Gift of Happiness Foundation
We are proud to announce...We helped more than 90,000 people in Thailand during 2013.

Is it just Clown Shows for children?

Open the door to happiness

Picture
A child opens the safe house door to let some happiness into his life!
Here's a look at what's involved for a typical visit to The refugee camps, migrant schools and communities in Bangkok and North Thailand.First, in the weeks before a trip...Operations Director, Eddie Haworth puts the word out that he's looking for donations - clothing, toys, bedding, towels, electronic equipment, medicine - you name it, these people need it.People respond and Eddie or one of the volunteer drivers travels all over Bangkok to collect the donations.  Over a few weeks, the collection grows, filling up the entire first floor of the Gift of Happiness Foundation Headquarters in central Bangkok and then the new sorting room which is about 40 kilometers north of the city.  Then the volunteers sort everything into appropriate piles - Men's and women's, children (boys and girls) etc.  By this time, we've got about two or three full pick-up trucks worth of donated goods.

By now, Eddie or his volunteers have made about six to ten individual trips to gather things together.  That's a lot of time and a lot of gas and express-way money.  While all this is happening, Eddie, the operations director, is making the necessary contacts with NGOs, the Thai Government, community groups and others to make arrangements for the next big trip.   Dozens of emails and dozens of phone calls later, things are falling into place.

It's a long hard drive to deliver the goods

Picture
Eddie Haworth's (AKA Clown Eckie) Pick-up truck is donated to Gift of Happiness
Those who will accompany Eddie on the trip (some who need to be paid, like drivers; some who will pay their own way to help, witness and participate) need approvals and camp passes - all of which Eddie has to arrange well in advance.  At the same time, Eddie has ear-marked his own pick-up and is scrambling for more donated vehicles to transport up-to six or seven tons of donated items, and sometimes his unique 'Clown TukTuk' up-country.

Finally the day comes to make the 6 to 7 hour drive up-country - a convoy of pick-ups with one pulling Eddie's bright yellow TukTuk on a trailer.

As the team pulls into the hotel grounds, Eddie gets in touch with and meets those who will facilitate the next day's events. For the next 5 or 6 days, Eddie (as Clown Eckie) will do at least two shows a day, often in quite remote locations that take a few hours to get to over rough tracks. He'll entertain several thousand children and their families, heading back to the hotel each evening to rest up for the next day's activities.

In the end, a convoy of now empty pick-up trucks makes the long drive back to Bangkok - everyone thrilled by the sights, sounds, laughter and joy they have seen on the faces of children whose desperate lives have been brightened for a few hours.

Who Pays for all this?

All costs for office rent, administration, utility bills and transport expenses are paid by Operations Director Eddie Haworth.  The foundation is totally dependent on donations and has no corporate or government funding.  We receive donations of money, labour and equipment from friends of the foundation in Thailand, Europe, USA, Australia, Canada and other countries.

Volunteers and staff don't get paid here...

Picture
Unpaid volunteers sorting donations at a northern migrant school
  • We...The operational and administration staff are all volunteers and are not paid any money at all.
  • We believe that what we are doing is of immense importance to the people we serve and we are happy to continue receiving NO salary for our work with them.
  • We will also continue to pay for on-going projects ourselves, until we cannot do so any-more.
  • Volunteers from Bangkok and community leaders in the remote areas  we visit, are happy to offer their unpaid time and labour to help us re-distribute donated goods in the field. 
  • With your help...we can can grow and give a lot more happiness to people who normally have nothing much to be happy about?
Important note:
Before you give to any charity.  Please think carefully and check-up on any organisation that you are planning to help?
There are many "so called" charitable foundations in this country and all over the world.  You can easily see if the organisation that you are considering is a properly registered charity with open accounts.  Simply see if they have a proper verifiable registration and VAT number published on their website or in any literature for their organisation.  You can check this in Thailand by visiting the registration authority at the Ministry of Interior.  Registration authority URL: http://www.moi.go.th
  • We are registered here: The Ministry of Interior registration authority, Klong Toey District Bangkok 10110.
  • Registration number: Kor Tor 1914 - VAT: 3-0337-6259-4.
  • As a properly registered charity in Thailand, we provide tax receipts for donations received and have accurate and open accounts for anyone to see.
  • You can give goods or money to Gift of happiness Foundation by following the 'MAKE A DIFFERENCE' button on every page of this website.