opened its doors on December 6.

Whilst the school will be run by the Good Shepherd charity, the official name of the school is The Mike Mathews Learning Centre – for The Good Shepherd.

This is to honour the Mike Mathews Foundation, which has been a significant supporter of the school from the very beginning.

The school will act as a learning centre for 150 Burmese children living in the fishing village near Rassada Pier. Many of the children have been at significant risk of human trafficking and sexual abuse, and have had very little or no access to education or medical services.

The school consists of six classrooms, a nursery and a medical centre that will also serve as an open clinic for both the children and their families.

At the opening, one of the organisers of the fundraising efforts, Quintin Clover said, “It was a great day and the children provided excellent entertainment with their dancing and singing. It was a day to say thank you to all of the sponsors who have donated or held events throughout the year.

“A big thank you to everybody who has helped over the last 18 months – the school will be making hundreds of children very happy for years to come.”

In spite of appearances, the school will continue to need to further donations to enable it to educate the many disadvantaged Burmese children in Phuket.

For further information on the school or to make a donation, visit theschoolphuket.com

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/good-shepherd-school-opens-in-phuket-43511.php


-- Phuket News 2013-12-18

I applaud this. Well done. But please, don't push the bible on these poor people.

It is good and it is nice and I am all for helping others, after all it is a real Buddhist value. But, why isolate the children from Burma further by teaching them about the "good Shepard". I believe that Christians should show their love and understanding by teaching children in a Buddhist land to be good Buddhists.

I agree, Christians are at the fore front of jambing their belief system into innocent childrens brains for hundreds of years, including the poor Native Americans. Burma is a Buddhist country and every child should have the right to choose which religious teaching they want.

Burma is a Buddhist country

Well, not completely true. I'm sure that we're all aware of the Rohingya muslims on the western border with Bangladesh, and there are many more muslim communities throughout the country. On the eastern border areas there are Christian Karen communities who have an ongoing civil was with the Burman ethnic majority in the country.

My view is that any charitable organisation should encourage whatever religion (or non-religion) that those they care for believe in. And above all, they should not seek to change or influence the religious beliefs of children or those who are not yet mature enough to make their own decision as to what religion (or not) they wish to follow.

Hahaha I went to religious schools being forced to listen to sermons and sing religious songs from age 4 - 11 and I ended up an aetheist ! Since the country is 90% or whatever Buddhist, they should teach Buddhism or keep it religion free.