Duang Prateep Foundation Monthly News for December 2001

Contact details

Address: Lock 6, Art Narong Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.

Telephone: (66 2) 671 4045, 249 4880, 249 3553.

Fax: (66 2) 249 5254

Email: <dpf@internet.ksc.net.th>

News from the Duang Prateep Foundation

Slum fire leaves 1,000 homeless

One person died and over one thousand people were left homeless after a fire destroyed 250 houses in the Bon Kai community off Rama IV Road near Klong Toei Market. The fire on the afternoon of Saturday the 1^st of December is believed to have started because of an electrical fault on the upper storey of a small grocery store in the community.

The fire spread with great rapidity and firefighters were hindered by having to run their hoses for several hundred metres from the nearest road access point. Many residents were away from the community and many households lost all their belongings.

Volunteer firefighters from the Duang Prateep Foundation joined with others in fighting the blaze. The Duang Prateep Foundation is working with other private and state welfare agencies with the provision of emergency assistance. Food and clothing have been provided and the Sponsorship Section of the DPF has provided emergency assistance to ninety-two children made homeless in the blaze. The assistance will enable families to purchase uniforms and school supplies so that the children can return to school immediately.

On the following Saturday, another fire broke out in the community, destroying a further thirty houses.

Thai language information about the activities of volunteer firefighters in the Klong Toey community can be found at the website <www.e-firerescue.org>.

Aids Day Parade

On the 30^th of November over 500 Klong Toey residents, took part in an Aids awareness march in recognition of World Aids Day on the 1^st of December. The marchers went through the Klong Toey community and finished at a local supermarket, where DPF staff and volunteers had a week of Aids awareness activities. After the march the education programme was launched with speeches, presentations and entertainment. Throughout the week there was a display of children's artwork on the topic of Aids and the distribution of condoms and literature about Aids. There was also the sale of knitted shirts, which have been made by people with Aids working in their homes, and the sale of other card and craft items.

The Aids Control Project staff have 210 volunteer members, who come from 15 slum communities, helping with Aids education and home care of people with Aids. The foundation is presently providing powdered milk to 5 babies whose mothers are HIV+. The foundation has a network of over 200 people who are HIV+ in Klong Toey slum, of whom five are suffering seriously because of Aids and need regular assistance.

The photo shows three young artists who won prizes for their artwork about Aids, with the DPF art teacher, Chatchada Kruakaew, and their paintings in the background.

Singapore group distributes school supplies

A group from Singapore, headed by Ms. Leona Wong and Mr. Charles Loh, visited the Duang Prateep Foundation in November. The Singaporeans hosted lunches for children at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten and the Locks 1-2-3 Community Children’s Centre. They also distributed stationary supplies to children at both places. In addition the group from Singapore donated blankets for distribution to children at Baan Tung Sala School in Kanchanaburi province. Baan Tung Sala is the school attended by children at the Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project at Kanchanaburi.

The photo shows some of the group from Singapore distributing school supplies to children at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten.

Meeting for guardians of New Life Project youngsters

Last month the Duang Prateep Foundation hosted a meeting for guardians of youngsters under the care of the Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project. Over 100 people attended the meeting, which was about the role of families in the treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile addicts. The event was presided over by Senator Pratin Santiprapob. Speakers included experts from the Ministry of Public Health, the police and narcotics control organisations as well as DPF staff.

Japanese performers entertain slum children

Last month the Duang Prateep Foundation hosted a visit by the Manyushaka Group of performers, which was sponsored by the Japan Foundation. The group provided lively entertainment in a performance in front of some 800 spectators at the Chumchon Moo Baan Pattana School, next door to the Duang Prateep Foundation. The show was largely visual, but the dialogue was translated by a staff member of the Japan Foundation. The performance was received with great enthusiasm by the spectators.

Combined Rotary donations to New Life Project

Three Rotary groups came together to make a donation to the New Life Project. The donors were the Bang Kunthien group in Bangkok, Toyonaka Rotary in Japan and the USA International Rotary. A donation ceremony took place at the Duang Prateep Foundation last month, at which a rice threshing machine, water pumps, and educational equipment were handed over to the Duang Prateep Foundation. The donation ceremony was attended by representatives from Toyonaka and Bang Kunthien Rotaries.

Sponsorship news

The Sponsorship Section has continued to arrange activities for both sponsored children and their guardians. Last month 80 guardians attended a one day meeting on problems facing girls in their education.

Fifteen sponsored youngsters aged between 15 and 18 joined with youngsters from other organisations at a three day, two night leadership training camp in Prachinburi province east of Bangkok.

T shirts with motifs designed and sewn by sponsored children are now on sale at Daco shop at Siam Square. A group of sponsored children went to the shop to launch the sale of the shirts.

Twenty children who are active in the slum dwellers environmental group received educational sponsorship in a ceremony last month.

Last month Swedish sponsor Conny Svensson and his family went to Lopburi, north of Bangkok, to meet their sponsored student, Youpha, who is studying at Vocational Level One at the local vocational school. The Svensson family knew that Youpha is keen on soccer and was ably to provide Youpha and her friends with soccer kits in the colours of AIK Stockholm and the Swedish national team. The Svensson's were also able to bring with them a large amount of second hand clothes provided by other Swedish benefactors. The Svensson family are part of a large network of sponsors in Sweden, which is administered by the Swedish charity Stiftelsen Barnmission I U-Land.

Konkokyo Group visit Nongmai community

Representatives of the Konkokyo Peace Activity Center visited Klong Toey to check on progress at the new Nongmai Children's Centre, which Konkokyo is financing. Construction of the school is now almost finished and the school will be formally opened at a ceremony on January 12^th 2002, which is National Children's Day.

News from Thailand

Two more win compensation for 1991 fire

Last month Usa Rojpongkasem received 4.5 million baht from the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) as compensation for the consequences of the 1991 chemical fire at the port close to Klong Toey Slum (see October newsletter). Also last month two other victims, Usa's mother Bang-ern and firefighter Somchai Charoensrivorakij, were awarded 147,000 baht and 2.2 million baht respectively by the South Bangkok Civil Court.

Somchai was one of the first firefighters at the scene of the blaze in 1991 and fought the fire almost non-stop for many hours. After the fire Somchai suffered from convulsions and vomiting. Somchai's brain arteries subsequently narrowed, causing paralysis on his left side and he has been confined to a wheelchair for some years. Bang-ern did not have a physical problem in the immediate aftermath of the fire but later she became chronically fatigued. Like Somchai, she has to see a doctor every month.

The legal team from the Law Society of Thailand’s Environmental Case Division had asked for 8 million baht for Somchai and 280,000 baht for Bang-ern. Somchai could not produce all his medical bills, and both claimants are near retirement age, which reduced the amount of compensation in comparison with 27-year-old Usa. Neither Somchai or Bang-ern want to appeal the court's verdict and they are hoping that the PAT will not appeal either.

Usa received her 4.5 million baht from Deputy Transport and Communication Minister Pracha Maleenont at a ceremony outside the flats were she lives. Usa thanked the Law Society and Rajvithi hospital doctors for helping her through her ordeal but said the money did not make her any happier as it could not bring back her health. Usa's triumph was the first environmental case won by the Law Society of Thailand.

The photo shows from the left Senator Sak Khosangruang, President of the Law Society of Thailand, Usa Rojpongkasem, Bang-ern Rojpongkasem and Somchai Charoensrivorakij.

Focus on poverty

Poverty levels have been much in focus in Thailand recently, with several reports of increased levels of poverty and a rising income gap.

A report released by the World Bank last month, “Thailand Social Monitor: Poverty and Public Policy”, says 16% of the country’s population, or about 10 million people, are now living on less than the minimum income of 900 baht per person per month. The World Bank’s country director for Thailand said that poverty is reemerging as one of the nation's most serious problems. The economic growth that preceded the 1997 crisis brought down the poverty incidence from 32.6% in 1988 to a low of 11.6% in 1996.

The World Bank report states that there are many characteristics which can possibly correlate with poverty, such as occupation, household size, location and land holding. However, education was by far the most crucial factor. People in a household headed by someone with primary level or no education was at significantly greater risk of poverty than those in households headed by people educated to secondary level or higher. The poorest households in 1998 experienced the sharpest drop in real income between 1998 and 1999. The World Bank described education as the "surest pathway" out of poverty. The World Bank said that the challenge for the government was to focus on the poorest and find ways to solve the deep-rooted problems.

Also last month the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI)hosted a two-day Forum on Poverty Reduction Strategies. For the first time representatives of poor communities were invited to join the economists and technocrats who usually attend the TDRI's year end meeting. Among the people attending the meeting was 67-year-old Roi Sihapong from the Rim Rot Fai community of Klong Toey Slum. Roi Sihapong was a recipient of the Sadudichon Award on the 20^th anniversary of the Duang Prateep Foundation in 1998. Aunty Roi, as she is known, received the award for her voluntary efforts to help the development of slum communities.

The TDRI forum came up with five key strategies to reduce poverty: Spur economic development; enhance potential and opportunities for the poor; strengthen communities and promote people participation; establish a social safety net for the underprivileged; and bureaucratic reform to tackle poverty.

Most forum participants agreed that stronger communities with people participation and bureaucratic reform are the two key factors. The role of economic growth in poverty alleviation remains controversial. Economic growth has helped to lift many people out of poverty but it has resulted in rising income gaps as the poorest in society get left further behind. The TDRI reported that the poorest 20% of the population earned only 3.9% of the country's total income last year. TDRI economists agreed with the need for special policies to help the poorest. They pointed to the need to identify the poor and design new policies that will directly respond to their needs.

One in 60 Thais has HIV virus

A UNAids/WHO report states that one in sixty Thais is infected with HIV, and Aids has become the leading cause of death among the population. The report further states that transmission between spouses could account for up to 50% of new infections. The report reminded that it is not sufficient to target high risk groups for Aids education programmes. Thailand has successfully reduced rates of HIV infections from 140,000 a decade ago to the present level of 30,000 thousand. However, much work remains to be done. Infections among young people are of particular concern, Twenty percent of all infections are in the 15 to 24 age bracket.

A network of NGOs and HIV/Aids sufferers will push for a law to protect the HIV-positive from compulsory HIV testing in the workplace. A survey by the Thai Businessmen Coalition to Fight Aids discovered that the discrimination problems had worsened in comparison to the situation three years ago. The survey showed that 21% of companies had compulsory blood tests among employees and 36.2% dismissed HIV-positive workers.

People with Aids received good news at the end of the month with the commitment by the Minister of Public Health to include Aids treatments in the 30 baht medical care scheme. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation will soon produce a new formula of anti-retroviral drugs which would reduce the cost per person to 2,310 a month, instead of the present 5,000 baht.

2.6 million drug users

The most comprehensive survey ever carried out of illegal drug use in Thailand found 2.6 million drug users, some of whom were as young as five. Of the total drug consumers, 2.4 million were methamphetamine users. Particularly worrying was a finding that 4% of five-to-nine year olds have started to experiment with the consumption and sale of methamphetamine pills. Of the total number of abusers, 890,530 were found to be addicts. The highest number of addicts were in the 15 to 24 age group.

Pollutants causing health problems

Heavy metals and pollutants released into the environment have caused widespread health problems and genetic disorders among Thais, according to a public health expert. The number of people suffering from infertility, miscarriages, breast and ovarian cancer, declining sperm counts and testicular cancer is increasing. Cases of children with Down's syndrome, youngsters with development problems and girls going through early puberty were also on the rise.

Thailand a transit point for smugglers

It was reported last month that Thailand has become a transit point for the smuggling of thousands of women and children each year. It is believed that some 200,000 people were annually smuggled and forced into the sex trade or used as slave labour. Of the total number some 35,000-40,000 were children. Thailand is a transit point for the smuggling of human cargo from neighbouring countries and northern hill tribe communities to workplaces and brothels in developed countries.