Open Days for Guardians at New Life Project
One hundred and thirty parents and guardians visited the New Life Project at Chumphon last month for a two-day visit. 'Wan sai yai' as the occasion is known is an important event for the 90 youngsters at the project. This annual reception for guardians had an added dimension this year, with the addition of a seminar to the usual casual meetings and parties.
The seminar was arranged to deepen the understanding between guardians and the youngsters at the project. The young people talked with their visitors about the causes of the addiction and about their family relationships. Project staff also explained their activities and how they aim to reintegrate the former addicts in their care back into normal society.
The attached file <nlpreunion.jpg> shows the reunion scenes between parents and guardians at the New Life Project.
At the end of this newsletter, a Swiss volunteer who taught English at the New Life Project during the first half of this year writes about her experiences.
CNN / Discovery Profile of Prateep
A film crew working for CNN and the Discovery Channel were with DPF Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata for two days last month. Prateep was being filmed for one in a series of short profiles to be called 'Life Journeys' on CNN and 'Personal Journeys' on the Discovery Channel. Prateep is the only Thai featured in the series, which highlights the work of 42 individuals from around the world. CNN and Discovery announced that the series tells the stories of ordinary people whose drive and belief in themselves have changed their lives and the lives of those around them. The crew filmed Prateep working at the DPF, in Klong Toey and at Parliament. The series started airing early in July but it is not known when the programme about Prateep will first be shown.
The attached file <cnn.jpg> shows Prateep being filmed shopping in Klong Toey.
DPF hosts 'Open Day' for hotel staff
Last month the Duang Prateep Foundation hosted an 'Open Day' for staff from some of Bangkok's leading hotels. Twenty people from seventeen hotels visited the foundation where they were welcomed by the Chairman Dr. Sumet Jumsai na Ayudhya and the Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata. The visitors were entertained by children from the Duang Prateep Kindergarten and the Special Education Project for Hearing-Impaired Children, before being informed about the problems facing the urban poor and the work of the DPF. They also toured the Duang Prateep Kindergarten and the local community.
Subsequently some representatives of the hotels also visited the Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project at Kanchanaburi, where they were able to see the foundation’s work with homeless and abandoned youngsters and with girls who have suffered from abuse and addiction.
DPF volunteers speak at UN youth meet
The Third Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on Human Resources Development for Youth, which took place in Bangkok last month, included a presentation by representatives of the Duang Prateep Foundation.
A former addict, who escaped from his addiction through staying at the New Life Project for Boys, spoke about his experiences as an addict and how he was able to overcome his problems. The DPF was also represented by a former volunteer from Japan, who worked at both the New Life Project for Boys in Chumphon Province and the New Life Project for Girls at Kanchanaburi. The volunteer spoke about how to help youngsters overcome their addictions. She explained how each child has big problems but each situation is unique. She also talked about the need to blend fun, strictness and compassion, depending upon the circumstances and the individual.
The theme of the five-day meeting was 'Integrated approaches to youth health: Focus on sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and HIV/Aids'. The objectives of the meeting were firstly to exchange national experiences and 'good practices' on integrated approaches to youth health, focussing on sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and HIV/Aids. Secondly to mainstream issues related to sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and HIV/Aids among youth into national policies and programmes.
Wai Khru ceremony
The Duang Prateep Kindergarten and other kindergartens affiliated to the Duang Prateep Foundation performed a 'Wai Khru' ceremony last month. The event, at which children pay their respects to their teachers, is a Thai tradition which usually takes place fairly early in each academic year.
The attached file <waikhru.jpg> shows the 'Waikhru' ceremony at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten.
Nithan Caravan tour of Northeast
The Nithan Caravan puppet troupe toured three provinces in the Northeast of Thailand last month. The two-week long trip took the puppeteers to 24 schools in the provinces of Khon Kaen, Roi Et and Yasathorn. In total the troupe performed to some 4,500 children, with the biggest audience containing approximately 600 youngsters. At each venue the group also distributed story books about the story they performed. In all three provinces, Nithan Caravan was assisted by local NGOs and community groups, who arranged venues and accommodation for the troupe.
The attached file <nithan.jpg> shows a Nithan Caravan performance in Northeast Thailand.
Aids Project trains taxi motorcyclists
Last month the Aids Control Project staff worked with police at the Port Police Station on a special training programme for motorcycle taxi drivers in the Klong Toey area. The training programme was split into two halves: In the morning Aids Control Project staff gave the motorcyclists information about Aids, sexual health and substance abuse. In the afternoon, police officers trained the group in motorcycle riding techniques and road safety. The course was repeated on successive days, with 50 motorcyclists attending on each occasion.
Prateep speech for narcotics officers
Last month DPF Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata was the guest of honour at a meeting of the Mini Dublin Group - the group of narcotics officers who are based at Bangkok embassies. The meeting was hosted by the Australian Embassy. Prateep spoke to the approximately 25 people at the meeting about the drugs problem in Thailand and the work of the Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project.
Finance company donation to support cooperative activities
Kiatnakin Finance Co. celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the firm with a donation to the Klong Toey Cooperative for Community Development (the credit union affiliated to the Duang Prateep Foundation) and a commitment for further support over the next three years. The donation ceremony was attended by DPF Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata. The money will be used to support the education of the children of cooperative members and to give prizes to successful cooperative members.
Bowling for children's education
Last month a team from the Duang Prateep Foundation took part in a bowling competition to raise funds to sponsor the education of children in Nong Kai Province in Northeast Thailand. The event was organised by the Chalermkhwan Foundation, the foundation of the family of Dr. Sumet Jumsai na Ayudhya, the chairman of the DPF.
Email address
The Duang Prateep Foundation now has a new email address. All emails should be sent to: <dpffound@ksc.th.com>
News from Thailand
Homeless children roam city streets
Children as young as a year and a half have been found roaming the streets of Bangkok, a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration official reported last month. A comprehensive survey of street children was carried out over five months. The survey found 399 children who had run away from home to live on the streets. Most of the street children are aged about eleven., with 65% being boys.
Average family income falls
The average family saw income and expenses decline last year from 1998, the last year these figures were measured. The average family monthly income has fallen by 1.4% since 1998 and average family expenses have fallen by 2.6%. The information comes from a survey of 33,000 families carried out in January and February.
Urban poverty on the rise in SE Asia
The United Nations reported last month that poverty will become a major problem for cities in Southeast Asia. The report predicted serious social and economic problems with falling incomes, increasing amounts of absolute poverty and malnutrition, declining public services, threats to educational and health status, increased pressure on women and increased crime and violence.
Development plan seeks poverty reduction
The ninth national development plan aims to reduce the proportion of the population living in poverty to less than 10% of the population from the current 15.9%. The gulf between rich and poor has widened after the economic recession began in mid-1997. In 1996 it was estimated that 11.4% of the population was living in poverty. At present there are about 10 million people with a monthly income less than the official poverty line of 886 baht. The plan also aims to promote self-reliance and a more efficient development system for all levels of society. The plan also contains the objective to extend compulsory education to the secondary level.
UN praise for Thailand’s anti-Aids efforts.
Thailand's condom campaign received much recognition at the UN Special Session on HIV/Aids, which took place in New York last month. It was estimated that the use of condoms and behavioural change has prevented about 5.7 million infections. The percentage of adult males visiting sex workers annually is now roughly 10% of the population compared with one quarter a few years ago. The number of military conscripts infected with Aids has halved since a few years ago.
Despite the positive changes the Aids situation remains serious in Thailand. 29,000 new infections are expected this year, of which 4,200 will be children. Some 55,000 people already infected with Aids will develop serious Aids related illnesses and a similar number will die of Aids complications. As of last year 984,000 people had been infected since the start of the epidemic and 289,000 of those have died. Transmission between husband and wife accounted for 50% of last year’s infections, needle sharing among drug users 20% and infections through commercial sex 16%.
People's Bank opens for business
The 'People's Bank' opened for business last month with long queues at branches of the Government Savings Bank and 150 million baht being loaned to 11,000 people nationwide on the first day of operation. The finance minister said that the People's Bank project is designed to boost the opportunities for small borrowers to make a living. The project is regarded as an alternative to loan sharks with their penal rates of interest.
Drug addicts to be sent to rehabilitation programmes
Hundreds of drug addicts serving jail terms will soon be sent to army rehabilitation centres as part of a newly created recovery programme. The army will conduct 25 in-house rehabilitation centres by October for 2,500 drug addicted inmates. The participants in the programme will be assisted to give up drugs and prepare for a return to normal life. Career training will also be provided as part of the programme. The families of addicts must also take part in the programme, which can take between four and six months.
Research shows that there are 5.3 million amphetamine users in Thailand and 12.4% of secondary school students have exposure to amphetamines. It has been reported recently that illegal drug labs are turning out stronger amphetamine pills.
Railway offers slum dwellers leases
Slum dwellers squatting on railway land will be offered leases to the land or relocated elsewhere. People living within 20 metres of the tracks will be moved and offered alternative sites within 5 km of their present homes. People residing 20-40m from the tracks will be offered three-year renewable leases on the land and those further away will be offered thirty-year leases. Sixty-one slum communities are squatting on railway land.
Industrial areas to be zoned
Industrial areas will be zoned throughout the country to enable plants using hazardous substances to operate without endangering the wider public. The Interior Ministry initiated the plan after a survey found Bangkok had 193 factories which stored dangerous chemicals and posed safety problems for the public. The Bangkok civil defence director said that an accident at any of the factories could cause emissions that might harm up to 6 million people in Bangkok.
Three months at the New Life Project
The following is an edited version of a talk Bettina Heckendorn, a thirty-year-old teacher from Switzerland, gave last month, on completion of three months as a volunteer teacher at the New Life Project.
Three months in The New Life Project went fast, fast, fast… time was running. I have many good memories and I have experienced many very different situations.
My work in Chumphon
I taught English to three different groups. My main emphasis was on talking and understanding. We played many games and sung different songs. Often the teenagers were very eager to learn and practice. But they still were very shy in talking and they needed a good structure to be able to talk.
My impressions of the New Life Project
I want to start with a text one of the teenagers wrote by himself about his impressions:
…I come from Bangkok. I am twenty one years old.
When I went to Chumphon I was surprised very much, because it is so different of my thinking. My parents told me that it teaches me about life.
I lived here about six months. I came here on 5th November 2001 by van. My cousins, brothers and sisters brought me. I got learning experience that is very useful for my life. I learned how to use a knife for cutting grass, I learned to grow coffee, to cut palm, to clean a house and to cook food in the kitchen. I will miss it when I am back in Bangkok. …
I also felt similar to this youngster. In the beginning I was surprised, it was very different from any other experience I had before, but I got to know and got to like the people and the place there very much, and I also made experiences which I will keep as memory forever.
At the beginning I was very surprised by the structure, the punishments, but I also appreciated the skills the teenagers are learning and the surroundings they are in, like I said before it is a unique place with unique opportunities.
First of all I think that the place, where the New Life Project is, offers a great niche to the teenagers. They are far from everything but surrounded by pure nature. They can be active in the fields, eat their own fruits and vegetables, swim in the pond and work on their own soil. This gives them a chance to grow in their personality and to strengthen their personal self esteem, much more than the surroundings of car noise, technology and fighter and killer computer games.
They are also very active physically and do a lot of sports. I think for boys in this age it is very important to get rid of their inner energy (especially teenagers who have many problems to think about). I think that at the NLP working outside in the fields and doing sports, they are able to use their energy in a very good way.
I am also very impressed by the way the teenagers take different responsibilities, like kitchen duties, vegetable-garden, animal chores and guarding the house. I believe that feeling the trust of being given a responsibility and taking on a responsibility encourages self-esteem and personal development.
I much appreciate the friendship the teenagers show towards each other. Even though many teenagers miss their homes, they find support in each other. I was often very deeply touched when I saw how they helped each other out and cared for each other in difficult situations.
Having lived at the NLP, I also have some concerns and observations which I want to share with you. I was very surprised by the way this big group was disciplined and structured. Most of all I was surprised by the punishment system when somebody did not do right. I am very happy that corporal punishments have now stopped. I very much agree with the new weekly meetings between teachers, assistant teachers and teenagers. I wish the NLP good luck for these meetings and towards taking more steps in a communicative and democratic way of living together.
Another concern for me is that the teenagers have not much possibility to be creative and to do artistic work. I as a teacher with a Western background believe that everyone's creativity should be promoted, especially people with problems inside or personalities with a background of addiction. Creativity could solve or let go off many inner barriers.
I wondered sometimes why there is no professional psychologist support for the teenagers. I am sure there are many problems inside the teenagers which still have to be solved. Of course I know that the concept of counselling is a very western approach.
Then the computers at the NLP are often broken. The computer room offers an extra opportunity where the teenagers can learn another skill for their future. It would be very helpful to the NLP if somebody with special computer skills could check and do an up-to date with all the computers.
Another small concern for me which I know is very typical for my upbringing in Switzerland is that there is so much small garbage lying around. I think it is a pity that garbage which will only decompose in a very long time is lying around in this wonderful, beautiful nature!
My role as a volunteer in the New Life Project and in the Foundation
I enjoyed my stay here very much and I felt very much welcomed and at home. I have made many experiences that are important to me and my life. I also have made many friends who I want to be in touch with. Being a volunteer was a possibility to get to know Thailand, its people, everyday life and a Thai NGO. I know that I got to know very much about the country and the life .
I want to emphasize once more how I appreciated being made welcome and being part of the New Life Project. I don’t want to miss one single moment at the Foundation and at the New Life Project, where I felt treated like friend.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE WITH ME!!!!
Bettina Heckendorn, June 2001