Ice: Giving Back with Gratitude

2024, Ice graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese. Her achievement came as no surprise. From the very beginning of her life at Baan Unrak, she approached everything with commitment, discipline, and diligence. She had always been a bright and determined child.

After graduation, she made a decision that filled us with joy. She chose to return to Baan Unrak and serve the community where she had grown up.

For many years, I have shared the same message with all the children in our home. Until they complete high school, everything we provide is pure service. According to my ideals, I never expect anything in return. It is my duty and my privilege to help them build a future.

At the same time, I also teach them the importance of gratitude.

In a family, parents sacrifice to raise their children. When those children become adults, and their parents grow old, they naturally feel a responsibility to care for them. It is their way of expressing gratitude for all they have received.

Our children often grow up without that opportunity. Many were abandoned, neglected, or lost their parents at a very young age. Their parents were never able to care for them. Yet they are alive today because countless people they will never meet have stood behind the scenes to provide food, shelter, education, healthcare, and love.

Since they cannot repay those unknown benefactors directly, I teach them that their debt is to society. As we receive, we should also give.

They are free to choose the mission that speaks most deeply to their hearts. Some may wish to help children, others the elderly, people with disabilities, animals, nature, or the environment. The cause itself is less important than the spirit of service. Life should never become something we build only for ourselves and our small circle. We all have a responsibility to contribute to the world that has supported us.

For this reason, after high school, Baan Unrak no longer considers university education to be a gift without responsibility. Higher education is a privilege, and we are willing to invest in our students because we believe in their potential.

However, we also ask them to pay that opportunity forward.

Students who receive university support agree to return and serve Baan Unrak for two years after graduation. If they decide not to return, they can fulfill their commitment by sponsoring another child's education or by providing financial support to Baan Unrak. It is not about paying us back; it is about ensuring that another child can receive the same opportunity they once received.

Not every graduate honors this agreement.

That is why we were overjoyed when Ice chose to return.

She had always been exceptional, and having her join the Baan Unrak team meant that our organization would continue to grow stronger. Our staff includes several former Baan Unrak children. They understand the pain, fears, and hopes of the children because they once lived the same experience. By helping the next generation, they are also healing something within themselves. They transform injustice into compassion and suffering into service. In many ways, this becomes part of their own healing and personal growth.

During her first year back, Ice transformed many aspects of our work. She took over responsibilities that had previously fallen almost entirely on visiting volunteers or on me. Her communication skills opened doors that had long remained closed because of language barriers. Sponsors received more detailed updates, communication became smoother, and relationships with our supporters became stronger and more personal.

Sometimes, when we sincerely fulfill our duty to the universe, the universe seems to respond with unexpected gifts.

Ice had always dreamed of deepening her knowledge of social welfare. She also hoped to continue her education and experience life in another country.

Unexpectedly, that opportunity arrived.

Ice was selected as a representative of Thailand to participate in a training program organized by the Japan National Council of Social Welfare. They offered an extraordinary opportunity: one member of our staff could spend 11 months in Japan studying social welfare, with the understanding that the knowledge gained would later benefit Baan Unrak.

She had an exceptional ability to learn languages quickly, and she fully met all the qualifications required for the program. Most importantly, we knew she possessed both the intelligence and the dedication to make the most of such an opportunity.

Sending her away for a year was a real sacrifice for us. By then, we had become deeply dependent on her work. Managing children's records, preparing sponsor updates, organizing photographs, and writing detailed reports require patience, excellent memory, and remarkable attention to detail. These are demanding tasks that few people can perform well.

Yet we were willing to make that sacrifice because we believed in a greater purpose, not only for Baan Unrak but also for Ice herself. We wanted her to become an even more skilled professional, someone who could bring fresh knowledge, new ideas, and innovative approaches to our foundation and to the world.

Her return from Japan was eagerly awaited.

When she finally came home, we immediately saw how much she had grown. Her professional abilities had expanded tremendously. She introduced new ideas, new perspectives, and a deeper understanding of child development and social welfare.

One of her beautiful initiatives was helping us appreciate each child's individuality even more. Together, we created our first children's art gallery, celebrating their creativity and recognizing the value of every drawing. We also began carefully cataloguing their artwork in preparation for future exhibitions.

Her experience also helped us understand mothers with greater empathy and respond to their struggles with increased sensitivity and compassion.

Perhaps the greatest surprise, however, was one none of us expected.

Ice discovered a remarkable talent for cooking.

Despite her many responsibilities, she found time to work in our kitchen, and the difference has been extraordinary. Our meals have become more nutritious, more balanced, more creative, and far more enjoyable. The children eat healthier food, enjoy greater variety, and are happier around the table.

It is a beautiful reminder that service often reveals gifts we never knew we possessed.

Ice returned to give back to the place that had once cared for her.

Instead, she has given us far more than we ever imagined.