MERCY Mission - History & Strategy

Background:
The work of MERCY with the children of Pattaya began in 2000 as a result of our desire to help 'street children' of the city, who live most of their young lives 'at risk', ranging from simple but life hindering neglect or the more dangerous potential of being caught up in the life threatening environment of crime, drugs and sexual abuse that surround them.
A Thai social worker with 12 years experience working with the destitute in community development projects and refugee camps, was the first member of our Mercy team. She conducted a city wide survey to identify the 'street children', to help determine together the safest and most effective way to reach and help them, and understand what other agencies were doing in this area, to plan the best use of resources and so as not to duplicate services.
Initial research revealed most children on the Pattaya streets were in one of three major categories:
1. Those controlled by organized crime: The children and us would be in danger if we approached them on the street. The best we can do for this group was to buy their gum, etc., be a friend, provide a meal when we could, and let them know they are not alone. Many of these lived in the slum areas, with numbers having mothers working in the bars or very low paying work as they could find it, often garbage recyclers. Often their care-givers are drug users, using up even their meagre income on drugs & alcohol.
NOTE: We have been able to successfully rescue two young children from this group by meeting, befriending and counselling them and their families, eventually to reunite them with their family.
2. Illegal aliens begging / selling on the streets: It's illegal for us to assist them and dangerous to draw attention to them. We visit and provide food and other necessities for the children when they are caught by the local police and put into lock-up cell waiting for deportation. It's very limited what we can do to help this unfortunate group.
3. Runaways or wanderers from destitute families unable or unwilling to care for them: This group had potential for successful short-term intervention and long term change, so we began our project research within this group. Our social worker met with other agencies in our desire to not duplicate services, but reach the most destitute children in the most effective way possible. With the co-operation of local police and welfare authorities, she visited the 14 registered slums in the city PLUS many smaller even more destitute 'unregistered' areas where people of all ages and circumstances live huddled under trees or in cardboard, plastic and tin makeshift huts. Many places had no water, no electricity with many of the people living under trees or among the garbage they collected with every appearance of living in garbage dumps. Sadly, for the children of Pattaya, many of them lived in such terrible circumstances that the ‘street’ seemed a better or sometimes the only option available to them.
We began regular visits to the slum areas to get to know the people personally, show them love, acceptance & treat them with value, plus provide water, food, clothes and emergency medical care, including trips to the hospital. During our visits we found rampant drug abuse, glue sniffing, prostitution, and other crimes which the children were drawn into by being present or by copying what they saw around them.
The children that do have family members caring them don't seem to have developed normal family relationships and all the children, lack even the most basic training in acceptable social behaviour, which further limits any hope they may have of a better future. Most of these children are severely under-privileged and face daily hardships of lack of water to drink or bath, little food, no protection, no medical care and no one to care for them.
In the un-registered slum areas, the land-owners will often force the slum dwellers to move, causing us to lose track of the children, as they move with their care-givers. This again leaves them with no one to provide for their basic needs or care for their well-being or safety. Unless there is immediate and drastic intervention, these children will grow up to continue the cycle of poverty and abuse.
Short term and Long term objectives:
1. Provide educational, moral, and social training for severely under-privileged children.
2. Provide emergency shelter for the care and protection of children at risk.
3. Facilitate emotional healing and build a sense of personal value and a hope for the future in each child.
4. Network with local organizations with similar goals.
5. Provide support services where possible to facilitate any needed long-term change in children’s guardianship.
6. Undertake strategic projects among the poor to help bring about community transformation in Pattaya.


Target group:
1. Individual children at risk of physical, emotional or social neglect and/or abuse who lack other assistance.
2. Mothers with small children (as above), who request assistance to make life changes.
3. Children within families & communities who are potentially at risk of physical & emotional abuse and neglect.
Strategy:
Network within the Thai and international communities to access critical resources to help meet the practical and financial needs of the various Mercy projects.
Network with other welfare, social, educational organizations with similar purposes to share information, to make the best use of available resources and to avoid duplication of services.
Provide opportunities for Thai and international people to work together in various projects, promoting friendship, partnership, unity and facilitate the access of greater resources to meet the practical needs of various projects.
Provide support services to facilitate long term change with the goals of returning the shelter children to their guardians & care-givers.

Expected outcome:
▪ Severely at risk children we serve through Mercy Children's Center will:
1. Be protected from the social risk of drugs, alcohol, physical and sexual abuse.
2. Be provided with daily living needs, basic medical care and treated with personal value.
3. Receive social and moral training resulting in potentially good citizenship in adult years.
▪ Families of the children we serve through Mercy Children's Center, plus Mercy Chumchon Project will:
1. Short term: Receive assistance with basic necessities of life (food, water, emergency medical care)
2. Long term: Receive encouragement, training in childhood development, parenting & family building skills and to build toward a better future for themselves and their children.
3. Long term: Be required to contribute in some form (financial or service) toward the care of their children to promote parental responsibility and personal accountability.

Timing: Mercy Mission projects are planned as ongoing projects, as long as need exists and resources permit.

Finances: Mercy Mission is supported by voluntary donations from a variety of sources. Specific financial information is available to Mercy Mission financial supporters. Please see contact information on this site.
Accountability:
▪ Mercy Mission is directed by and operates under the authority of Victory Family Church - Pattaya, Thailand, which is registered with CTTM and the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand.
▪ Mercy Children's Center operates under the authority of VFC Mercy Ministries, PLUS is guided by a volunteer advisory committee.