The orphans of the tsunami
PHUKET – Phuket’s Sunshine Village is home to 95 children, aged between two years and 14 years, many of whom were orphaned by the December 26, 2004, tsunami which devastated Phuket and Phang Nga provinces in Thailand.
The French Red Cross provided the funds for the construction of the village which consists of semi-detached bungalows for 12 family groups of children, a manager’s house, a dining area and large playground.
A main building contains facilities for day-care, computer and other training programmes, entertainment and administration.
The village opened in June 2007 and relies on voluntary teachers and private donations to meet its 4000,000 baht per month running costs.
Khun Nuttisa, the house mother, told TravelMole “Our job here is to take care of these children until they can take care of themselves.”
Check out www.phuketsunshinevillage. org for more information.
Pacific Blue passengers flying the airline’s inaugural service from Perth to Phuket last month raised more then $2,400 for the Sunshine Village orphanage from an onboard auction of two tickets to Phuket flying Pacific Blue, and five nights at the Indigo Pearl resort.
In a similar effort, the inaugural V Australia flight to Phuket last week raised $4,050 from a mid-air auction.
This money was earmarked for a local Thailand charity “YIM Kids” (“yim” meaning smile in Thai).
Industry partners, including Accor Hotels in Phuket, donated accommodation for the auction to go with V Australia flights
Yim Kids charity has been established by Accor to fund sustainable projects throughout Thailand, committed to improving educational opportunities and the health of children.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt