changedrivers Principal Mark Ellwood volunteers for charity work in Northern Thailand
Article by Mark Ellwood
Seeing things from a different perspective, as we all know, is important to the process of change, at work and in our personal lives. Recently I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to tackle some very challenging change by becoming a volunteer worker in northern Thailand with Mercy International. This opportunity will fulfil a desire I have had for many years to help those less fortunate to create better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. I would like to take this opportunity to share a story about a very special and typical child from the orphanage where I will be working.
Her name is Baang. Baang (pictured to the right with one of the other children from the orphanage lost both her parents to AIDS a few years ago, and is currently being cared for by her grand parents. Her grandma was recently diagnosed with Diabetes, and has been hospitalised. Unlike Australian hospitals you have to have a family member stay with the sick person to keep an eye on them and call for help if required. As you can imagine, this puts enormous stress and pressure on the family financially, as no one can go to work whilst they watch over grandma. Her grand dad earns a living by going through garbage bins and collection recyclables to sell. Both grandparents have only a very basic education and are unskilled. Mercy helps the family with food parcels through their community outreach program.
Baang also has HIV. She has had a number of hospitalisations, and there was a time where the doctors thought that she would not make it, but Baang she is a little fighter and she eventually pulled through. She started school this year at the age of 8 due to her health issues, and because her grandparents could not see the benefit of her attending school, until Mercy intervened. For Baang school has enlarged her world incredibly. Members of Mercy have seen her grow and develop. They have noticed that she is developing a love of life, her social skills have improved and her general physical wellbeing has also benefited. Baang is just one of the many children that are benefiting from the work Mercy does so I am very excited to be commencing my stint as a volunteer in early December with them.
Mercy International is a Christian, non-profit organisation who focus on assisting disadvantaged children and teenagers including HIV orphans and babies. The organisation has a wonderful reputation for the work it does. It has built and now manages three orphanages that care for many abandoned and HIV children along with a number of schools, including one that has grown from 90 kindergarten children in 2002 to almost 900 children in 2007. Mercy also runs many community outreach and hospital programs that provide support for ill children and their families as well as a number of exciting community farming projects which I am eager to get involved in.
I hope that I can make a real difference helping others to improve their lot in life. My desire is to assist in a volunteer capacity with a range of these projects based on need and my ability to contribute. I intend to learn how to make such community based programs work with a view to applying my skills in the domain of community aid work in other theatres throughout my life.
I would like to thank my colleagues at changedrivers who fully supported my decision and have kindly offered their ongoing support to raise awareness and resources to support the work Mercy does. I also extend my sincere thanks to the many good people who I have been fortunate enough to work with as clients or colleagues over the last 7 years. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you through the changedrivers newsletter and hope you will understand if I put forward the occasional encouraging word for those inclined to donate to Mercy fund raising programs I will be involved in.
If you are interested in learning more about Mercy and/or making a contribution - please visit the site at: http://www.houseofmercyfoundation.com/
Until my next bulletin!
Mark Ellwood