| Report 2003 |
ACTIVITIES REPORT
ON THE
EDUCATION / HEALTH
AND
HOME FOR ORPHANED CHILDREN
LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS
FOR THE YEAR 2003 |
| INTRODUCTION |
| As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues, the needs of the children
infected and affected by HIV/AIDS increases. Affected children
are those that are HIV Negative but whose parents are people
living with HIV/AIDS. Some children infected with HIV/AIDS
become orphans when both their parents die of AIDS. Some
infected children are referred to the Camillian Social
Center (CSC) because the remaining parent or relatives
are not able to take care of them or refuse to take care
of them. Consequently, they have no one to take care of
them. They lack the love and warmth they would have received
from their natural families. They do not have an opportunity
to get an education. As adults and without help, they are
ill-equipped to take an active part in society. Economic
hardship and social dislocation may well be their future. |
| The staff at the Camillian Social Center
in Rayong (CSC) Home for Children Living with HIV/AIDS is
addressing the problem for the orphans that are referred
to us. In May 1998, the CSC began working with children living
with HIV/AIDS (CLWHA) and the home and school for orphans
were officially opened with a religious ceremony in November
1999. The number of children being referred to CSC has increased
yearly. |
| The children living with HIV/AIDS need
special care and attention because of the effects of the
disease and the side effects of the medicine. The teachers
and the caregiver become intimately acquainted with the children
and try to provide what each child needs for its psychological
and physical health. Special tutors provide literacy classes
appropriate to the children’s ages and conditions.
These classes help the children to learn to read and write,
develop self-discipline and prepare them to attend regular
schools. The caregiver looks after the children’s daily
living needs. She ensures that the children have a secure
home, by helping them to develop a regular routine in their
day, including keeping their home area tidy and the surrounding
area clean. |
| |
| PERSONNEL |
| At the beginning of each month, a meeting
of the Childcare Center staff is held to plan the objectives
for the month. The meeting is an opportunity to find out
if members of the Childcare Center staff are enjoying their
work. A logbook has been initiated to document the happenings
of each day may they be good or bad or cause a problem. This
log is used to follow up on children’s problems and
as a reference for the nurse. |
| Five teachers, a nurse, an educational
advisor, a cleaner and a nanny are responsible for the care
of the children: Their names are: |
- Mr. Eakkalak Phinitpornphapa
Teacher Secondary II
- Mrs. Duangchit Simtrakul Teacher Bachelor Degree
- Mrs. Wanida Sonkvien Teacher Technical School
- Mr. Nukul Changtao Teacher Bachelor Degree
- Mr. Nattawat Narin Teacher Technical School
- Mrs. Meyo Mayao Caregiver
- Mrs Oon Sularak Cleaner
- Mrs Noojgree Thulathon Nurse BSc Nursing
- Sister Rita Educational Adviser Masters of Education
Catechism Teacher BA Psych/Counseling
|
| To ensure that the children get the
best care available, the Center has hired a full-time nurse.
The nurse is on duty during the week days. She provides advice
on the possible problems that may arise from the children’s
past or from the effects of the medicine. She is an extremely
important member of the Childcare Center team. |
| We have short term volunteers that
come to the Childcare and stay for a few hours on each visit.
The “Right to Play” group has been faithfully
coming every week to exercise the children’s different
muscle groups and to teach the teachers how to continue the
program. The Center also has foreign volunteers who stay
for longer terms. The volunteers help to ensure that the
children have their meals and take their medicine. They teach
some subjects to the children and accompany them in the activities
held at the Center or in the neighbourhood. They also help
to take the children to local hospitals, need medical attention
or when they have their cd4 and viral loads checked. |
| |
| ACCOMMODATIONS |
| In January of 2003, the Childcare Center
began the year with 30 children. Since then, five more children
(Mee, Pom2, Pop, Chompoo & Mai) have been referred to
the Childcare Center. All thirty children living with HIV/AIDS
are on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART). Five
children are non-positive but are affected by HIV/AIDS because
they are living with parents who have HIV/AIDS. Twelve children
live in the main house that is situated near the main gate.
Four children live with their parents outside the CSC. Three
children live with their parents and two other children are
living with their stepmothers within the CSC compound. Twelve
children live in a family type setting in apartments within
the CSC. They reside with other adults that are living with
HIV/AIDS. |
| The age distribution of the children
is as follows: |
| 4-6 years |
7-9 years |
10-12 years |
13-14 years |
< 14 years |
| 5 |
9 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
|
| |
| EDUCATION |
| Last year, six of our children attended
schools in the local area and this year three more were
accepted. Twenty-six
children are taught at the Childcare Center. School subjects
are taught from Monday to Saturday between 9 a.m. and
4 p.m. at the Kindergarten to Primary 6 levels. Examinations
are held at the Childcare Center every two months during
the school year. The school year has been synchronized
with the governmental one. Four students (Golf, Bell,
Toei & Tukkata)
are upgrading their schooling by attending non-formal
education classes in Rayong. |
| The following classes are taught at the
CSC Childcare Center: |
| Kindergarten |
Primary 1 |
Primary 3 |
Primary 5 |
| 7 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
|
| The daily routine includes raising
the flag at eight a.m. or prior to the beginning of classes.
Classes are taught until lunchtime at noon. Classes resume
at one p.m. and end at four p.m. Time is also allotted to
clean the main house, the rooms and the grounds. Beds are
made every day and the linen is changed weekly. The children
join with the other PLWHA for lunch in the canteen. This
fosters the feeling of belonging to a family for everyone. |
| Once a week, religion classes are taught
by a religious sister to everyone to provide moral and ethical
values to the children. On Thursday and Saturday, there is
time set aside for extra-curricular activities such as mechanics,
woodworking, needlework, cooking and crafts. All the children
are encouraged to participate in some type of activity. One
of the children’s activities is to make greeting cards.
The cards are then sold and this helps the children to generate
and manage their own income. The objective is to prepare
the children to live their lives as members of the greater
society. |
| A special program was for Wai Kroo
(thank the teacher) Day. The children were proud of the creations
that were made and presented to the teachers. On Children’s
Day, everyone walked to the beach and enjoyed a dinner at
a local eatery. The children attended and entertained at
the opening of a new church and the profession of faith of
four new Camillian brothers. Easter was celebrated with great
solemnity and reverence and Songkran was celebrated with
the water ceremony, competitions and much revelry. During
the past six months, the children visited the local beaches
to relax, swim and play in the water. They also visited the
Suan Sri-Muang (park) on several occasions to play on the
structures and to sit beneath the trees. There were also
outings to the local department stores and other market areas,
as well. |
| In order to increase the children’s
knowledge and world-view, regular outings were made to the
local parks, beaches and shopping centers. Special outings
were made (1) the Chantaburi waterfall where the children
played in the water and fed the fish, (2) the island of Samet
to enjoy the sea and sand, (3) a day with the students of
Garden International School, (4) the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo,
(5) Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum, (6) Nong Nooch
Gardens, (7) airplane rides with the members of the Pattaya
Aircraft Sports Club and (8) the opening of two buildings
of religious significance. The children studied natural sciences
at Kirangahan Bay in Chantaburi and the fauna in the surrounding
areas of Rayong. Attending a camping outing at Assumption
Paradise near Chantaburi fostered teamwork and group relationships.
Cultural performances were given for visitors, at the religious
festivals and for the birthday and wedding of some of our
benefactors. |
| |
| HEALTH |
| Daily, the caregivers check on the
condition of the health. They also treat any open wounds
and ensure that the children take their medicine regularly.
Any medical that is more complex is referred to the nurse.
She visits the children every day and is available to treat
general medical problems and emergencies. The children are
referred to the doctor when they are ill and to the hospital
for their blood tests. A dentist at Map Tha Phut Hospital
checks the children’s teeth every six months. |
| The children have a good understanding
of their medicine and comply with the regime of taking the
medicine at the same time daily. They usually arrive at the
Center in very poor health and must treated for multiple
opportunistic infections. Once the opportunistic infections
have been cleared, the children are tested for suitability
to begin the highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART).
The anti retroviral medicine that the children take costs
between 5,500 and 6,000baht per day. The cost of the medicine
will reduce by 35% in the next year as fourteen of our orphans
have been accepted into the Government’s Pediatric
Access To Care (PATC) project and will be getting their ARV
medicine from the Rayong Hospital. Of equal importance, the
most expensive medicine is now available from the Government
Pharmaceutical Office at a more affordable price. |
| The children are taught the basics
of hygiene, the value of exercise and the importance of their
medicine. Blood tests and medical examinations are done at
the Rayong hospital. The children’s CD4 levels are
checked every 3 months and the viral load tests are done
every six months at the Thai Red Cross facility in Bangkok.
All the children’s vaccinations are up-to-date. |
| |
| STAFF |
| Each child is an individual with different
personalities, behaviour patterns, fears, good and bad habits.
Every member of the Childcare Center must be a teacher, a
caregiver, a surrogate parent, a disciplinarian and even
a friend. When children live together, problems arise. When
problems do occur, the children report them to the teachers
and it is up to the teachers to resolve the problems. The
teachers encourage the children to get along with each other.
They monitor the children’s behaviour closely and concentrate
on keeping the children happy and healthy. This translates
into high salaries as it is difficult to find the right people
for this very demanding job. |
| The staff has a good relationship with
the Province of Rayong social workers that are responsible
for the welfare of the children at CSC. The Center cooperates
closely with the Government Welfare Department even though
the level of financial support is minimal. The Map Ta Phut
district office registered all the children and provided
them with the gold health card so that they come under the
30 baht scheme. The Map Ta Phut hospital fully co-operates
in matters relating to the children’s health and well
being. The teachers have been negotiating with the non-formal
education authorities to get certificates for the children
that complete Primary 6. |
| |
| CONCLUSION |
| Life is like a cocktail with a mixture
of good times, times of joy and times of sadness but we tend
to dwell on the happy moments. The children bring life to
what could be a dreary existence for many of the residences
of the Center. Their laughter is infectious and their exuberance
raises the spirits of the patients. The schooling, educational
and social activities provided by the staff members of the
CSC Childcare Center will enable the orphans who are living
with HIV/AIDS and children affected by HIV/AIDS to live as
other healthy children. They will become capable adults able
to live within a community and become an asset to society.
The children living with HIV/AIDS at the Camillian Social
Center in Rayong provide us with much joy and laughter. |
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