Thailand flooding emergency: SOS Children appeals for sponsors

Thailand is a beautiful country much loved by tourists, but everyone who visits will have seen street children begging. Since 1972, SOS Children have been providing a mother and home to children left with no one. As flooding puts all of Thai society under stress, and locals are focused on their own family and belongings, there has never been a more important time to ensure children whose parents are not there for them are safe.

Despite the barricades and attempts to channel water out to sea, areas of Bangkok have been inundated and a huge weight of water has built up behind flood barriers.

It is becoming clear that with the sheer volume of water, not all parts of the capital can now be spared. The government is planning to open sluice gates to relieve the pressure and allow floodwater to flow through some parts of the city. The prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has called the flooding a national crisis and asked for the co-operation of her country’s citizens. She has told Bangkok’s residents that some districts of the capital will be sacrificed in order to protect others. “We need areas that water can be drained through so water can flow out to the sea,” she said.

Industry in Thailand has already been badly affected, with more than 1,000 factories closed as large industrial estates became flooded. Thailand’s central bank has said the economy could have been affected to the tune of 3.3 billion dollars from industry alone. And with damage to other sectors, such as agriculture, total losses will be much higher. Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of rice and traders believe 3.5 million tonnes of the crop has been damaged. Tourism could also be affected if the waters fail to recede fairly quickly.

Bangkok accounts for two-fifths of the country’s gross domestic product and the authorities will do all they can to protect the city’s central areas, where losses to the economy would be the highest. Though at this stage it is unclear which areas will be worst affected by the opening of canal sluice gates, local reports suggest it may be eastern districts of the capital which end up being the worst hit. In the north of the capital, some districts have already been evacuated as water moves into the northern parts of the city.

Some shops are reporting a rash of panic buying, with items such as bottled water running particularly low. And many schools have postponed the beginning of the new term. 

SOS Children's Villages Thailand

All of our SOS Children's facilities are currently still fully operational despite the flooding in Thailand, apart from the SOS Village of Bangpoo which is located in the capital. The Village is on high alert, and staff in Bangkok have decided to evacuate the children and mothers to an area called Chonburi, 80 km east of Bangkok. Some

Children in their temporary shelter at Banglamung House, Chonburi

young people have stayed temporarily in the SOS Children’s Village Bangpoo to help neighbours in the community during the emergency. They too will evacuate if it becomes too unsafe.

We currently care for more than 450 children at our five  SOS Children's Villages in the country. A further 55 young people are supported in three SOS Youth Homes. SOS Children also run nursery schools in Thailand which together serve 330 children from the Villages as well as the local community.

How you can help

You can help us continue our work in Thailand by sponsoring a child or making a one-off donation which will help us to focus on the long-term welfare of children who have no one to care for them.