Product Description

On 26th December 2004 a massive tsunami struck Khao Lak in Thailand as well as Indonesia, Sri-Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, India and many other coastal and island countries around the Indian Ocean. The Tsunami washed away people’s lives, their hopes and dreams.
This book is about how the children (many of whom were orphaned by the Tsunami) coped with their loss. It is a beautiful and sometimes heart wrenching collection of stories, poems, and pictures by the children of Khao Lak, illustrating how they are dealing with their loss and grief. It is also a story of hope, humanity and triumph over despair.
The material for the book was compiled by the students of Bangkok Patana School, the British International School in Thailand.
All profits from this book go directly to the education of the children of Khao Lak – the "Children of the Tsunami".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #717812 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 100 pages

From the Publisher
This project is a charity venture and is the creation and product of the hard work of over 100 amazing children. It is a great privilege to work alongside such inspirational and dedicated young people and we hope that you gain satisfaction not only from the quality of their book, but also from the knowledge that all profits from the sale of "The Children of the Tsunami" will go back to the education and schooling of the children in Khao Lak and the tsunami affected regions of Thailand.

From the Author
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."These enigmatic words originate from Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism. In creating this book we hope to make a difference for the long-term, not just superficially. This book is a home-grown project in which students at Bangkok Patana School have helped children of the Tsunami affected region of Khao Lak, Thailand to tell their own stories and to help themselves by raising money for their own education and that of the region.
The Asian Tsunami of December 26th 2004 was one of the most devastating natural disasters of modern times. It affected millions of people over a vast area of the globe and its impact will no doubt be felt for many years to come. In turn, the Tsunami spawned one of the biggest aid operations the world has ever seen and millions of dollars were donated by countries, organisations and individuals all over the world.
Located in the capital city of Thailand, over 500km away from the Tsunami affected area of Khao Lak and Phuket, Bangkok Patana School is one of the biggest international schools in the region. On 26th December, we too felt the impact of the Tsunami, and many of our staff, students and extended community returned with their own incredible stories of survival against the odds from their holidays in Southern Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We also lost members of our community, notably in Khao Lak, Thailand where several of our students died. It seemed appropriate therefore, for us to look for a project in the Khao Lak region in which to involve ourselves as a small part of the overall relief effort which was already well underway. It was apparent that people around the world wanted to know what was going on in the Tsunami affected countries. They wanted to see where their donations had gone and whether their generosity had made a real difference to people’s lives.
In June 2005, a group of 24 of students from Bangkok Patana School visited four local schools in Khao Lak, which had been affected by the Tsunami: Pak Weep, Bang Niang, Bang Sak and Watkommaneeyakhet.
Our project would involve the students of Bangkok Patana School collecting artwork, stories and photographs from the children of Khao Lak to help them create a book of their own which would tell their story to a world who had already shown so much interest in helping them. Our book project mission was simple: children would be helping children to help themselves. The end result would be a message of thanks to the world at large from the children of Khao Lak. But more importantly it would provide a means by which these children could make money to pay for their own education and the rebuilding and resourcing of the schools of the Tsunami affected region.
The visit by Bangkok Patana students took place at the end of June and beginning of July 2005 and we spent five busy days collecting material for the book as well as carrying out other projects in and around Khao Lak and conducting language and craft activities with the children. The main narrative in this book is based on the written accounts of the students from Bangkok Patana School who went on the trip to Khao Lak Everybody who has been a part of this project has been affected in some way by the experience. In the words of reflection of one of the students from Bangkok Patana School: "I came on this trip expecting to help others but instead I received the help. I learnt that every moment of your life matters. It shapes who you are in the future. … I will treasure every moment not only in my life but in others. I learnt to appreciate everything and everyone and to always smile because it’s priceless".
On our return to school in September 2005, a total of 52 students from Bangkok Patana School, now in Year 12, undertook the task of compiling the book from the material we had brought back in July. Therefore, including the children of Khao Lak who created all the artwork, this book represents the end product of the efforts of over a hundred highly motivated and creative children from both Thai and International backgrounds.
Khao Lak is an area of outstanding natural beauty, whose economy is heavily reliant on tourism. This book seeks to uncover the positive and to highlight stories of hope following the well documented tragic events of 26th December 2004. Khao Lak is well and truly open for business again and we hope that this book will play a part in encouraging tourists back to this beautiful region of Thailand which now needs the tourist dollar like never before.
Thank you for buying a copy of this book. All the profits will be used in directly benefiting the education of the children of the Tsunami affected region of Thailand. You can play an even bigger part in the recovery of the region by planning a visit to the beautiful beaches and islands of Thailand’s Andaman coast.

Robin Nagy
Head of Year 12 and Tsunami Book Coordinator
Bangkok Patana School
October 2005

From the Inside Flap
This book is a culmination of an exciting and ambitious project, the first of its kind, in which children have helped children to help themselves and their own community. The beautiful illustrations, photographs and stories which are contained within this book have been collected, translated and compiled by a team of 52 senior students from Bangkok Patana School, Thailand. All the artwork for this book was drawn by the children of four schools in Khao Lak, Thailand and together with the stories, tells the gripping and distressing tale of how their community was shattered by the Tsunami which struck Khao Lak and how they are now re-building their lives.
Everybody who has been a part of this project has been affected in some way by the experience. In the words of reflection of one of the students from Bangkok Patana School: "I came on this trip expecting to help others but instead I received the help. I learnt that every moment of your life matters. It shapes who you are in the future. … I will treasure every moment not only in my life but in others. I learnt to appreciate everything and everyone and to always smile because it’s priceless"

This project is a charity venture and is the creation and product of the hard work of over 100 amazing children. It is a great privilege to work alongside such inspirational and dedicated young people and we hope that you gain satisfaction not only from the quality of their book, but also from the knowledge that all profits from the sale of "The Children of the Tsunami" will go back to the education and schooling of the children in Khao Lak and the tsunami affected regions of Thailand.

Customer Reviews

Great book!
This is a great book, and it is even greater when you find out that the whole thing was by students and all the work that they are doing for students.

I find people should buy this book as it is a great book to have at home when recieving guests, and the stories are fascinating as well, just as the cover says, it's a story of hope.

this book rocks!!
This book is one of the BEST books that I have seen! It is made specially unique because it is made by students working with the Tsuami victims. Moreover, it is for a great cause indeed!
Well done, and I hope this project receives the recognition it truly deserves!!!
GOOD LUCK!

Touchingly beautiful.
An outstanding book. The photographs were breathtaking and the stories touchingly honest and real. Unbelievable to think this book project has been undertaken by children for children.