Baan Pang Mayao School: Education and Prevention (E&P)

Baan Pang Mayao School is situated in the hills between Chiang Dao and Phrao.  On Wednesday 14^th February 2016, Rejoice together with the HIV Healthcare Workers from Chiang Dao Hospital (also known as the “Soo Kwan Doi Luang Chiang Dao” group), were invited to give a presentation on sexual health to a group of some 55 students between the ages of 13 and 16. Many of the students were from the Lahu and Lisu hill tribes. 

The British International School in Thailand

In August 2016 Rejoice welcomed a group of 9 medical students from Bangkok Patana School, (a British International School). The students, aged between 17 and 18 years old were hoping to further their studies at university and hopefully major in the medical field. They were staying at the Activity Center at Maekok River Village Resort (MRVR) near Tha Ton on the Myanmar-Thai border in the north of Thailand.
This was a repeat of a similar visit made last year by a group of 6 pre-medical Patana students.
The objective for the school was to introduce their international pre-med students to health care in the rural areas of Thailand, in particular the care of people living with HIV.

Wiang Haeng: Lisu Homecare

Wiang Haeng is situated close to the Myanmar border opposite Shan State. It takes almost 4 hours driving to get there. Rejoice make monthly visits to villages and communities in the surrounding area, together with health care workers from Wiang Haeng hospital, bringing supplies of basic food provisions, warm clothing and medicine including antiretroviral (ARV) medicine for the people living with HIV. The Rejoice team usually make and overnight stay in a local guest house and the following day make further home care visits on their return to Chiang Mai.

 Day Care Challenges

See-Un Muang Day Care Centre, is situated in a small village near Chiang Dao.  It continues to flourish despite the frequent demands brought upon the parents, many of whom are refugees/migrants who have fled fighting in neighbouring Shan state. Many of the Shan had temporary passports from the Myanmar government which allowed them to work and travel in Thailand. These passports were valid for 6 years but have now expired and for the past year the workers were without official passports or work permits – they were expected to return to Myanmar to obtain permanent international passports, obtain a Visa for Thailand, return through official channels and then obtain work permits. This was financially impossible for the vast majority of the workers.

Reproductive Health Education

13 July 2016, Rejoice and Healthcare workers from CD hospital made a presentation to students in Baan Mai School in the town of Chiang Dao. The subject was about basic reproductive health and prevention of STDs .
The age range of students was 10-15 years. This was first time such a meeting had taken place in the school. When asked, " Why has this not been done previously?" The teachers answered that they thought the children were too young and it is not easy for teachers to introduce this subject to their students. However they were very happy that an independent group from outside could present these topics in a relaxed and friendly way which caused no embarrassment for both students and teachers.

Chai Prakan: Lahu Village (Education and Prevention)
One of Rejoice's objectives is to reach out to as many new people living with HIV as  possible. To this end Rejoice has begun networking with the HIV healthcare workers at Chai Prakan Hospital. On Saturday 9th of April, Rejoice and the healthcare workers were invited by Plan International, to help organise an Education and Prevention meeting in a remote Lahu village, Huay Nam Dip.  The village has a population of about 250 agricultural workers and their families living in 60 houses. It is situated close to the Myanmar border opposite Shan state.  The village is not connected to the Electricity Grid but utilises small solar power cells to pump water and it is very difficult to reach the village especially in the rainy season.

SDL Bangkok visit Chiang Dao
Five members of SDL Bangkok lead by Winston Wong visited Rejoice to observe first hand the work carried out by Rejoice in a field location.  The group, together with the Rejoice Team and Dr. Martin Huddart made an overnight visit to Chiang Dao where they distributed scholarships to eight of the children sponsored by SDL. They also witnessed an Education and Prevention session at a school in Chiang Dao and a home-care visit to a Lahu hill-tribe village.

A very successful visit only dampened by the very cold weather they experienced. It was one of the coldest daytime temperatures ever recorded in Chiang Mai; Noon temperature 12 degC  this in the tropics in January.  Dr. Martin remarked that the temperature in London (from where he had recently arrived) was 16 degC.

Healthcare Exchange

The Second healthcare Exchange meeting took place on 23rd February 2016 at Pong Ang Hot Spring near Chiang Dao.  Healthcare volunteers from Chiang Dao, Mae Ai and Wiang Haeng got together and discussed the various aspects of their their work.  The major talking point was lack of adherence to treatment amongst many patients because of the nature of their work.  Many work in the seasonal farming and agricultural industries and move location frequently, often between districts resulting in loss of contact with the hospital which is issuing the medicines.  Not only is this difficult for the agricultural workers but also for the healthcare volunteers to know their whereabouts. Also stigma of new co-workers and/or employer finding out their status.

WA AIDS Council staff are keeping Rejoice’s wheels turning!

Rejoice had a great Christmas present in December from the staff of the Western Australia (WA) AIDS Council in the form of a very generous donation which will pay for vital diesel fuel for our outreach truck.

The WA AIDS Council (http://www.waaids.com) is a non-government organisation committed to the HIV response in Western Australia. Established in 1985, the Council leads the Western Australian community in the provision of a wide range of services in the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections and blood borne viruses, and the treatment and care of people living with HIV and AIDS. 

Barbara Lavender

Barbara Lavender has been supporting Rejoice now for many years.  Barbara hails from Boulder, Colorado in USA and is a Human Rights Lawyer specialising in LGBT issues.  Despite suffering from degenerative muscular dystrophy she travels to Thailand every year during the winter months in Colorado.   She always makes a point of visiting Rejoice and making a donation before travelling to Fang where she meets up with Shan community leaders to work with and train a group of Shan students in a multi-media communication project coordinated with students back in Colorado.

Education and Prevention at the Myanmar border

On 15^th December Rejoice made "Education and Prevention" presentations at two schools in Mae Ai.  A total of 158 children attended the meetings.

 1) Baan Pangtonduea School, Mae Ai District on the Myanmar border 

Multi ethnic school;
approx. 60% Tai Yai
approx. 20% Lahu
approx. 10% Thai
approx. 10% other (Lisu, Akha)

Age range between 13-15 years a total of 70 students