 |  Gift of Happiness Foundation Mae Sot Project 26th to 30th May 2013 |  |
Report by Gift of Happiness Foundation volunteer Mr. Oliver Davis.
Day 1.
This week I was part of a group of volunteers who went on a 5 day trip with the Gift of Happiness Foundation to visit different projects and schools in and around Mae Sot, in the North of Thailand.
Our group was led by Eddie Haworth, the director of Gift of Happiness, a foundation based in Bangkok which works in different parts of Thailand to support poor children. Most of the volunteers were members of the British Women's Group and many had volunteered with the foundation on previous occasions, but there were also a number of first-time visitors, including me. In our party we also had an official photographer, Simon, and the very affable Amarin, who helped a lot with organisation and was invaluable when it came to communication, as a native Thai speaker. Our party also included three volunteers representing the Samutprakarn International Ladies Club (SILC).
We all met up at the Gift of Happiness office and Charity Shop in Bangkok early on the morning of Sunday 26th May to help with loading up the two pick-up trucks with donated clothes, toys, school uniforms and equipment for Eddie's (AKA Clown Eckie) clown show. We set off in convoy for the 7 hour drive north to the town of Mae Sot, close to the border with Myanmar.
Day 1.
This week I was part of a group of volunteers who went on a 5 day trip with the Gift of Happiness Foundation to visit different projects and schools in and around Mae Sot, in the North of Thailand.
Our group was led by Eddie Haworth, the director of Gift of Happiness, a foundation based in Bangkok which works in different parts of Thailand to support poor children. Most of the volunteers were members of the British Women's Group and many had volunteered with the foundation on previous occasions, but there were also a number of first-time visitors, including me. In our party we also had an official photographer, Simon, and the very affable Amarin, who helped a lot with organisation and was invaluable when it came to communication, as a native Thai speaker. Our party also included three volunteers representing the Samutprakarn International Ladies Club (SILC).
We all met up at the Gift of Happiness office and Charity Shop in Bangkok early on the morning of Sunday 26th May to help with loading up the two pick-up trucks with donated clothes, toys, school uniforms and equipment for Eddie's (AKA Clown Eckie) clown show. We set off in convoy for the 7 hour drive north to the town of Mae Sot, close to the border with Myanmar.
Gift of Happiness Foundation - Giving to needy children in Mae Sot
UNHCR figures state that there are currently some 84,900 registered refugees from Myanmar living in nine refugee camps on the Thai side of the border, in addition to an estimated 62,000 unregistered asylum-seekers. The real figures of displaced people from Myanmar currently living in Thailand are believed to be significantly higher. Government data quoted by UNHCR suggests that there were 506,200 people in Thailand deemed to be without a nationality, or stateless, as of 31 December 2011.
Our activities in Mae Sot began on the morning of Monday 27th May with a visit to the Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), just outside of town. MTC is a community hospital providing healthcare to the displaced Burmese and ethnic communities along the Thai-Myanmar border. MTC's official report for 2012 shows that it received 148,561 visits during 2012 and that 45% of all cases treated in 2012 were patients who had travelled across the border from Myanmar to reach the clinic.
Our activities in Mae Sot began on the morning of Monday 27th May with a visit to the Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), just outside of town. MTC is a community hospital providing healthcare to the displaced Burmese and ethnic communities along the Thai-Myanmar border. MTC's official report for 2012 shows that it received 148,561 visits during 2012 and that 45% of all cases treated in 2012 were patients who had travelled across the border from Myanmar to reach the clinic.
We presented a number of donated items to MTC including medical and hygiene supplies. Our visit also included a tour by staff of the facility and explanation of the work that they do. We visited a number of wards and gave out some teddy bears which had been donated to the foundation.
Our next stop was a school and shelter for street kids run by the organisation One Dream One World, where we presented a set of school uniforms to the children. This was also an opportunity for the three ladies from SILC in our party to inspect the new school bus which had been purchased using funds donated by their organisation.
Our next stop was a school and shelter for street kids run by the organisation One Dream One World, where we presented a set of school uniforms to the children. This was also an opportunity for the three ladies from SILC in our party to inspect the new school bus which had been purchased using funds donated by their organisation.
After that we visited a Women's refuge run by Social Action for Women (SAW). SAW is an NGO assisting displaced women from Burma who are in crisis situations after having fled to Mae Sot. The shelter which we visited was home to a group of 11 women who are suffering from HIV and AIDs, and 9 children, 4 of whom have HIV. We presented them with some donations including some farming tools donated by Chillington Tools and food supplies purchased using money kindly donated by SILC.
In the afternoon we visited a migrant school called Ah Yone Oo Learning Centre, run by Ray of Hope and Help Without Frontiers. It has capacity to teach up to 130 children and also offers some vocational training (it has a sawing machine). Eddie performed his show and we gave out donated toys to the kids.
Day 2
Our visit began with a 60km drive along the road towards Mae Hong Son to reach the largest refugee camp in Thailand, Mae La Camp, home to some 100,000 people. We visited a school in Zone C of the camp which is attended by 1200 children, including 77 orphans. Eddie did his Clown Eckie show to an audience of hundreds of children inside the school and we presented some more of the donations – including adult clothes.
After the school we visited the Choir of the Karen Handicap Welfare Association, formed by 15 men who have been injured by landmines. The Association runs regular singing classes and they have produced a CD of their music. We were privileged to have them perform a song for us.
Our visit began with a 60km drive along the road towards Mae Hong Son to reach the largest refugee camp in Thailand, Mae La Camp, home to some 100,000 people. We visited a school in Zone C of the camp which is attended by 1200 children, including 77 orphans. Eddie did his Clown Eckie show to an audience of hundreds of children inside the school and we presented some more of the donations – including adult clothes.
After the school we visited the Choir of the Karen Handicap Welfare Association, formed by 15 men who have been injured by landmines. The Association runs regular singing classes and they have produced a CD of their music. We were privileged to have them perform a song for us.
In the afternoon we visited Ban Phala school, which teaches 135 children from the Karen community. On the day of our visit 97 children were in school and Eddie performed his show for them. After the show we gave out donated toys to the kids.
Day 3
Our visit we went to Tha Aad School, a large school with segregated sections for Burmese and Thai children. On a previous trip Eddie had performed his show for the Burmese children. On this occasion it was the turn of the Thai kids, many of whom were wearing their Scout uniforms.
Our visit we went to Tha Aad School, a large school with segregated sections for Burmese and Thai children. On a previous trip Eddie had performed his show for the Burmese children. On this occasion it was the turn of the Thai kids, many of whom were wearing their Scout uniforms.
This was followed by a visit to the Irrawaddy Migrant School just outside Mae Sot where Gift of happiness had agreed to sign the rent agreement for two years. Eddie handed over the whole amount of rent to the head teacher at the school and received a proper certificate, lease and receipt for the money he paid. This was sponsored by the St. Andrews Society in Bangkok and partly by Wanneroo Rotary Club in Perth W. Australia.
In the afternoon we visited Naung Bo Den school, located in a forest close to the Burmese border. This community was very remote and to reach it we travelled along dirt roads. The community is home to ethnic Karen. Eddie performed his clown show in a clearing in front of 50 or so kids and a number of adults, all of whom were thoroughly entertained. After the show we presented school uniforms to the kids and handed out some toys.
On behalf of all the volunteers I would like to thank Gift of Happiness for giving us the opportunity to come along with them on this trip. It was certainly an eye-opening experience and really gave an insight into the plight and needs of the Burmese refugees living in Thailand. It was great to be able to visit and learn more about a number of different NGOs that are working in the region, doing wonderful work.
We regularly give to Mae Tao Clinic where 90 babies per week are born! Our aim is to help some of the people who are often overlooked by some of the large NGO's and non-registered or non-accountable groups that exist in this country.
If you need any further information about how best to help the children that we regularly serve in Mae Sot and other parts of Thailand.
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