Insights into the everyday life and future of girls at HOB
A project travel report by Carina and Robin Rabe, project coordinators
In November 2024, we visited the Home of Blessing (HOB) again after two years to meet the girls and the leadership team, Sayan and Noi. It was exciting to see what had changed during this time!
While everyday life contunied on campus, the Nehemiah team’s Asian conference took place as well. Leaders from the Nehemiah projects in India and Borneo as well as memebrs of the German team were present. We spent a week discussing the future prospects of the projects – with the HOB naturally being a central focus.
Insights from the day-ro-day life of the girls
There are currently 78 girls living on the campus and we were able to experience their everyday lives first-hand. In addition to leisure activities such as ball games, rubber skipping or simply catching up with friends, the girls do their respective chores depending on their age. Daily chores include preparing meals, washing up, sweeping the grounds, washing clothes and chopping wood. Especially early in the morning, some girls help to cook rice for the whole community.
Responsibility and Community
There are a total of nine groups of girls, each supervised by a group leader. These leaders are accompanied and trained by “Mum” Noi so that they can carry out their tasks well. It is impressive to see how caringly the girls treat each other and support each other. They take responsibility for each other and create a strong community.
Rice Harvest and Sustainability
During our visit, the rice harvest was being brought in from the two fields in front of the HOB. The campus can cover its own needs through cultivation. The harvest was brought in by machine, as manual harvesting is no longer possible. Although this incurs costs, the advantage of delegating the work outweighs the costs.
Visit to Some Girls’ Families
In addition to our stay on campus, we traveled with the team to the north to visit families whose daughters live in the HOB. Despite the rising standard of living in Thailand, there is still great hardship in the remote mountain villages. The lack of a social security system in Thailand poses enormous challenges for families in the event of illness or accident. We visited three families who were all struggling with serious problems. It is impressive to see how they accept the difficult living conditions and still make the best of them.
Education – Key to the Future
This is precisely why it is so essential that the girls in the HOB receive a good education and can attend secondary school regularly – an opportunity that is not available in their villages. A high school diploma gives the girls better opportunities on the job market and thus a self-determined future. They are hard-working, motivated and want to make something of their lives. As a result, they are not dependent on the help of others and are better able to support their own families later on.
Christmas Presents for the Girls
At Christmas, all the girls received a new jacket as a gift. A small token of appreciation and care that shows the girls how much they are valued.
Our visit showed us once again how important it is to provide the girls in the HOB with a good education and to strengthen their community. This is the only way they can build a better future for themselves and break the cycle of poverty.
