We’re back home at the centre after the unforgettable experience of the past few days.

We spent a day relaxing with a trip up the river, an elephant ride and some bartering at the street market.

The two days spent visiting the girls’ hostel touched our hearts – so many stories, so many lives changed. The forty five year old housemother at the hostel has her own story to tell.

Married at 19, she lived with her husband for 17 years, having 4 children together, 2 boys and 2 girls. Nine years ago her husband took another wife (which is an acceptable custom in Thailand).

Life was still bearable until he divorced his new wife after a year, taking a third wife. At this point she decided to divorce him. She was only allowed to take one of her daughters and was very sad to leave the other three children – including a baby who was not yet a year old.

Not long afterwards she met a man in the village and they decided to live together. After 2 months she wanted to leave, but he was unwilling for her to do so. The night she told him he attacked her with a knife, stabbing her repeatedly. She called for help and when her brother came to her aid he was also stabbed. Her seven year old daughter saw all this.

Fortunately, an elder in the village was able to stop her bleeding to death.

The police were called and she spent two months in hospital recovering.

After leaving hospital the head of the village sheltered her in his home and from there he took her to the hostel, where he is actively involved. It took three years for her to walk again and she is still partly paralysed. She has now been at the hostel for six years and helps to look after the girls and her daughter now lives at the centre.

When we left the hostel we took two of the girls to visit their parents in a remote hillside village. We gave small presents to the children, including knitted teddies and balloons and played games with them.

After a long and dusty drive south we are now back at the centre and looking forward to more schools and project work tomorrow.