In the last eight years, the impact of HIV/AIDS has been felt severely in the villages of the NongkhaiProvince in northeastern Thailand.
The Good Shepherd Sisters have worked in the area since 1981, providing, through income-generating projects, opportunities by which people are able to help themselves.
Their social welfare programs assist over 600 children to attend school and further their studies, the costs of which are often prohibitive for poor rural families. Their Village Outreach Program reaches out to the most vulnerable, including those living with HIV/AIDS.
Every two weeks, a current 100 children, either infected or affected by the virus, attend the Good Shepherd Friendship Centre- a place of unconditional acceptance, where, as one visitor put it, "hope is contagious." Here, they learn, they celebrate, they encourage one another. Once a month, they are joined by the adults for a "Family Day".
The Sisters see orphanages as a last resort. Their focus, when parents die, is to enable the child to remain in the family environment by supporting an extended family member. In most cases, the caregivers are the grandmothers. Support comes in many forms - nutritional supplements, medicine, transportation to hospital, advocacy, school sponsorship, self-esteem camps, house construction, income-generation activities and above all, encouragement and friendship.
A recent story illustrates the care given.
Faa,a thirteen year old girl, died tragically from Dengue Fever. Faa, whose younger brother has HIV/AIDS, had protected him and monitored his drug regimen ever since their parents died from AIDS. Upon Faa's death, a Staff member, consoling the grandmother, was heard to say, "Do not worry about the future. We are your family and we will always be here for you."
Constant new referrals to the program require increased resources and to this end, the Sisters are grateful to all who wish to collaborate with them in this caring work.