A Love Named Watbana

Off to Watbana
On December 14, 2019, we arrived at Watbana School ready to serve. We were a group of thirteen Chong-De volunteers from Singapore joining the inaugural 2-Day Overseas Volunteer Service, organized by Selfless Connect Ltd., a non-profit partner organization of Chong-De.  The school is in a remote village in Krabi, Thailand. It provides a basic nursery and primary education to about seventy poverty-stricken students, ages 3-12 years old.  To our surprise and honor, we were their first overseas volunteer group!

An Honor to Serve
Upon arriving early morning, the excited students greeted us with beautiful handmade garlands. We split into three groups after an introduction by the School Director and Tao Transmitting Masters Lek and Tan. The first group were to pour concrete and lay tiles for the school’s kitchen. The second and third groups were to paint murals outside the classrooms and paint the toilets.

We worked diligently under the observant eyes of the curious students.  Later that morning, they finally mustered the courage and invited us on a break to enjoy local snacks prepared by the school. They were so adorable and innocent!
The passion to selflessly serve was carried out through our service.  From cement mixing, tiles laying, to wall paintings, no task was taken lightly. Although challenging, we genuinely wished for great results. We helped one another and even took on additional assignments such as making classroom furniture. We finally called it a day at six o’clock, tired but fulfilled. 

Love Connects Us All
One of the many great perks about this volunteer mission were the ample opportunities to show our love to the students in need.  After dinner, we packed loads of goodies bags for them, which were sponsored by many who could not make the trip, but wished to contribute just the same. Their love indeed makes the world go round!
We had a great time spending the following day with students creating DIY (do-it-yourself) tote bags, painting designs of family love and warmth.  After, we played games with them. From station games with the younger children to soccer and captain’s ball games with the older children, the afternoon brought upon tremendous amounts of fun, joy and laughter.

The day did not end there.  Much to our delight, Watbana School prepared a dinner gathering for us, completed with touching performances. We were inundated by the memorable dinner. We asked students to present their tote bags to their parents, a very heart-warming gesture. The night eventually came to an end, and we reluctantly bade farewell to Watbana School and thanked them for the unforgettable volunteer experience.

圖文：新加坡道場