Thailand Foster Care Transition Homes

The Thai government foster care system continues to be besieged by staffing and financial issues, so your support in this area remains very important and necessary! There is only enough funding for 5000 foster or kinship care families in the entire country and close to 50,000 children needing care in a loving home. 

Butsaba and Jay have been providing foster care for two brothers since March who were living in the government orphanage for several years. They are now teenagers and the staff doesn't want to deal with their rebellious behavior so their were either going to kick them out or we could take them. However, there was no funding left for foster care support, so we are covering their care from our own budget, thanks to donations like yours. The cost of a month of caring for a teen boy is around $300. We have known these boys for several years as they were part of our Building Family Dreams program with their mother. Unfortunately, their mother has severe mental and physical health problems and is unable to care for her children, though she loves them deeply. The best part about this type of foster care is we can support the boys to maintain relationship with their mother and see her every weekend. When they were in governmental care at the orphanage, they only got to see their mom for an hour a month. With us, they can even spend a weekend with her a couple times a month. 

At the end of May, a long-term foster home was found for the younger brother and he moved in just before school term started. The older brother has a lot of attachment and behavioral issues, so we and the foster family thought it best he remain with Butsaba and Jay for this school year so he can have some therapeutic time to work on his issues, improve his school skills and experience some one on one time from trusted adults. 

Heather will be providing care for another boy following his spinal surgery in August. This is another family we know from our BFD program and have been managing his health care for severe scoliosis for six years now. Finally, he is going to have surgery to straighten his spine! This is a massive surgery, as 7 of his vertebrae are out of alignment. His recovery will be several months long and his foster father is going through treatment for cancer while his foster mother works and cares for him. They have no way to provide proper follow up care for the rehabilitation period after surgery, so he will stay with Heather so he can do his daily physical therapy and be close to the hospital for followup appointments until he is healed. 

Thank you for your support! This is an ongoing project, so any additional donations you make will go to providing a safe a loving home for children in need.