LAUGHTER & JOY ARE THE STRONGEST MEDICINES MONEY CAN'T BUY
29/09/15 to 01/10/15
Gift of Happiness Foundation is pleased to have completed its second September 2015 essential aid and show giving project tour to Mae Sot in the north of Thailand during the last week of the month. The project was attended by two unpaid volunteers including the charity Founder/Director, Eddie Haworth and Project Treasurer/Recorder, Mr. Gary White, plus one paid driver of our recently acquired new truck, Khun Amarin Nissasoka. (Sponsors details published later)
Gift of Happiness Foundation is pleased to have completed its second September 2015 essential aid and show giving project tour to Mae Sot in the north of Thailand during the last week of the month. The project was attended by two unpaid volunteers including the charity Founder/Director, Eddie Haworth and Project Treasurer/Recorder, Mr. Gary White, plus one paid driver of our recently acquired new truck, Khun Amarin Nissasoka. (Sponsors details published later)
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During the morning of 30/09/15 we served around 280 poor migrant kids and about 20 adults and teachers at the migrant community learning centre and 'Good Morning School' located close to the Moei River and Mae Sot's garbage dump. We recently came to this school and gave a 'Big Fat Buffoonery Show' for the children, plus a truck load of goodies. On that visit we were joined by the "Giving it Back Community" team from Manchester UK, Mr. Matthew Hensman and Qasim Akhtar (AKA Zeedan Nazir British ITV Coronation Street Character). That's when Matthew gave free professional haircuts and Qasim played football with this kids in the school play ground.
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Thank you letter written by a child at Good Morning Migrant School
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Thank you letter written by a child at SAW Safe House for abandoned children
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In the afternoon, we gave another performance for around 160 abandoned children and their carers at the SAW (Social Action for Women) safe house. We also gave a fantastic brand new hospital bed and wheelchair to Doctor Zaw for his new 'Free Clinic' near the city of Mae Sot, plus lots more great donations of clothing, bedding towels and toys for the children at the SAW safe house.
More details; [email protected] |
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This project was only made possible because we received financial support or goods from Monroe Consulting Group, The Crackers Ladies Group, Siam Motor World, Len Penn Music Academy, Park Plaza Sukhumvit Hotel, Opus Consulting, Khun Toon Wera and individual donors via our website donation gateways.
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GIFT OF HAPPINESS FOUNDATION REPORT
PROJECT VISIT TO MAE SOT, TAK PROVINCE NORTH THAILAND. 29 SEPTEMBER-1 OCTOBER, 2015
By: Gary White
PROJECT VISIT TO MAE SOT, TAK PROVINCE NORTH THAILAND. 29 SEPTEMBER-1 OCTOBER, 2015
By: Gary White
In recent months the Gift of Happiness Foundation (GoHF) has developed closer relations with a group of institutions in Mae Sot under the Social Action for Women (SAW) name, managed by Dr Htin Zaw. When GoHF last visited Mae Sot in early September, Dr Zaw asked if it was possible to obtain one or more hospital beds and other medical equipment, as these items were sorely needed by the SAW Group.
Now hospital beds in any form do not grow on trees, but the gods must have been smiling on Dr Zaw because, lo and behold, GoHF quite by chance came into possession of one brand new, fully equipped hospital bed a few weeks ago, plus a new, imported wheelchair and sundry other medical equipment. Other donations of clothing, toys and educational supplies have also flowed in freely, such that the GoHF warehouse was chock a block well before the end of September.
GoHF has also recently been lucky to win sponsorship of a brand new carry van, courtesy of Monroe Consulting so, whilst the van is not yet fully fitted out, with storage space at a premium it was decided to do another quick trip to Mae Sot at the end of September. This would clear some space in the warehouse, as well as help run in the new van.
It was thus that Director, Eddie Haworth, Assistant Amarin Nissasoka and Treasurer/Recorder Gary White set off on the morning of 29th September for the drive to Mae Sot. It was an uneventful trip, apart from a spotlight on the front of the Director’s truck working loose and the back casing on one of its rear vision mirrors mysteriously falling off, and we arrived at around the usual time of 6pm and checked in to our regular hotel, the Poonnagun.
The next morning, after the Poonnagun’s usual excellent breakfast, we set out for our first stop of the day, the Good Morning Migrant Learning Centre, on the northern edge of Mae Sot. This was a nice little school set amongst fields and trees, with just over 270 students ranging from nursery level to the equivalent of year 1 High School. We were greeted by a teacher cum driver cum sports coach called Samuel, who had quite good English and helped us with the usual formalities. The students helped unload and display 12 bags and 2 suitcases of assorted educational supplies, toys and children’s clothing, and posed for photos with their new found goods accompanied by a rousing cheer of “Eckie!”
No doubt with his “sports coach” hat on, Samuel put in a request for sporting uniforms for the children. Obviously, this is a tall order, not easily filled – but if a complete hospital bed can suddenly drop from the skies, who knows what can eventuate?
Next it was a return trip into and back out of town to locate and inspect the school bus that had previously been in the care of One Dream One World before it closed. The GoHF local volunteer, Khun Kit, had been caring for it since ODOW closed and it needed inspection to see what repairs might be necessary before it goes to a new home at another institution.
Lunch was at a (very) local grilled chicken outlet (another regular haunt) before we made our way to the Social Action for Women’s Safe House for Abandoned Children. Dr Zaw met us there and was delighted to see the hospital bed packed into the back of the new pick-up. Off he went to round up a utility load of strapping lads to get the bed off the GoHF truck and onto a local conveyance so it could be take off to Dr Zaw’s clinic, along with a wheelchair from the UK and assorted other medical equipment and supplies.
Meantime, Eddie/Eckie set up for a rollicking clown of happiness show and we unloaded yet more bags of clothing, toys and educational supplies for the Safe House. The show ended late in the afternoon and, after packing all the show props away, we returned to the Poonnagun for a bit of a rest and an early dinner.
Next day it was back in the vehicles for the long drive back to Bangkok – which drive was thankfully dry apart from a few sprinkles along the way. We were lucky to miss the downpours of Friday and the weekend. Although Eddie wasn't so lucky as he went just outside the Bangkok city limits to get his truck fixed on Friday and didn't escape the horrendous traffic jams until almost 10pm.
Many thanks to Khun Toon Wera for organizing the donation of the hospital bed and to Ann McKinnon for facilitating donation of the wheelchair.
Written by: Gary White, Retired Banker, Past President and Honorary Member, AustCham - 3 October, 2015
Now hospital beds in any form do not grow on trees, but the gods must have been smiling on Dr Zaw because, lo and behold, GoHF quite by chance came into possession of one brand new, fully equipped hospital bed a few weeks ago, plus a new, imported wheelchair and sundry other medical equipment. Other donations of clothing, toys and educational supplies have also flowed in freely, such that the GoHF warehouse was chock a block well before the end of September.
GoHF has also recently been lucky to win sponsorship of a brand new carry van, courtesy of Monroe Consulting so, whilst the van is not yet fully fitted out, with storage space at a premium it was decided to do another quick trip to Mae Sot at the end of September. This would clear some space in the warehouse, as well as help run in the new van.
It was thus that Director, Eddie Haworth, Assistant Amarin Nissasoka and Treasurer/Recorder Gary White set off on the morning of 29th September for the drive to Mae Sot. It was an uneventful trip, apart from a spotlight on the front of the Director’s truck working loose and the back casing on one of its rear vision mirrors mysteriously falling off, and we arrived at around the usual time of 6pm and checked in to our regular hotel, the Poonnagun.
The next morning, after the Poonnagun’s usual excellent breakfast, we set out for our first stop of the day, the Good Morning Migrant Learning Centre, on the northern edge of Mae Sot. This was a nice little school set amongst fields and trees, with just over 270 students ranging from nursery level to the equivalent of year 1 High School. We were greeted by a teacher cum driver cum sports coach called Samuel, who had quite good English and helped us with the usual formalities. The students helped unload and display 12 bags and 2 suitcases of assorted educational supplies, toys and children’s clothing, and posed for photos with their new found goods accompanied by a rousing cheer of “Eckie!”
No doubt with his “sports coach” hat on, Samuel put in a request for sporting uniforms for the children. Obviously, this is a tall order, not easily filled – but if a complete hospital bed can suddenly drop from the skies, who knows what can eventuate?
Next it was a return trip into and back out of town to locate and inspect the school bus that had previously been in the care of One Dream One World before it closed. The GoHF local volunteer, Khun Kit, had been caring for it since ODOW closed and it needed inspection to see what repairs might be necessary before it goes to a new home at another institution.
Lunch was at a (very) local grilled chicken outlet (another regular haunt) before we made our way to the Social Action for Women’s Safe House for Abandoned Children. Dr Zaw met us there and was delighted to see the hospital bed packed into the back of the new pick-up. Off he went to round up a utility load of strapping lads to get the bed off the GoHF truck and onto a local conveyance so it could be take off to Dr Zaw’s clinic, along with a wheelchair from the UK and assorted other medical equipment and supplies.
Meantime, Eddie/Eckie set up for a rollicking clown of happiness show and we unloaded yet more bags of clothing, toys and educational supplies for the Safe House. The show ended late in the afternoon and, after packing all the show props away, we returned to the Poonnagun for a bit of a rest and an early dinner.
Next day it was back in the vehicles for the long drive back to Bangkok – which drive was thankfully dry apart from a few sprinkles along the way. We were lucky to miss the downpours of Friday and the weekend. Although Eddie wasn't so lucky as he went just outside the Bangkok city limits to get his truck fixed on Friday and didn't escape the horrendous traffic jams until almost 10pm.
Many thanks to Khun Toon Wera for organizing the donation of the hospital bed and to Ann McKinnon for facilitating donation of the wheelchair.
Written by: Gary White, Retired Banker, Past President and Honorary Member, AustCham - 3 October, 2015
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