Justice and Soul Foundation, along with Kate Korpi Salon, came to Wat Opot for a day of games, beauty and fun. The visit was the brainstorm of StepUp, an initiative started by graduates and students who wanted give back to communities in need. This is a beautiful example of paying it forward! After 2.5 years […]
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Service Learning students have been visiting Wat Opot for almost 10 years. What started as a day visit has turned into 4 days of learning, cultural exchange, and FUN, not only with our kids, but at the local primary school as well. Having this partnership with HKUST […]
For several years now Professor Rumiko Akashi, from the Meiji Gakuin University in Japan, has brought some of her students to Wat Opot for a time of interaction with our children. This year, unfortunately, very few of the kids were here because plans had already been made to take them home for a family visit. That […]
Today was a big day for many of our children. Home visits have been arranged for every one of our 47 residents. Most went today, others will leave tomorrow or the next day, but by the 4th of September, Wat Opot will sit empty, for the first time in nearly 20 years. Most will go […]
A while back we started cleaning up the empty space in front of the boy’s dorm. We have come a long way, but now must wait for the trees to grow and that may take a while. Yesterday the children finished the bonfire area by moving some very large rocks that will be used for […]
With the new roads and swimming pool completed, we have time now to make improvements on some of the older structures that had fallen into disrepair. One of those projects was the Peace Garden that had become overgrown and no longer suitable for meditation. There is still some work to do on it but we […]
The children love watching international talent shows. One song from Britain’s got Talent was performed by father and son duo, Jack and Tim, titled “We are the Lucky Ones”. Wayne plays it nights before meditation gets underway and the children have heard it enough that they casually sing along. The song’s chorus is a reminder […]
How does an unused piece of land at Wat Opot go from this, to this? It all started a year or so ago when for various reasons, we found ourselves compelled to take in younger kids. Neglect, abuse, family instability, and sickness were some of the reasons that social services, the Takeo Hospital, and a […]
“When can we do it again?” You know you’ve just been involved in an exciting project when one of the participants asks this twenty minutes after it has finished. And there’s no doubt that the week 6 of Wat Opot’s boys spent training in football, leadership and social responsibility was exciting, although its impact […]
Anna Bergen, Jil Beyer and Monja Gillich are studying art therapy and pedagogy from the college for art in society in Ottersberg, Germany. Together they planned the Transcultural Art Project, which aims to examine the potential of artistic work in children’s homes in 2 different countries: “Haus Ivalo GmbH” in Germany and the Wat Opot Community […]
