Bringing the Gift of Happiness to so many children

Introduction

Since the year 2000 the Gift of happiness Foundation (formally the ‘Clown Charity Shows Project’) has been helping poor families in Bangkok, Mae Sot, Mae Hong Son, Chaing Mai, Sankhalaburi, Kanchanaburi and other Thai provinces. We also give our services to refugees, displaced and migrant Burmese, people on the Thai-Burma border. We serve people who are forced to live in Orphanages, Crisis Centres for abused women and children, HIV/AIDS centres, homes and schools for physically & mentally challenged children. We also serve the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, other medical centres, communities of migrant workers and their families as well as people displaced by civil war. Our aim is to bring more of the kind of shows that we’ve been performing since the year 2000. Our intention is also to bring other entertainers to perform at the many worthy venues around Thailand.

We also strive to deliver lots of toys, clothes, school equipment and other useful goods to hand out at each venue. These donations come from International schools collections in Bangkok, the entertainer’s friends, their children, some local company employees, local fund raising groups and people like YOU! All the people working for the Gift of Happiness Foundation are un-paid volunteers and often cover their own costs when helping with show tours.

Project summary

The latest project started with some pre tour collections in April 2010. We collected donations of toys, bedding, clothing, medical supplies and other useful goods from International schools, the British Women’s Group, BAMBI, the ‘Thai Village Bangkok’ community and some dedicated friends of the Gift of Happiness Foundation.

•Sunday 13th June at 09.00.am.

Four GOH-Foundation volunteers departed Bangkok in two pick-up trucks loaded with over 3 tons of donated goods. Arrived in Mae Sot at about 3.30.pm. A meeting with a trusted Burmese translator and guide took place and the weeks schedule for shows and giving donations was re-confirmed.

•Monday 14th June 09.00am.

We visited the SAW (Social Action for Women) Crisis centre for abused women & children where we delivered about one ton of bedding, toys and clothing. No show was held at this time because the children were in school and only very young babies with some mothers were at the centre.

•12.00.noon. We visited the Mae Tao Clinic where we delivered some very much needed drugs, other medical supplies and crotches for some victims of land-mines. A meeting to discuss what future help we may be able to offer was held with the program manager for the surgical department (Mrs. Saw Eh Ta Mwee). Then we toured all departments of the clinic to see some of the beneficiaries of our past and current donations.

•2.30.pm. We made a visit to the Thai/Burma friendship bridge and had a late lunch at the Burmese market.

•3.30.pm. From the bridge it was a half hour drive to visit a small ‘Men’s Health Centre’ which houses five men with HIV. These men are forced to live alone in very difficult circumstances on a hill-side situated in the hills near Mae Sot. We delivered a large bag of clothing, soap, towels, tooth-paste and tinned food for the sick men. We also followed-up on a previous visit in April, when the GOH-Foundation Volunteer Operations Director donated a generator, water pipes, lighting and other essential survival equipment. We were very pleased to see that all the equipment was being well used and cherished by the men whose great hardship has been made a little easier by having those donations. •5.00pm. We returned to the SAW Crisis Centre to see the delighted children playing with their new toys and to give a small clown show for the children who had then returned from school.

•Tuesday 15th June 09.00.am.

A confirming the project schedule meeting with International Coordinator at ‘Help Without Frontier’s’, (Lena Weller). This is an NGO who helps us with local guidance and arrangements. Following the meeting we visited our first migrant school to give a full length ‘Clown Show’ for all four hundred children at the Parami migrant school near Mae Sot.

•1.30.pm. After another very quick lunch we visited the LDF migrant primary school which is situated about fifteen kilometres from Mae Sot, yet quite cut-off from the local community. We performed another Clown Show for 150 children who enjoyed seeing the silliness inside a local farmers ‘Dutch Barn’ which is right next to the bamboo and leaf-roofed school.

•Wednesday 16th June 09.00.am.

From the ‘Help Without Frontier’s’ office, which is outside Mae Sot and on the road to Mae La. We travelled another few kilometres, taking us away from local populations, to where our third migrant school, called Ah Yone Oo School is situated. Here we gave another full Clown Show for about 160 children who attend this remote school which is near a large cattle auction. The bamboo built school was too small to hold a performance inside the school rooms/huts. So we gave the show outside on the ox-cart track which is next to the playground area, by the school. The show was over by about school lunch-time and after packing-up of all the show equipment we were able to go back to the main road and find somewhere to eat.

•2.00.pm. After lunch in the nearest village, we travelled back to the cattle auction area in order to visit the next migrant school called Light School, which is situated at the very end of the last ox-cart track in the area. This is only about five or six kilometres (As the crow flies) from the other school, but very rough terrain where we needed to make full use of our 4×4 vehicles. We set-up the show equipment inside the largest bamboo school room and found that there was no electricity at this remote location. A local farmer was called to bring his small tractor/generator for us to use during the show, so we were delighted to be able to give the children a full taste of our buffoonery. We gave a small cash contribution for the hire of the generator and fuel costs and left some very happy children behind as we headed back through the rough terrain.

•Thursday 17th June 09.00.am.

We got together with some members of staff at the office of Help Without Frontiers and from there we set-off on the mountainous road going north from Mae Sot. We arrived at ‘The Best Friend School’ which sits high on a hill of dark red sand-stone just off the main road to Umpang. Here we gave over three hundred children a great amazing Clown Show and lots of sweets to enjoy after the show. We also gave away the last few bags of clothing and some educational equipment for the parents, careers and children at this school. Some of the children were unable to attend the show because they had to help with farm work and take care of younger siblings, but they did receive their share of donations. It was noticed that all the children had come to the show wearing their very best clothes which were spotlessly clean. An impossible task for people living around that kind of sand-stone, but somehow they managed to show-off some of the clothes that we brought them during our last visit to that school in October 2009.

•3.00.pm. Lunch was enjoyed back in Mae Sot, then we were off to a migrant school called ‘Kwe Ka Baung Karen National learning Centre’ which is just outside the city of Mae Sot, but hidden away behind the old bus station. This school is partly residential and has about 400 students in regular attendance. After some time for set-up of show equipment. The show for these children started about 4.15pm, which is after the school was finished. But nearly all the students stayed for the show which went very well in spite of very high temperatures in an out-door area at the school.

•Friday 18th June 09.00am.

The last official school visit was to be at a school called ‘New Day School’ which is very close to the Thai/Burma friendship bridge. We arrived at the school about 10.00.am and started to set-up in a small bamboo school room with open sides where there was a little air flow for the two hundred plus children who were packed-in like sardines in a tin. Show time came about 10.45.am and the children had the time of their lives throughout the whole performance. We gave interviews with a local TV crew and our own TV crew who accompanied us throughout the tour. During the interview with the local station, we discovered that one of the children used as a volunteer during the show, had a serious heart condition. She told the reporter that she’d never felt better when the clown invited her to come up and help him in the show. “Maybe without knowing it?”…She said what we all know already…”Laughter is the best medicine!”

•12.30.pm. We had been asked to give an impromptu performance for the children who live and work on the garbage dump near Mae Sot. This is a place that we’ve visited many times before and we love to try and help those poor children whose parents and older siblings are scavenging on the land-fill dump. We agreed to go over and give them a good old laugh for an hour or so before setting off on the long journey back to Bangkok.

•3.00.pm. After another late lunch, we set-off over the mountains heading for home and a much needed short nights rest before Saturdays normal work-a-day routines, re-stocking balloons and laundering costume ready for a birthday party show in Bangkok.

•Sunday 20th June.

Delivered one of the donated pick-up trucks from GOH-Foundation sorting room in Muang Thon Thani, (Photo above) back to its base in central Bangkok and paid the driver for his work.

Acknowledgements

•Volunteers on this project People donating their time and services to the project tour were TV documentary makers Jon Matthews & Pru Colville of CoJo Productions and the entertainer Clown Eckie. One driver (Khun Amarin Nissasoka) gave his services at a reduced rate and also donated some toys & clothing.

•Donations of goods received BAMBI were the main contributors of bedding and other supplies, coming from their ‘Cuddles 4-Kids’ champagne which was organised by their charity officers. The little house International Kindergarten, Bangkok, Mrs. Francesca Allen and friends living in Sukhumvit area, Mark Young of Pethaburi Rd, Bangkok and other individual donors in Bangkok gave us about 1.1/2 tons of toys, clothing, tinned food and more bedding.

•The ‘Thai Village community’ gave another whole truck load of very useful mixed clothing, toys and household goods. They also gave a wonderful donation of essential medical supplies for us to deliver to the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, (valued at 15,000-Baht)

•Select IT Bangkok donated their expertise and time spent on developing the GOH-Foundation web site & Facebook pages. Many hours of work were given to help us raise awareness of our organisation.

•The GOH-Foundation Volunteer Operations Director donated the use of his pick-up truck for collecting and transporting donations to the sorting room in Muang Pathom Thani province…Then for the whole week of the project tour. A second pick-up truck was donated by another dedicated friend of the GOH-Foundation (Khun Anukorn Puvacharoen) which helped us to deliver a total of about 3.1/2 tons of goods to Mae Sot and surrounding areas.

Overview of Project Donations and Expenses

•Cash donations were received from four individuals and they were added to a previous donation of 10,000-Baht from the BAMBI organisation in Bangkok. 1. Donation (via-web-site-&-PayPal) from Mr. Simon Ashby, Phuket 2,325.-Baht. 2. Direct transfer donation from Mr. Neil Johnston, Bangkok & Liverpool 10,000-Baht. 3. Anonymous cash donation from a family in Bangkok 1,100-Baht. 4. CoJo Productions donation 2,780-Baht

•Total money donated for this project 26,205.-Baht.

•Project salaries No-one (Except the driver) was paid for their time, expertise or use of professional equipment. Drivers salary and expressway fees Total Cost 8,360-Baht

•Cost include: Goods, fuel costs for generator and essential supplies purchased in April 2010 for Men’s Health Centre. Total cost 12,600-Baht. •Expressway toll fees for nine separate collections from April to June around Bangkok. And delivery to Muang Pathom Thani sorting room in the lead-up to the tour. Total cost 1,620-Baht.

•Transport fuel costs for nine separate collections around Bangkok and delivery to Muang Pathom Thani sorting room. Total cost 2,300-Baht.

•Transport fuel costs for two pick-up trucks on tour. Total cost 8,780-Baht •Basic accommodation for one entertainer and one driver. Total cost 7,800-Baht (TV crew covered their own costs)

•Food costs Six days lunch & dinner for the entertainer, driver and some extra volunteer staff. (TV crew covered their own F&B costs and the entertainer covered his own beverage costs) Total cost 2,580

•Costs of Balloons (Expensive Large balloons used during shows) Total cost 900-Baht

•Repair musical instrument damaged during the tour Total Cost 2,100-Baht •Total money spent for this project 47,040-Baht.

Project appeal

You can easily help. We are entirely funded by donations. Our small unpaid dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way. We need your help to raise funds through your local community groups/clubs, office, school and friends. “Large or small amounts are always very welcome.”

•April project cash short fall. We need to recover money we’ve already paid to help the desperate men at the Men’s Health Centre and other costs incurred during the April 2010 tour to Mae Sot. Total amount outstanding 37,000-Baht.

•June project cash short fall. 14th free shows and delivery of donations project in Tak province, Thailand, 13th to 20th June, 2010. 20,835-Baht •Regular sponsorship to help with our hard costs for monthly office rent & utilities, IT, legal and accountancy services, replacing & maintaining show equipment, vehicle re-payments & maintenance. Total Costs 15,600-Baht.

•Unrecovered amount lodged for Government Registration of GOH-Foundation 250,000-Baht paid in 2007 by the GOH-Foundation Founder/Volunteer Operations Director.

Every bit helps. Please contact the Gift of Happiness Foundation Founder and Volunteer Operations Director. Mr. Edward Haworth. charity@gohappiness.org

Please donate here: http://www.gohappiness.org/ Thank You.