|
Grandma Cares provides help for children affected by HIV/AIDS
People in need receive
financial assistance from the Grandma Cares program.
Staff
Reporters
The “Grandma Cares” Project is an initiative that began in 1992 and
aimed to provide psychological and social support to families affected by
HIV/AIDS. Run by the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Thinthaingam (RCCT), the
program assists older women who must care for grandchildren whose parents
have died. The program, which trains grandmothers and other relatives
responsible for taking care of the children of deceased or sick parents,
also provides supplements to the basic needs of these children.
In February 2004, the Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise (RCBKS) and RCCT
launched the Grandma Cares partnership program under which Rotary clubs
around the world are invited to participate in raising funds for the
project. The RCBKS then established the “Grandma Cares” Trust in
Singapore.
At present there are seven partner Rotary clubs of the program, which have
all signed an MoU to provide annual individual sponsorships of USD$400 a
year to the children and their grandparents / caregivers. These Rotary clubs
come from many parts of the world to join in raising funds to provide
financial assistance to the children and their families.
These international Rotary clubs, together with our local Thai clubs have
helped over 30 families and have entered into long-term agreements to
provide financial and educational support to the children and their
families. The families are selected by local Thai Rotary clubs from the
Grandma Cares project. They are then approved by the RCCT. These families
are the poorest and neediest from rural areas outside Chiang Mai.
Both the families and their sponsors are growing in number thanks to the
marketing efforts of our international Rotary clubs and through our annual
conventions of the Grandma Cares project held in Chiang Mai during December.
For further information please contact PP Hope at 053-26269 (Rotary Club of
ThinThaiNgam, Dist. 3360)
Jazz concert raises funds for flood victims
The
Blue Note Trio Band’s performance, although just one of the jazz groups
that performed at the concert, was in itself worth the price of admission.
Preeyanoot Jittawong
The Chiang Mai Jazz All Star Live Concert 2006, held on August 12 at the
church of Payap University’s Mae Khao campus, raised 40,000 baht to
assist people affected by flooding in the north of Thailand.
The concert, jointly organised by alumni of Payap University’s music
department and Class Music School, featured well-known Chiang Mai jazz
musicians such as the Blue Note Trio, Hybrid, Jazz Brothers, Intharanan
Quarter and Breakfast Wine. A large audience paid the ticket price of 300
baht, which will be given as a donation from Chiang Mai to flood victims in
Laplae district, Uttaradit province.
|