About Thai Children’s Trust
The Pattaya Orphanage was founded by Father Ray Brennan more than 30 years ago, when a baby was abandoned to his care in Pattaya, Thailand.
The Pattaya Orphanage now includes the orphanage, a street children’s home, two schools for deaf and blind children, and a vocational school and Job Placement Agency for disabled people.
The orphanage is currently home to 180 orphans of all ages, from newborn to adulthood. This caring family environment gives them the chance to have a decent childhood and attend school. The orphanage prides itself on supporting them for as long as they need it. In fact, there are currently 18 older orphans at university!
The street children’s home provides a safe haven for up to 200 girls and boys who were previously living on the streets. The home helps these children regain their childhood and catch up with their schooling.
Without this help, these children would be at risk of sexual exploitation, child labour, or condemned to a life of poverty and begging. The four outreach workers also provide support to those still on the streets, offering advice to a further 200 children.
Their experience on the streets makes them slow to trust adults. The outreach gives them the time they need before they feel ready to come to the home, or, where possible, return to their families.
The School for Blind Children is a residential school for 140 children from the ages of three to 20. It teaches Braille, as well as educating blind or visually impaired children to Thai National Curriculum standards. It also teaches living skills, such as cooking and personal hygiene, to prepare children for an independent life.
The School for Deaf Children teaches sign language, lip reading and speech therapy, along with reading, writing and arithmetic to up to 80 children. Education is provided for two years, anytime between four and nine-years-old, free of charge.
The aim of the school is to give children from poor backgrounds the skills necessary to pass the entrance examinations for the free government schools for deaf children.
The Vocational School for the Disabled was opened in 1984. It teaches up to 200 young disabled people computer graphics and programming, electronics, English and Business Skills. It also develops the self-esteem of the students through involvement in other disabled activities, such as wheelchair racing, tennis, swimming and basketball.
These graduates go on to secure employment, many with prestigious Thai and multinational companies.
Finally, the Job Placement Agency for People with Disabilities, funded by the Community Fund, started in December 1999.
Since then, it has provided career guidance and training to over 1,750 disabled people from all over Thailand. Of these, more than 700 have found secure, permanent employment, while others have successfully started their own businesses.
Our history
The Pattaya Orphanage was started over 30 years ago when a baby was abandoned to the care of Father Ray Brennan, a Redemptorist priest, in Pattaya, Thailand.
Since then, it has expanded to include an orphanage for up to 180 children, two schools for up to 220 deaf and blind children, a street children’s home for up to 200 street kids, a vocational school for up to 200 disabled young people and a Job Placement Agency for disabled people from all over Thailand.