Forgotten Foundation

Programs: Gospel: mae uhu church - mae uhu church is reaching out to the surrounding community who are mainly farmers and construction workers. The church has grown and become an integral part of the village. Each day, children and youth, especially, seek refuge, peace and love at the mae uhu church. Ministry - during the weekdays the pastors hold regular praise and worship groups for the dormitory children at the house and for anybody else that would like to attend, and on the weekends they travel to neighboring communities to preach in their churches and to share the gospel via faith by hearing proclaimers (audio bibles). At times the pastors will even travel deep into the jungle to share the word of god with people for the first time!

education: forgotten school - the forgotten foundation has therefore set up a school and a student dormitory to provide children that have been expelled from the government schools with another opportunity to pursue an education. The forgotten school's operating time is monday through friday from 8:00am-3:00pm. The school is run by an outstanding teacher named nirayaa and her assistant jaysadaa and is located on the land rented by forgotten for the karen families to live on. Currently the school provides subjects on: math, bible, health, physical education and the thai, karen and english languages. On average about 20 students attend the school on a daily basis, ages ranging anywhere from 4-12 yrs old. Lunch is provided to all students who attend. Namphone school - forgotten currently sponsors a karen teacher working in a nearby town. Her name is namphone and at the present she teaches karen refugee children out of her home. Student dormitory - a student dormitory has been set up at the forgotten house as a means to reintegrate karen refugee children back into the thai government school system. In the past, these children were forced to travel back and forth from thailand to burma, as well as work seasonal jobs within thailand, in order to help support themselves and their families. As a result, many of these children were unable to attend the thai government school on a regular basis, eventually leading to them being expelled due to absenteeism. What this project required is that the children live at the forgotten house so that their attendance could be monitored by a forgotten employee. The children also would no longer be allowed to travel back and forth fromthailand to burma with their families, or to work seasonal jobs, during the school year. They could return home to visit with their families over the weekends and school holidays, but the remainder of the time they would have to be present at the forgotten house. There are now twelve girls living at the forgotten student dormitory. Seven of the girls attend the forgotten school, while the other five attend the thai government school. All of these students' living expenses are fully covered by the foundation to ensure that their education will no longer be a burden to their families as it was in the past.

community: forgotten house - the forgotten house serves not only as a residence for the forgotten employees, but also as a community center. All of the karen families are welcome to come to the forgotten house at any time. At the house, there is a children's playground area in the back yard and a covered porch area in the front where the families can gather and spend time together. The forgotten house also serves as a dormitory for children in great need. Monthly celebration - each month forgotten holds a community party at the forgotten house where all of the families gather together to play games, celebrate each other's birthdays and cook a meal provided by the foundation. Forgotten sees this monthly celebration as a way to unite the families and bring community to the area.

relief, resettlement and sanitation: land - forgotten foundation currently rents a piece of land that is about 2 acres in size located along the thailand / burma border. This land was chosen because it is in close proximity to a thai government school, which the karen children are legally allowed to attend, and because it provides many of the parents with access to work in the nearby area. It also is in very close proximity to the forgotten house, making it easy for forgotten employees and volunteers to have close relations with the karen families. Bathrooms - in the past, the karen refugee families that are served in thailand were forced to use the bathroom outdoors. This was not only unpleasant and embarrassing, it also increased their risk to contract water-borne illnesses. There is now a structure consisting of four bathrooms on the land at forgotten. Water - at the forgotten house, a water spout was installed with a water filter attached to ensure that the families living at the forgotten land had access to clean drinking water. An additional spout was installed to provide the families with the necessary water needed for bathing, cooking and cleaning purposes. Karen handmades - the forgotten foundation buys handmade products made by the women to help support them and their families. These products are then resold in america and all of the proceeds are used to help fund our various projects. On the forgotten foundation website we currently have bags and tablecloths for sale. All of these products are beautifully designed and are 100% handmade. Relief kits - forgotten foundation has designed relief kits to provide immediate relief for families. They provide protection from mosquitos, which carry malaria, warmth, food, light and fire to cook with and tools for building shelters. These essential items can mean the difference between life and death to many. Each relief kit will provide for a family of five and contains: 1 mosquito net, 2 blankets, 3 bowls and 3 spoons, a cooking spoon and pot, 3 lighters, package of 80 candles, a rain tarp, bottle of cooking oil, salt, 15 kilos of rice, 10 cans of fish and a machete.