How Dee Is Your Jai?

[Noel]

Charity begins at home is the mantra of some.

In as far as the Camillian Centre is home to many unfortunates, I wholeheartedly agree!

For those of you who have not been following the Dying Girlfriend? thread on this Forum, the Jaidee Appeal supports the kids at the Camillian Centre in Rayong who have been orphaned by and/or born with HIV.

The latest fundraiser is in memory of a Thaivisa.com member’s (richardb) ex-girlfriend Aom who sadly passed away at the Camillian Centre on the 12th of September 2005, having finally succumbed to the unforgiving AIDS syndrome.

To learn more about this year’s main fundraiser please go to 2005 JAIDEE APPEAL JW DRUNKATHOLON: IN MEMORY OF AOM

The appeal is currently being actively supported by Bahtbus.com, Thailand-UK.com and, as of recently, Thaivisa.com thanks to Ken and mpdkorat.

To give anyone interested an insight into how some of the previous monies raised by the Jaidee Appeal have been used, please read on…

The genesis of the CAMILLIAN CENTRE GARDEN OF EDEN

The Jaidee Appeal for the Camillian Centre came into being on the 31st of January 2001.

Although the initial 1,000,000 Baht target was seen by many as pie in the sky, history shows their doubt to have been ill founded.

The initial response to the appeal was beyond all expectations.

All and sundry were making donations ranging from a few hundred Baht to many multiples thereof.

Thanks to the generosity of one member who made a substantial donation, the idea of having the Jaidee Appeal monies partially used to fund some ‘concrete’ addition to the Centre came to mind; an extra building for the kids was the first thought.

Father G immediately warmed to the notion, but explained there was no room at the Centre itself for such expansion. He did, however, have another idea: he had long been thinking of something along the lines of a ‘half-way house’.

He envisaged such a facility as catering for young mothers and their children who were in the earlier stages of HIV/AIDS. Under the right supervision, such sufferers would be able to live a productive life away from the Centre whilst also freeing up space for those in greater need.

He also foresaw this to be a place for recovering patients before returning to society.

To cut a long story short, a house was identified that fitted all the criteria: reasonable external garden area, proximity to the Centre, a main road, shops, local hospital, schools etc.

The house in question was a ‘non-performing loan’ or more accurately, a repossession due to default.

The place was ideal and thanks to Father G’s negotiating skills, the price was right. We began planning all the work that needed to be done and itemised the necessary furnishings and equipment that would be required. Unfortunately, at ‘one minute to midnight’ the deal fell through.

That week Father G happened to be talking to a wealthy Thai lady who had previously shown interest in the Centre. When Father G just happened to share his disappointment at losing the property, the lady told him that she had some land that the Centre could have for free.

By ‘some land’ she actually meant over eleven rai or some 18,000 square metres!

The land was very close to a main road and fitted all the other criteria.

That was the beginning of Father G’s ‘Garden of Eden’ dream becoming a reality.

Father G wasted no time in writing up a formal project proposal as he would need to get approval from the ‘white frocks’, as I somewhat irreverently refer to his superiors.

Approval granted, work commenced to clear the land which was no mean task involving earth movers, drainage work and so forth.

Almost two years ago, a pal of mine and fellow supporter of the Jaidee Appeal, Tom Grieve, offered to fly me over the development in his Ultralight aircraft so I could take some photographs.

Tom and Father G the day Tom gave free flights for the kids

Great idea, great pilot, shame about the photographer…

My only excuse is that given the speed we were going at, bouncing and banking all over the shop, as soon as the green focus light came on my digital camera, we had already passed the target so I had to ‘guess’ in advance.

The pics below, whilst being of embarrassingly poor quality, will at least give an indication of the site in the early stages of its development:

The house farthest away of the two is the ‘Baan Jaidee’, the first dwelling to be built at the ‘Garden of Eden’

Below is the best pic I could get of the ‘Baan Jaidee’ after about ten abortive fly pasts and much abuse from Tom:

It was much easier on the ground…

Since then several more houses have been built in the name of other individual charitable organisations:

At the heart of the development is a central meeting facility which also serves as a dining area.

The last I heard there were over thirty adults and children staying at the Garden of Eden. The adults who are all well enough do a limited amount of work such as tending to vegetable gardens etc.

Although I have not been over to the Garden of Eden for a while, Father G tells me that they are now producing fruit and vegetables beyond the Centre’s needs so are able to sell the surplus.

There is still a great deal of potential for the Garden of Eden as there is a large area yet to be cleared and developed.

Pictured below is one of the recent arrivals at the Garden of Eden:

If you would like to help the kids by making a donation, please click here

[the scouser]

I was listening to BBC radio on Monday morning. The environmentalist who was being interviewed stated that for every £1 invested in the prevention/treatment of hiv/aids the world economy benefits to the tune of £40. As an individual, rather than a moderator, I would urge members to assist with this cause.

Topic pinned.

Scouse.

[Noel]

From BKK Post 18th

WE CARE

Practicing what you preach

Long regarded as a disease primarily affecting prostitutes and drug users, one Catholic priest is trying to show Thai people that there are many other faces of HIV and Aids

Story and photos by MARK BEALES

Pang jumps from the swing, takes a piece of paper and tries to write her name in English.

The five-year-old manages P, A, and G, but the "N" invariably ends up as an "M". She giggles as she tries again, and eventually makes it.

Pang is a chubby-cheeked, cheerful, precocious, little girl. Pang is also HIV positive.

She lives at the Camillian Social Centre in Rayong, along with 36 other children, and more than 50 adults.

The centre has been in existence for 10 years and has successfully created a tranquil place for patients, and has also helped to educate communities about HIV and Aids.

Italian priest Father Giovanni Contarin, who launched the centre, knows the importance of educating children like Pang for the future. He also knows how critical it is that Thai adults have a greater knowledge of the disease.

Many Thais still only associate HIV with working girls and tourists from the red-light centres of Pat Pong, Pattaya and Patong. In reality, it's the Thais not involved in the sex trade that are now indulging in high risk behaviour.

In Thailand, the number of faithful wives who are infected by their promiscuous husbands is among the highest in the world, as the "culture" of having sex outside of marriage is still prevalent.

In addition, young Thai girls are experimenting more with sex, often ignorant of the risks. Fr Contarin said that if things are to improve then it is Thai women, and not men, whose attitudes must change.

"In Thailand, nine percent of girls between 14 and 18 have sex. Later, when they come to have a boyfriend and girlfriend, they don't acknowledge their past history.

"Now, most of the infections are in the family and among many young people not in the sex trade. But Thai people still point to that group of working girls or the gay community."

The need for greater knowledge may be obvious, but even being allowed to talk about HIV in schools and offices is a challenge in itself.

"It took two years to get permission to organise HIV prevention activities and action plans for government schools. They said 'we don't have the power to decide, we have to go through the provincial office.'

"After two years I said, in front of the governor, 'I'm so bored, we are ready to go and we can do an action plan,"' said Fr Contarin.

Eventually the priest and his team of educators were allowed in. But still, teachers do not want to participate fully in HIV preventative education, where talking about sex is essential.

Factories first thought it would be invading workers' freedom to impose such training upon them. Now 80 factories, 13 schools and 12 communities benefit from action plans and preventative training. In addition, about 25 working girls from Pattaya come to the centre each month for HIV prevention training.

Listening to Fr Contarin, it's impossible not to be moved. He talks frankly and passionately about the subject. For more than 10 years he has worked in the field of HIV prevention, fighting against prejudices and fears.

And things are improving. Medication is more available and of a better quality. In the past 10 years, the rate of infection has dropped from an annual figure of 150,000 to around 20,000 today, although the reasons for this are economic as well as educational.

Fr Contarin explained: "There are many factors behind the lower infection rate. There's the condom campaign, education and economics.

"Eighty-five percent of Thai married men have sex outside marriage monthly, but now these people have less money to do this."

Today the issues are changing, and it is crucial that Thais alter their sexual habits if things are to improve further. Fr Contarin is keen to stress a new awareness and knowledge about "love and fidelity" as a value in Thai tradition and culture.

Another change is the growing number of women in need of help.

"Now we have more women at the centre than men. The numbers are increasing because of the increasing promiscuity. Before it was only prostitutes, now it's more than that. Another reason is that HIV naturally infects women more than men.

"Women outside the sex industry are more promiscuous, especially the young. We have to educate them about this because there's not enough understanding.

"This girl," Fr Contarin said, pointing to a patient wrapped in a blue blanket watching television, "she was not a prostitute. She is 19 and was married four times."

The priest has lived in Thailand for 20 years, but still speaks with an Italian passion and flair about HIV awareness. It's this desire for amelioration that has helped so many.

Children at Camillian come from extremely poor families and were infected by their parents; many are orphans.

The adults come from a variety of backgrounds and are generally referred to the centre by hospitals. Some of their families visit, many do not.

Camillian has a collection of small buildings, which include a handicraft centre, social area, playground, chapel and a pavilion in the middle of a pond. There is also a palliative care unit for sick patients with a full-time assistant nurse.

Most children go to local schools and are taken on occasional outings; the adults who are well enough do small tasks. Several adults live 40km away at the Garden of Eden, a specially-designated area of land where the patients grow their own vegetables. Life is as normal as it can be.

As we tuck into the canteen for pasta and pizza, Fr Contarin points out that the canteen staff is also HIV-positive.

It's one of the few centres in the world where the staff truly understand all the patients' problems. Nearly all the staff here have HIV, including Tong, a former drug user who is now a nurse.

He worked in hotels and for a bungee jump ride in Pattaya until he had a motorbike accident nearly 10 years ago. A routine blood test showed he was HIV-positive _ the result of heroin use. He continued to work until tuberculosis (TB) symptoms forced him to stop. The Camillian Centre looked after him for 11 months in its infirmary until he was well enough to work again. He lived with his family but became increasingly worried about the chance of infecting them, and when the TB symptoms returned, he chose to move to the Camillian Centre. Tong, 36, met his wife there and adopted her daughter, who are both also patients.

He then trained at the centre for two years and now helps other patients in the palliative care unit, checking that they take their medicine and helping with any emotional or spiritual issues they may have.

The salary he receives means his family can rent a home outside the centre and live independently.

Sommit is 42 and from Chon Buri. He said: "I went to hospital four years ago for a health check because I've got diabetes. I had a blood test and they found I was HIV-positive. I used to inject heroin."

Sommit is thin, missing teeth and has tattoos all over his chest. Living at the centre means he has access to all the drugs he needs to keep him well, and the support of others in the same situation. Outside the centre most people understand, but there are still prejudices.

"When I go to the local shops some are okay and don't mind, but some shops won't put the change in my hand. They just put it on the table."

Fr Contarin has little time for such attitudes and is critical of many things, including public schools.

He said: "Schools in Thailand are not doing enough. They explain about the physical part of the body, they explain about birth control, but they don't let the students talk about their situations, to ask questions and to interact with the subject."

The one irony behind a Catholic-based group's involvement in HIV prevention is the church's stance on condoms.

Fr Contarin said: "It is very important to understand the word 'prevention' and 'protection'. I live with HIV-positive people and I can see that the message of abstinence is not so understood. I believe in life and I'll try my best to educate people to defend it by practicing safe sex according to their beliefs."

When it comes to saving lives, there's a prerequisite to be practical.

As if proof were needed, the priest handed two photographs of a girl. In the first she is in a hotel room, leaning provocatively against a dresser with her legs slightly apart. She is wearing a polka-dot skirt and an orange and brown hooped top.

In the second photo, taken a year later, she is lying on a bed, her skeletal body covered by a thin shirt and incontinence pad; the ravaging effects of Aids all too obvious.

Fr Contarin puts the photographs away and pulls out a scrapbook. Inside are newspaper cuttings of the first HIV centre in Bangkok. Each story tells how the site had to close after it was attacked by bombs and shot at by a sniper.

Thankfully, things are much better than before. Preventative and educational work will ensure future Thai generations are at least armed with the knowledge of the deadly effects of HIV. Whether they choose to put that knowledge into practice is the major question still left unanswered.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Noel]

The most recent addition to swell the burgeoning ranks of supporters of the Camillian Centre and specifically the 2005 JAIDEE APPEAL JW DRUNKATHOLON: IN MEMORY OF AOM initiative is none other than the most widely read Bangkok cyberspace commentator: STICKMAN!

To read his latest column, please click on:

STICKMAN WEEKLY 23/10/2005

If you are unfamiliar with the background to this event, please click on: Dying Girlfriend?

It really is a must read.

[Noel]

The total pledged to date for the 2005 JAIDEE APPEAL JW DRUNKATHOLON:IN MEMORY OF AOM continues to rise!

If you would like tp pledge any amount you feel able and willing to spare, please let us know!

PLEDGES TO 31st of October 2005:

SUMMARY:

110,460

61,000

16,000

187,460

DETAIL:

10 July 2005 AXE WOUND 10,000

13 July 2005 JOHNNIE WALKER 10,000

14 July 2005 FOSSIL 10,000

21 July 2005 SWEENEY TODD 10,000

1 Aug 2005 AIRPORTWO 10,000

18 Sept 2005 WAIRU VALLEY TAVERN 23,460

18 Sept 2005 NOEL THOMAS 10,000

23 Sept 2005 RICHARDB 10,000

23 Sept 2005 AUNTY 10,000

24 Sept 2005 CHOPPER 5,000

24 Sept 2005 SUSIE WALKER 2,000

30 Sept THAILAND-UK.COM 61,000

6 Oct 2005 KEN (THAIVISA.COM) 8,000

7 Oct 2005 MPDKORAT (THAIVISA.COM) 4,000

12 Oct 2005 THE SCOUSER (THAIVISA.COM) 4,000

TOTAL TO DATE [‘plus change’ courtesy of Mrs. Wound ;-) ]187,460