The True Volunteer with a Great Cause
changedrivers' Mark Ellwood with Mercy Mission in Thailand
Article by Mark Ellwood
I have now been to all the Mercy operations across North and Eastern Thailand and am getting a good feel for the scope and high quality of the services the organisation provides to the underprivileged. This included spending a few days with the children at the HIV hospice. It was a very heart rending, touching but inspiring visit. The teams over here do fantastic work and I am struck by the unselfish caring and generosity of all involved, mainly Australians, some Dutch and of course the Thai staff, a number of whom have grown up through Mercy orphanages. Recently we drove to Si Sa Ket in eastern Thailand where Mercy has a language school. We went there to strip doors and fittings from an old building and also picked up fifteen beds/mattresses for the incoming children to the new orphanage in Phrae. They were donated by a local Thai business man. I have been helping to teach English at night to about 50 students in the local area as well as helping with Kids Club, a program for underprivileged kids in the area. In addition, the team here is delivering development and education programs in village schools through "Lets Go" an English language and personal development program. It is very grounding to work with these children from the local farming communities and is a constant reminder to me of how blessed I am to have the opportunity to help them grow.
The poverty of many families is quite severe and whilst there are many aspects of Thai culture that are beautiful there are daily reminders of just how fortunate we are in Australia. The spread of HIV is a huge problem despite government assistance in the form of funding to help subsidise ARVs (Anti Retro Viral drugs) for about 70% of those who come forward for treatment. There is however a huge hidden problem and many wives are infected by their wandering husbands. The wives in turn pass it on in childbirth. The rates are climbing quite quickly in teens due to a lack of effective education. I will work with a Mercy team to develop a sexual health education program for teenagers which we will pilot in the next 6 months. It aims to tackle the severe problems of unplanned pregnancies and STDs particularly the spread of HIV.
Mercy continues to grow to meet the ever evolving need to assist more and more children. I am working with the Founder Rob and his senior personnel ("Farang" volunteers and Thai staff) to conduct strategic planning and establish the necessary organisational capability to support further expansion. They have achieved much and have an inspiring vision to create more infrastructure and communities that ensure children are given a sustainable chance in life through love, health care and most importantly, education. This is an interesting and challenging exercise for me as the approach needs to accommodate the fundamental differences in Australian and Thai culture as well as factoring the role of prayer in planning and attracting funds and volunteers. I have had to replace management jargon with simple to translate words which is also very grounding. I am learning much about working with the challenges that face an independent charity organisation that truly ensures all funds raised reach those it is there to serve, the children and broader community.
Tomorrow I will travel again to Petchabun where about 80 children are cared for in the children's village. At Christmas time Mercy put on a event for about 1000 children and about another 800 visitors including many Thai's from the local community. It was fabulous to see the children participating in dancing, singing and play activities coordinated by volunteers from Australia. They all received presents from Santa Claus and we handed out food to families from the local villages. This was eagerly received and a few of us almost got crushed in the scramble for food. Many sponsors and Mercy volunteers made the trip to be part of this important and impressive annual community event. There is also a large school built by Mercy teaching over 900 students. Another volunteer building team from Australia has been expanding the facilities again to accommodate more children. These people do wonderful work giving up months of their time working in the intolerable heat. It makes me very proud to be an Australian and it's great to see the Thais and Aussies working side by side to provide much needed infrastructure for education. In the coming years Mercy wants to build a technical college and even a university facility to ensure that the capacity is in place to provide ongoing education for the children as they get older.
Pictured above is Mark masquerading as Santa at the orphanage.
Meanwhile the new Phrae orphanage which will particularly care for orphaned babies and young children is nearing completion. We are actively sourcing suitable carers to live with and care for them. More funds are required to complete the fit-out of the children's homes in the next three months so please consider donating or sponsoring one of these children. I would like to take this opportunity to thank changedrivers and any of you who have to date donated to Mercy International to support the quality humanitarian work this great Aussie organisation does.
Pictured above is the new Phrae orphanage.
If you are interested in learning more about Mercy and/or making a contribution - please visit the Mercy International Website at http://www.houseofmercyfoundation.com or contact the Australian office. The e-mail address is sydneyoffice@mercyinternational.com
Mark Ellwood
Editor's Note: Mark is too modest to say this himself - so let me - he is a true volunteer in every sense - he's not taking a penny from Mercy for his efforts - all his own time and money. Please give generously!