100 Novice Monks

Many will be surprised to see an HIV/Aids class being held in a Buddhist temple. Reproductive health education is a rather delicate issue not only in Buddhism but also in most other religions.
Wat Kong Lom is the second "Education and Prevention" session Rejoice has been involved in a Buddhist temple in Wiang Haeng District in the past month.
Wat Kong Lom temple is approximately 3km from Wiang Haeng Hospital.

Bangkok Patana Pre-med Students 2019

Each year in June Rejoice has the opportunity to welcome pre-med high school students from Bangkok Patana School. The students stay at the Mae Kok River Resort's Outdoor Education Centre. Part of the programme at the Education Centre consists of accompanying Rejoice on their visits to the rural hospitals, schools and villages.  Together with volunteer HIV healthcare workers, (themselves HIV positive), attached to rural hospitals Rejoice guides the students to witness first hand the practical and emotional support given to people affected by HIV in the rural North of Thailand.

To the good-hearted person, Carol Foo

Every Tuesday, on their way to the northern border, the Rejoice pick-up truck can be seen making a small detour, to deliver essential provisions to Mae Ho day care nursery.
The nursery is situated to the south of Chiang Dao town.
In 2015 the Thai government decreed that children under the age of 3 years should not be in a day care but at home looked after by their mother.

Education and Prevention at Wat Fa Wiang Inn

 Rejoice had been invited by the Abbot of the Shan, Buddhist temple on the Myanmar border to give a talk on reproductive health and protection against sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) to 40 Tai Yai (Shan) monks.

This was the first time Rejoice had been asked to make a presentation at a Buddhist temple.

The Department of Disease Control has revealed that most of the patients with sexually transmitted diseases are people aged between 15 and 24 years old (36.9%) while Bangrak STIs Center has posted on its Facebook page that syphilis patients are “dispersing” which has raised concerns on social media. The statistics also show that about 30% of people having their first intercourse do not use a condom.

 This intro, archive photo, from 2011, shows 6 children in Chiang Dao impacted by HIV and sponsored by SDL.

Today, SDL have sponsored 15 children, 9 from Chiang Dao. Some of whom, can be seen in the intro photo.

The SWAY below, from March 2019, show the Chiang Dao children sponsored by SDL. 

The following YouTube video was presented in the AVERT website. 'It is the first video in our brand new explainer series'.

Visit AVERT's website.

"Avert is working at the forefront of HIV and sexual health education. We believe in the power of digital communications to increase knowledge and understanding of HIV and sexual health, so people can make informed choices and live healthily."

https://www.avert.org/who-we-are

Baan Pang Fueng School

On Friday22 February 2019, an Education and Prevention meeting was held at Baan Pang Fueng School.
Rejoice together with HIV volunteers from Chiang Dao Hospital arrived at the School at 8.30am
The team were welcomed by the Head Master who introduced them to the students.
The Education and Prevention sessions was given to 52 students aged between 12-15 years

Sponsor a Child's Education

Children living within a family affected by HIV are eligible for a scholarship. The child may be an AIDS orphan, living with one parent, living with grandparents or living with relatives. Rejoice provides scholarships which enables the child to attend school, whilst allowing them to grow up within their own ethnic community rather than them being institutionalised in an orphanage.

Healthcare Volunteers Get together

On February 23rd 2019 Rejoice hosted a "Healthcare Workers Get-together" near Chiang Dao
These meetings are held annually to bring together healthcare volunteers attached to the diverse rural hospitals.
This year it was held at Baan Popeang Homestay and included an overnight stay which provided a relaxing atmosphere for the group to meet each other again and discuss experiences.

Community HIV Testing

On Tuesday 12 February the Rejoice Team, together with HIV volunteers from the group "Doi Luang Chiang Dao" and hospital staff from Chiang Dao Hospital made a trip to Dao Sonthaya Baan Pang Daeng, a small forest monastery about 10km east of Chiang Dao.
The purpose of the visit was to meet with hill tribe villagers living nearby and conduct the first Voluntary, Confidential, Counselling and Testing (VCCT) meeting.

Dr. Martin Huddart, Trustee of Rejoice Foundation UK, passed away on 12th January 2019. 

His passing was the result of a massive infection caused by septic arthritis.

Martin was 63 years old.  He will be sorely missed.