Gift of Happiness Foundation
Food Aid for Refugees and poor children in North Thailand.
We are starting this extraordinary project report with a very special note of Thanks to the amazing individual donor who sponsored the new Gift of Happiness Foundation Trailer without which we simply could not have delivered nearly as much as we did!
GoHF Trailer sponsored by a trusting friend of the foundation. THANK YOU!
Sunday 26th November through to Friday 1st December, 2017. Gift of Happiness Foundation give more than 4 tonnes of food aid and around one tonne of clothing, toys, toiletries and other essential goods. Plus massive afternoons of pure unadulterated FUN, when the Go Happiness Clown gives major stage performances involving lots of Shan Refugees and poor Thai children alongside many parents and teachers!
Project location details, sponsors, volunteers and value of donations given, as required by the Royal Thai Government
6 day project: 26/11/17 to 01/12/17.
6 day project: 26/11/17 to 01/12/17.
| (Prep/loading/breakdown: 26/11/17 & 03/12/17) Volunteers: Eddie Haworth, Founder/Director at Gift of Happiness Foundation, Karnjana Somkhuntod (Karn), Ailsa Kneath, Martin Kneath, Marc Hagelauer, Khun Charnee Jongmeesook (May), Mrs Bob, Paid staff (sponsored by Monroe consulting Group): Khun Wanpen Sotiya (AKA Bob) - Khun Chutchada (Aiw) ชัฌฎา อิ๋ว General Manager at GoHF and Khun Polchanok Buasorn also sponsored by the Clown Eckie Corporation. Transport sponsored by: Monroe Consulting Group, Clown Eckie Corp. Project sponsors: Monroe Consulting Group - Clown Eckie Corp, Planet of the Crepes USA/Thailand, Smart Soft Asia Co., Ltd, Regents International School, Bangkok, St Stephens International School, Bangkok, St Andrews International School Bangna Campus, Bangkok. Seleco Seaweed Snacks, The Ebrahim family (who sponsored most of the rice!) Soap given by Brand Maithong soap Company P&T Siam, Bangkok Administration & guides: Chutchada (Aiw) ชัฌฎา อิ๋ว General Manager at Gift of Happiness Foundation, Karnjana Somkhuntod, K. Kham Oun (Shan State Refugee Committee -Thai Border), Mr Eddie Haworth. Number of beneficiaries: approximately 370 refugees plus 170 refugee/migrant schoolchildren and families living in and outside the Koung Jor Refugee Camp in the far north of Thailand. Plus 80 children and teachers at two Thai Government schools for poor farming families near Tak, N. Thailand. | Poor people served with goods and services, by GoHF 26/11/17: Preparation/loading day. 27/11/17: Driving day (15 hour drive!) from Bangkok to Chiang Dao. 28/11/17: 4 hour drive to Visit the Koung Jor Refugee Camp and Shan Community School, then 4 hour drive back to Chiang Dao. 29/11/17: Driving day from Chiang Dao to Tak City. 30/11/17: Visit to 2 Thai Government schools, Chumchon Ban Wang Hin School and Ban Ko Ai Duan School 30 kilometres from Tak City. 01/12/17: Driving day from Tak City o the Go Happiness Centre in Bangkok. Total number of children and adults served; 590.  Food Aid Given by Go Happiness to Shan Refugees |
Goods and services given: 4+ tonnes of food aid, Bedding, towelling, toiletries, clothing for children and adults, educational supplies, medical supplies and household goods. Professionally produced entertainment for hundreds of people.
Total value of goods and services given; ฿-348,800.00. ($.10676.77-USD).
Total value of goods and services given; ฿-348,800.00. ($.10676.77-USD).
The refugee camp is in a very remote mountainous region 6 hours north of Chiang Mai reachable by a 2 day drive from Bangkok. The convoy of 2 SUVs, a high-top pick-up truck and the GoHF new Mega Sized Trailer delivered all the goods necessary to feed around 370 refugees for a few months, until they start to receive a regular supply of food from one of the large NGOs who are now committed to serving them starting in 2018.
With support from the Shan State Refugee Committee -Thai Border the GoHF team of 6 volunteers and paid drivers visited the Koung Jor Refugee Camp on 28th November and then moved-on to the near-by Shan community school to give a great afternoon of fun entertainment, gifts of toys, clothing, educational supplies and a little bit of English teaching delivered by the Go Happiness Clown and retired teachers from a major International School in Bangkok.
With support from the Shan State Refugee Committee -Thai Border the GoHF team of 6 volunteers and paid drivers visited the Koung Jor Refugee Camp on 28th November and then moved-on to the near-by Shan community school to give a great afternoon of fun entertainment, gifts of toys, clothing, educational supplies and a little bit of English teaching delivered by the Go Happiness Clown and retired teachers from a major International School in Bangkok.
29th November saw the start another long drive to Tak Province where the small team of volunteers visited two Thai Government schools for poor children coming from families of rural farm workers. The Clown gave two spectacular performances and more English language lessons throughout his performances.
The journey from the refugee camp to Tak was one of the most terrifying drives ever undertaken by GoHF Founder, Eddie Haworth due to the the trailer being unloaded of all the heavy sacks of rice and other goods that had weighed down the large new addition the the GoHF transportation stable. We also had a few minor mechanical problems to solve in the nearest town of Chiang Dao before we could set-off on the next 400 kilometre section of this epic tour, but the main problems started when Eddie's rig reached the main Asia 2 Highway and we were able to pick up speed.
| In short, the weight distribution inside trailer caused it to start snaking whenever Eddie's truck reached 80-Kph until on one occasion the whole thing went into a serious snaking wobble that almost flipped the truck and trailer unit over! This would have no doubt caused the very sudden demise of our Founder and number one Clown who was driving the rig at the time, |  |
and it may have also messed-up the free flow of traffic on one of S E Asia's major highways for an afternoon or so?
Following that death defying incident, our volunteer, Mr Martin Kneath (retired Principal of Regents International school) worked-out the rather technical details of how best to re-distribute the weight of Eddie's emergency purchase half a dozen heavy sacks of cement inside the truck and trailer, so once we had properly organised the weight, we were able to complete the last 150 kilometres or so to Tak without to much trouble, but still at a reduced speed.
Following that death defying incident, our volunteer, Mr Martin Kneath (retired Principal of Regents International school) worked-out the rather technical details of how best to re-distribute the weight of Eddie's emergency purchase half a dozen heavy sacks of cement inside the truck and trailer, so once we had properly organised the weight, we were able to complete the last 150 kilometres or so to Tak without to much trouble, but still at a reduced speed.
 | We arrived in Tak city just in time for an evening meal and a much deserved early night before delivering even more goods and HAPPINESS shows to another few hundred poor children who attend 2 Thai Government schools catering for rural farming communities. |
Then back to Bangkok on the 1st of December to get ready for action, as attendees at a large family event first thing Saturday morning 2nd December at a Shrewsbury International school in the City.
Next GoHF aid giving project is 24th to 29th December 2017 when a small team of volunteers will visit Mae Sot to spend a whole week of Christmas cooking for orphans and aid giving to yet another 1000 poor children.
Stay tuned to and share the rest of Decembers reports and consider supporting these projects via the Credit Card Donation gateway on this site.
Thank You!
