2016. The Hand-to-Hand Preschool…
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“The first deaf child arrived and I said, ‘I’m sorry we don’t have any facilities for deaf children.’
A week later the second deaf child arrived and I said, ‘I’m sorry we can’t help you.’
“His mother broke down in front of me and she said, ‘Please I don’t know where else to go. I don’t know any Thai sign language. My child cannot communicate. My child is four years old and has zero vocabulary. Please there’s no-one else who’ll help us.’
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“So… we began to take deaf children…
“We didn’t know how to do it so we went down to the Deaf School and said ‘Can we have a book please on how to learn Thai sign language?’
“So we began to teach all the kids in the center five Thai sign words a week and so now we have a vocabulary of about 120 words and the kids just use it as a natural language.”
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One day Paan was watching her sister and other students practice to do a traditional Thai dance performance. She signed to Margie “Why not me?” And Margie thought, “Yes. Why not you?” So Paan was taught the dance with her sister and the other girls. At their performance, no-one spotted that Paan was deaf.
Paan and a deaf boy Somchai graduated from the preschool and now go to a special school for the deaf. They are able to go there because Hand-to-Hand gives them scholarships.
In January 2016, Hand to Hand received an email asking “What would you do if we gave you $250,000 (US)?” Margie thought it was spam.
“No we’re serious. What would you do with it?”
“Build housing for the homeless.”
“We love your idea.”
So they bought land and are now putting the finishing touches on a building that will take eight families out of the slums and into proper homes – including Paan’s family.
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