I'm back in Chiang Mai to volunteer and help raise funds for one of our club's major projects: Agape Home (Nikki’s Place). This incredible organization has six homes, known as "Baan Jarawee," where Agape children live with Thai “house parents” in a safe, family-style environment. Five of these homes are currently in use, and we’re renovating the oldest house (16 years) to create a “Mother & Baby Unit.”
Young mothers often come to Agape to seek help, usually due to extreme hardship—some have faced abuse, homelessness, or time in prison, making it challenging for them to care for their children. Our founder, Avis Rideout, believes that keeping mothers and children together is better than resorting to adoption. The new Mother & Baby Unit will offer a secure, independent living space where mothers can regain stability while we provide daycare and support, helping them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into Thai society over 1-2 years.
The renovation is just one part of our journey. Thanks to generous donations from the Netherlands, we’ve raised 117,000 baht for the initial renovation, but we’re still seeking funds for the interior setup.
Additionally, we’re facing challenges with our 14-year-old swimming pool, which now requires a 250,000 baht renovation due to leaks. Years ago, local pools barred our HIV-positive children from entry, but a generous Canadian donor provided Agape with a private pool and ten years of maintenance. If we can restore the pool, we aim to implement a drowning prevention project, possibly in partnership with the Sansai public school.
In the past two weeks, we’ve also raised 58,000 baht to renovate six toilets in our school building. A new government regulation requires us to install 15 surveillance cameras for child protection, a good but unexpected cost of 67,000 baht. We’ve already raised 27,000 baht for this project.
The needs at Agape Home continue to grow, and there’s always more to be done. As a CMIRC member, I, along with supportive friends, am working to raise funds for these essential projects. CMIRC has supported Agape Home for many years, and we’re incredibly grateful for their backing, including the construction of our apartments, funded by CMIRC’s “The One” Humanitarian Award.
Comentários