Nothing but HAPPINESS to see here!
Unique Gifts of Happiness for some very special people!
Project location details, sponsors, volunteers and value of donations given, as required by the Royal Thai Government
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5 day project: 27 to 31st/08/17.
Prep/loading/breakdown: 26/07/17 & 01/08/2017 |
Schools/Orphanages served with goods and services, by GoHF
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Volunteers: Eddie Haworth, Founder/Director at Gift of Happiness Foundation, Mr Terry Sherwood and Mr Martin Kneath
Paid staff (sponsored by Monroe consulting Group): Khun Wanpen Sotiya (AKA Bob) and Khun Chutchada (Aiw) ชัฌฎา อิ๋ว General Manager at GoHF Transport sponsored by: Monroe Consulting Group - Clown Eckie Corporation and Martin Kneath Project sponsors: Monroe Consulting Group - Clown Eckie Corporation - Planet of the Crepes USA/Thailand Administration and location guides: Burmese Migrant Education Workers Committee - Chutchada (Aiw) ชัฌฎา อิ๋ว General Manager at Gift of Happiness Foundation - Mr Eddie Haworth. Number of beneficiaries: 1,770 children & 440 adults, plus teachers at 6 Migrant Learning Centres, 1 orphanage and 1 clinic. Goods and services given: Seleco Seaweed Snacks - Sukhumvit Park Plaza Hotel - The Sukhothai Hotel - St Andrews International School Dusit Campus Professional family entertainment shows & educational performances given by volunteer, Clown Eckie. Total value of goods and services given; ฿-225,000.00. |
Monday 28th morning; Nya Li Ah Hta Migrant Learning Centre, Tak Province, Thailand. 120 children & 60 adults served.
Afternoon; Champion Migrant Learning Centre, Mae Sot, Thailand. 140 children & 70 adults served. Tuesday 29th Morning; CDC Migrant Learning Centre, Mae Sot, Thailand. 1,000 children & 32 teachers served. Afternoon; SAW Secondary School, Mae Sot, Thailand. 240 children & 100 adults served. SAW Safe house/orphanage, Mae Sot, Thailand. 107 children & 60 adults served. Wednesday 30th Morning; Pyo Khinn Learning Centre, Mae Sot, Thailand. 128 children and 80 adults served. Afternoon; Parahita Learning Centre, Tak Province, Thailand. 137 children & 70 adults served. |
GIFT OF HAPPINESS!
Project reports by Mr Martin Kneath and Eddie Haworth. Additional report by Mr Terry Sherwood.
Sunday 27th August 2017 saw The Gift of Happiness August 'Aid & Show Giving Project' departed Bangkok at about 10.30am heading for Mae Sot, a regular trip, as there are so many children in great need of clothes, toys, educational resources and of course The GoHF ‘Clown Eckie Buffoonery Shows’.
Eddie Haworth as Founder/Director of GoHF lead the trip, with ‘Bob’ the driver and general ‘goffer’, plus two volunteers in the shape of Terry Sherwood and Martin Kneath.
Eddie Haworth as Founder/Director of GoHF lead the trip, with ‘Bob’ the driver and general ‘goffer’, plus two volunteers in the shape of Terry Sherwood and Martin Kneath.
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The journey was uneventful until the 3 vehicle, plus Eddies Royal Enfield motorcycle convoy started the ascent the steep mountain pass leading to Mae Sot, at which point Eddie’s car suddenly went into ‘Safe Mode’!
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After some thought, the filter was removed and shaken and discussions about re-booting the onboard computer by turning off the engine were had. We decided not to do so as we were in a fairly remote location and it was close to dusk when the partial shut-down occurred; thus, the convoy continued over the mountain at the ‘Safe Mode’ speed of 20 kph! Even lorries were overtaking us. Therefore, we arrived at our usual cheap guest house later than anticipated, but not too late to grace our frequently used Casa Mia restaurant for the evening meal of Burmese, French and Thai cuisine.
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Day 1 - A quick visit to the Burmese Migrant Education Workers Committee BMWEC offices to seek information about the whereabouts of the two migrant children’s schools, in fact, initiated one of the staff to accompany us and provide accurate directions to the schools. The visit to Nya Li Ah Hta Migrant Learning Centre took us through sweetcorn and sugarcane fields, located very close to the Thai/Burma border. Upon our arrival at the Nya Li Ah Hta farm workers settlement where the small school is located we received a very warm welcome from the 120 children and 3 teachers who were waiting patiently to receive their gifts of happiness for the second time this year. Of course the donations of educational supplies, toys and essential clothing, plus Clown Eckie's brand new All-singing-N-all-dancing Buffoonery Show were very much appreciated by the whole community.
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Motorcycle helmet education at Li Ah Hta Migrant Learning Centre, Tak Province, Thailand
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HAPPINESS at Champion Migrant Learning Centre
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Lunch was had on the move as we headed 40 kilometres back to the area of Mae Sot city limits where the friendship bridge crosses into Burma and where the Champion Migrant Learning Centre is located. This is another very small school educating around 140 primary aged children who are clearly desperately in need of support.
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The long standing Head of the school, gave us all a very warm welcome and the wonderful staff obviously had the children’s best interests at heart, as could be seen by so many happy and receptive faces from start to finish of what they referred to as this fabulous Go-Happiness presentation!
Day two - took us to a vastly different school – CDC – 1000 pupils, 50% of whom are cared for in boarding facilities.
It was decided by the school’s administration that not all the children would fit into the auditorium; therefore, Kindergarten and Primary children filed in, naturally excited by the prospect of a Buffoonery Show. It did not take long before secondary students crept into the back and many were seen hanging over the balconies that surrounded the auditorium!
It was decided by the school’s administration that not all the children would fit into the auditorium; therefore, Kindergarten and Primary children filed in, naturally excited by the prospect of a Buffoonery Show. It did not take long before secondary students crept into the back and many were seen hanging over the balconies that surrounded the auditorium!
Photos of children looking at their photos taken a few years earlier created great amusement and happiness!
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There have been some additions to the Show’s display – large banner’s showing the GoHF generous supporters - Monroe and Seleco Seaweed, plus three Clown Eckie life size heads, which have recently been renovated. Also notable was that a number of the children spotted their photos on Eddie’s car – The children are looking at their photos taken a few years earlier created great amusement and happiness!
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Lunch was had at a frequently visited restaurant near the airport and the Friendship Bridge before driving across town to give some more happiness to another school full of poor children. The SAW (Social Action for Women) school has been visited by GoHF and Eddie's team since 2006 and we received another very warm welcome as the convoy arrived with Dr Saw at the forefront of the welcome.
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Eddie, as his usual want, continues to adapt the show and during this project, a magnificently constructed sousaphone which is a brass instrument in the same family as the more widely known tuba. It was designed to be easier to play than the concert tuba while standing or marching, as well as to carry the sound of the instrument above the heads of the band.
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Eddie constructed with TWO horned sousaphone and invited children to play it – not easy as it needs to be balanced on the shoulders and then blown into the mouthpiece in a particular way to create its unique sound!
Go Happiness brings yet another truckload of essentials to Dr Zaw's Safe House for Women and Children, Mae Sot, Thailand
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A quick journey to Dr Zaw’s safe house for women and orphaned children enabled GoHF to donate a great deal of well needed bedding, clothes, toys, medical supplies and other donations. The arrival of the children coming back from school was its usual tumbling out of the songthaews/(School Busses) and cries of recognition as they realised that Clown Eckie was waiting to see them.
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Wednesday, the final day, saw the Project visit Pyo Khinn Learning Centre situated near the Mae Sot Hospital, a very small school, with dedicated teachers and Head. The children engaged with the Show with huge enthusiasm and were genuinely thankful for all the wonderful gifts of educational supplies, toys, clothing, bedding/towels and of course the most memorable clown show they had ever seen.
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Pyo Khinn Learning Centre Mae Sot, Thailand
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Parahita Learning Centre, Tak Province, Thailand.
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After a quick lunch at a roadside eatery near the main Mae Sot hospital we collected our guide from the BMWEC office, then headed out to the Parahita Learning Centre found 25 km south of Mae Sot and in the grounds of a Buddhist Monastery, where we were greeted with great big smiles and helpful hands ready to unload the donations.
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As has already been stated, Eddie likes to tweek the Show and introduced a ‘water soaker’ rather than his usual ‘squirting umbrella’, which made that part of the show much wetter and enjoyable. Here we also experienced the best performer on the sousaphone from the audience! After the big show, we handed over another important truckload of essential goods to sustain the children and adults until our next delivery of essentials in January 2018.
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Following the last great show of the week we headed back to the Thai/Burma border near Mae Sot to drop-off the last delivery of essential bedding, towelling (Donated by Park Plaza Hotel BKK) and medical supplies to the well known Mae Tao free Clinic. The staff at this remarkable Clinic serving thousands of migrant families, received the donations with great humility and were genuinely pleased to see Eddie.
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Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Thailand receive yet another load of essentials from Go Happiness!
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Thursday saw an uneventful return trip to Bangkok other than a beneficial shopping trip to the Thanon Thongchai Mountain Range Doi Muser Hill Tribe Market.
Eddie says; We arrived back in the City just before dinnertime to count our blessings and ponder on the fate of all those poor people who are struggling to survive in harsh/hot conditions that are only made a little easier by receiving our occasional 'Gifts of Happiness' - We simply could not keep doing this very important work without the fantastic support of our regular sponsors and the amazingly generous people who give so much of their used clothing, toys and so much more. Thank you!
Please read this additional report by Mr Terry Sherwood;
Go Happiness volunteer Mr Terry Sherwood
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Mae Sot Migrant Schools etc – Clown Show & Donations Trip (27-31 Aug ’17)
This was my umpteenth trip to help Eddie with his ongoing mission to deliver happiness and gifts to the underprivileged and I have to say that it was the most fun to date – please allow me to explain (but you’ll have to read/skip to the end!).
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I was unable to help with the loading on the Saturday but I came prepared for the long haul up north on the Sunday with Eddie, Martin and “Bob” – bag and snacks packed and ready for a bit of a chinwag on the journey (those who know me will know that I am not averse to the occasional short chat or more). Martin assumed the role of “tail gunner” for our small convoy with Bob sandwiched in the middle and later I took over the driving of the Go-Happiness, (Monroe consulting group sponsored) truck for the final leg over the mountains (and tried not to annoy Bob too much with my music selection). A glitch with Eddie’s pick up over the mountain added an hour to our trip but we soon settled ourselves into our rooms at the guesthouse, Bob made sure Eddie’s motorbike was unloaded safely from it’s trailer then it was off to our preferred eatery for a quick meal and beverages before settling down for the night.
Monday saw us heading to the Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee for concise directions to both of our Day 1 schools which resulted in one of their staff kindly accompanying us for the day. I was charged with driving Eddie’s truck while he drove his motorcycle which is used as an educational tool to help kids understand the importance of wearing crash helmets. The kids and staff at Nya Li Ah Hta Learning Centre were excited to see Eddie’s truck preceded by Eddie himself on his trusty Royal Enfield. The excitement was soon rewarded by a super buffoonery show after Martin, Bob and I had set everything up followed by many photo’s by some of the staff – Martin was busy snapping away throughout the show (when Bob wasn’t photo-bombing!).
Our second show at Champion Learning Centre seemed to follow almost immediately even though we had obviously packed up and left the previous location in an orderly/organised (ish) fashion. This show seemed to have even more excited kids and staff attending and Eddie delivered another wonderful show, improvising when necessary as some of the kids got over excited – this made Martin and I chuckle and throw in a few friendly heckles to add to the madness (which we are pretty sure that Eddie appreciated).
Martin kindly returned our accompanying BMWEC staff member to their offices and we all met up again at the Gust house in Mae Sot City.
Tuesday started off with a visit to one of the biggest places schools that we visit – the CDC Residential Migrant School – with approximately 1,000 students attending the show from kindergarten up to Grade 12. Despite some initial logistical/staffing issues of the CDC, we managed to get everything set up and eventually the buffoonery could begin. Slightly riotous by the end, I seem to recall that Bob did less photo-bombing on this occasion and Martin must have completed almost a half marathon rushing around trying to capture as many images of the rapturous audience as possible.
After a quick lunch at one of our favourite eateries, we hurried to set up for the next show and donation giving at SAW Secondary School. Bob and I were equally guilty of photo-bombing here and Martin and I decided to continue our friendly heckling which had all three of us giggling as much as the students.
End of show photo’s completed, we then headed off to Dr. Zaw’s Safehouse which is always emotive for all of us and handed over a huge amount of donations. The cheering of the kids as they returned from school and saw Eddie’s pickup in front of their home almost choked me however I managed to keep my composure and safely manged to resist trying to adopt as many of them as possible. It was also a privilege to meet Dr. Zaw’s wife on this occasion and to see that the doctor himself is recovering so very well from his own medical challenges.
Back to the guesthouse and get ourselves ready for another evening meal in town – Martin was extremely polite despite most of his menu choices not being available – and then back to e-mails and internet work for us all.
Wednesday required another trip to the BMWEC for their staff to show us the way to the Pyo Khinn Learning Centre and by this time, the well-oiled machine of Martin, Bob and I sprung into action to set everything up in almost no time at all. There was no Eddie on his motorbike today due to both terrain and weather. This show seemed to fly past as all four of us were also laughing on many occasions however Eddie managed, as always, to preserve his professionalism and deliver another side splitting show – the staff particularly (and a visiting foreign teacher) were in laughing tears at times.
Packing up gets quicker and easier after each show as so many donations are given at each location so we were quickly ready and off to our lunch location at which Bob managed to get himself four meals due to mis-translations – to his credit, he ate them all which greatly impressed all of us (and the café staff of course). Eddie happily paid the bill for all the meals at an amazingly cheap cost of less than 200-THB!
Our final show was delivered to the Buddhist monks led Parahita Learning Centre where I have also been before. Fortunately, the front of the Centre has now been fitted with mesh-type doors which keeps out the numerous dogs around so we were able to set up without having to step in anything or trip over the mutts. This was perhaps the best show of the trip with Eddie barely able to stop himself from laughing which of course was contagious leading to many adults and kids doubled up around the building.
A quick pack up and we were off to our final stop, the incredible Mae Tao Clinic which serves thousands (and I’m probably being very conservative in my guesswork) of migrants from both sides of the border. This was simply a donation stop however it was, as always, very gratefully received and appreciated by the super staff there with a promise by Eddie to deliver another show on one of the next soonest trips please.
A final evening meal at our restaurant/café of the week, we all got what we ordered this time, and then it was back to the guesthouse for a last nights’ stay and internet work – Eddie and Martin beavering away sorting photo’s and text etc for the gohappiness.org website (I went straight to bed and scared the geckos off with my snoring!).
The trip back was dotted with a couple of rest stops including at the great mountain market, Doi Muser, where Eddie, Martin and I stocked up on our necessaries (for ourselves and others) which of course are both great value and ultra fresh.
This was an even more memorable trip for me because it is the first time that I have seen Eddie laughing so much during his shows – as a friend of many years this was/is wonderful for me equally because he deserves it and because he suffers so much from painful ill health. Additionally, the repartee between the three of us, and Bob when we could include him and he include us, created a super environment throughout the trip – bring on the September trip!
Thanks Eddie, Martin and Bob – stay safe and I’ll be seeing you again soon – don’t say you haven’t been warned!
Monday saw us heading to the Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee for concise directions to both of our Day 1 schools which resulted in one of their staff kindly accompanying us for the day. I was charged with driving Eddie’s truck while he drove his motorcycle which is used as an educational tool to help kids understand the importance of wearing crash helmets. The kids and staff at Nya Li Ah Hta Learning Centre were excited to see Eddie’s truck preceded by Eddie himself on his trusty Royal Enfield. The excitement was soon rewarded by a super buffoonery show after Martin, Bob and I had set everything up followed by many photo’s by some of the staff – Martin was busy snapping away throughout the show (when Bob wasn’t photo-bombing!).
Our second show at Champion Learning Centre seemed to follow almost immediately even though we had obviously packed up and left the previous location in an orderly/organised (ish) fashion. This show seemed to have even more excited kids and staff attending and Eddie delivered another wonderful show, improvising when necessary as some of the kids got over excited – this made Martin and I chuckle and throw in a few friendly heckles to add to the madness (which we are pretty sure that Eddie appreciated).
Martin kindly returned our accompanying BMWEC staff member to their offices and we all met up again at the Gust house in Mae Sot City.
Tuesday started off with a visit to one of the biggest places schools that we visit – the CDC Residential Migrant School – with approximately 1,000 students attending the show from kindergarten up to Grade 12. Despite some initial logistical/staffing issues of the CDC, we managed to get everything set up and eventually the buffoonery could begin. Slightly riotous by the end, I seem to recall that Bob did less photo-bombing on this occasion and Martin must have completed almost a half marathon rushing around trying to capture as many images of the rapturous audience as possible.
After a quick lunch at one of our favourite eateries, we hurried to set up for the next show and donation giving at SAW Secondary School. Bob and I were equally guilty of photo-bombing here and Martin and I decided to continue our friendly heckling which had all three of us giggling as much as the students.
End of show photo’s completed, we then headed off to Dr. Zaw’s Safehouse which is always emotive for all of us and handed over a huge amount of donations. The cheering of the kids as they returned from school and saw Eddie’s pickup in front of their home almost choked me however I managed to keep my composure and safely manged to resist trying to adopt as many of them as possible. It was also a privilege to meet Dr. Zaw’s wife on this occasion and to see that the doctor himself is recovering so very well from his own medical challenges.
Back to the guesthouse and get ourselves ready for another evening meal in town – Martin was extremely polite despite most of his menu choices not being available – and then back to e-mails and internet work for us all.
Wednesday required another trip to the BMWEC for their staff to show us the way to the Pyo Khinn Learning Centre and by this time, the well-oiled machine of Martin, Bob and I sprung into action to set everything up in almost no time at all. There was no Eddie on his motorbike today due to both terrain and weather. This show seemed to fly past as all four of us were also laughing on many occasions however Eddie managed, as always, to preserve his professionalism and deliver another side splitting show – the staff particularly (and a visiting foreign teacher) were in laughing tears at times.
Packing up gets quicker and easier after each show as so many donations are given at each location so we were quickly ready and off to our lunch location at which Bob managed to get himself four meals due to mis-translations – to his credit, he ate them all which greatly impressed all of us (and the café staff of course). Eddie happily paid the bill for all the meals at an amazingly cheap cost of less than 200-THB!
Our final show was delivered to the Buddhist monks led Parahita Learning Centre where I have also been before. Fortunately, the front of the Centre has now been fitted with mesh-type doors which keeps out the numerous dogs around so we were able to set up without having to step in anything or trip over the mutts. This was perhaps the best show of the trip with Eddie barely able to stop himself from laughing which of course was contagious leading to many adults and kids doubled up around the building.
A quick pack up and we were off to our final stop, the incredible Mae Tao Clinic which serves thousands (and I’m probably being very conservative in my guesswork) of migrants from both sides of the border. This was simply a donation stop however it was, as always, very gratefully received and appreciated by the super staff there with a promise by Eddie to deliver another show on one of the next soonest trips please.
A final evening meal at our restaurant/café of the week, we all got what we ordered this time, and then it was back to the guesthouse for a last nights’ stay and internet work – Eddie and Martin beavering away sorting photo’s and text etc for the gohappiness.org website (I went straight to bed and scared the geckos off with my snoring!).
The trip back was dotted with a couple of rest stops including at the great mountain market, Doi Muser, where Eddie, Martin and I stocked up on our necessaries (for ourselves and others) which of course are both great value and ultra fresh.
This was an even more memorable trip for me because it is the first time that I have seen Eddie laughing so much during his shows – as a friend of many years this was/is wonderful for me equally because he deserves it and because he suffers so much from painful ill health. Additionally, the repartee between the three of us, and Bob when we could include him and he include us, created a super environment throughout the trip – bring on the September trip!
Thanks Eddie, Martin and Bob – stay safe and I’ll be seeing you again soon – don’t say you haven’t been warned!
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Please send goods or whatever you can afford to help the children have a slightly happier life
Note; GoHF is only able to process credit card donations via the PayPal credit card payment gateways.
Please send goods or whatever you can afford to help the children have a slightly happier life
Note; GoHF is only able to process credit card donations via the PayPal credit card payment gateways.
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How to make a credit card donation without a PayPal account:
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You can still send Credit Card donations via PayPal even if you do not have a PayPal account!
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Transfer any amount to the GoHF Charity Account.
Via ATM or Android or Cheque to: Account Name: Gift of Happiness Foundation. Cheques crossed account only, payable to; Gift of Happiness Foundation) Address: Kasikorn Bank PLC. BIG-C Rama 4, Bangkok. 10110. Account No: 7702101594. Account Type: Savings. Sort Code: 0004. Outside Thailand: Swift Code: KASITHBK. [Currency Converter] |
The Children Always Need...
*Clothing - Adult and Children’s/New or Used. *Toys - "No toy weapons please". *School equipment - Paper, pencils etc *Playground equipment - Always very welcome *Medical supplies - anything available at pharmacies. *Bedding - Essential for most northern locations. *Toweling - Can also be used for bedding. *Personal hygiene - Soap, toothpaste/brushes etc. *Mosquito nets - Helps prevent Malaria and Dengue. *Other useful goods - We know what's needed. READ MORE>> |
Take a look at why many people already trust Gift of Happiness Foundation.
Gift of Happiness Foundation has been established as a properly registered charity in Thailand since 2009. The charity was originally registered in 2005 under the laws relating to a recognised body of persons just like many established loyal societies and other committees set-up to provide support for the needy in Thailand. In March 2010 the charity was also honoured to be granted membership of the League of Foundations of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Gift of Happiness Foundation registration number: Kor Tor 1914. - Tax I.D: 0-9930-0009226-1.
Since those early first steps to become a trusted and transparent child support charity we have received numerous accolades and commendations from British, Australian, French, South African Ambassadors and a high level of trust from many respected companies and organizations (Not least our only corporate sponsor, Monroe Consulting Group). We have also been properly vetted and approved to receive grants or donations from Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAFA), Exo Foundation, Boulevard De La Stim, Rotary Clubs, PayPal and Ammado Giving to Nonprofits.
See our monthly project reports here - Our full 2016 Annual Report here Or Read more about us
Thank you!
Gift of Happiness Foundation registration number: Kor Tor 1914. - Tax I.D: 0-9930-0009226-1.
Since those early first steps to become a trusted and transparent child support charity we have received numerous accolades and commendations from British, Australian, French, South African Ambassadors and a high level of trust from many respected companies and organizations (Not least our only corporate sponsor, Monroe Consulting Group). We have also been properly vetted and approved to receive grants or donations from Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAFA), Exo Foundation, Boulevard De La Stim, Rotary Clubs, PayPal and Ammado Giving to Nonprofits.
See our monthly project reports here - Our full 2016 Annual Report here Or Read more about us
Thank you!
