By Anchal Mirchandani and Pearl Jain, January 10th 2009
Four students from year 12 have initiated a CAS project that embraces and aims to fulfil the dreams of the HIV/AIDS children at the Mercy Centre, Klong Toey, a sub-division of the Human Development Foundation (HDF).
Initially a great opportunity for a Community & Service CAS project, Dreams We Believe In and the people involved have now become an important part of our lives. Started by four Y12 students [Aanchal, Ishita, Pearl and Sakina] and supervised by the school's college counselor Mr. Kim, this CAS project has attracted the interest and commitment of over 20 members from both middle and high school since its initiation in January '10.
The children we have embraced at the Mercy Centre are aware that they are diagnosed with HIV yet they are full of life as they live as part of one large, caring family headed by Father Joe, the founder of the HDF, Bangkok. A highly committed and dedicated individual, Father Joe has been the director of the foundation since 1973 and we have had the wonderful opportunity to engage in informative conversations with him during our weekly visits.
The reason behind our eagerness to wake up early every Saturday morning and attend Mass with these spirited children is that we want them to feel loved; we want them to gain a higher sense of dignity and worth ; something that people infected with HIV aren't accustomed to. The children live in an open environment where nothing is hidden from them, where decisions aren't forced upon them and instead, they are empowered to make their own
choices with the alternatives that the foundation offers, a concept that NIST students are familiar with. Despite being independent and obliged to take care of the younger ones as though they are adults, these children are all in
all, still children.
We feel that as privileged individuals we ought to do whatever we can to give these kids the experience of a normal childhood. We spend 2-3 hours every Saturday morning getting to know them, their background, and what their
dreams are so that one day, we can achieve our ultimate goal which is to fulfill their dreams, be it a birthday party or just a musical instrument.
"This is a dream come true for me as well. I have for a long time thought of starting a project involving direct service to the most disadvantaged in Thai society, which I believe are the children who are born with HIV.
Further, I wanted our students to get a chance to engage in meaningful service that continues over a long period of time, where they learn to express empathy rather than sympathy, and which is 100% student led. I believe such an experience to be transformational in nature, meaning that the students begin to enjoy the internal rewards of service, and develop a personal drive to continue this kind of selfless work. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the students who have participated in this project so far. I am very impressed by the love, care and continuous effort that they have expressed during these first four
months of service. Good job guys!"
~ Joachim Ekstrom
Four students from year 12 have initiated a CAS project that embraces and aims to fulfil the dreams of the HIV/AIDS children at the Mercy Centre, Klong Toey, a sub-division of the Human Development Foundation (HDF).
Initially a great opportunity for a Community & Service CAS project, Dreams We Believe In and the people involved have now become an important part of our lives. Started by four Y12 students [Aanchal, Ishita, Pearl and Sakina] and supervised by the school's college counselor Mr. Kim, this CAS project has attracted the interest and commitment of over 20 members from both middle and high school since its initiation in January '10.
The children we have embraced at the Mercy Centre are aware that they are diagnosed with HIV yet they are full of life as they live as part of one large, caring family headed by Father Joe, the founder of the HDF, Bangkok. A highly committed and dedicated individual, Father Joe has been the director of the foundation since 1973 and we have had the wonderful opportunity to engage in informative conversations with him during our weekly visits.
The reason behind our eagerness to wake up early every Saturday morning and attend Mass with these spirited children is that we want them to feel loved; we want them to gain a higher sense of dignity and worth ; something that people infected with HIV aren't accustomed to. The children live in an open environment where nothing is hidden from them, where decisions aren't forced upon them and instead, they are empowered to make their own
choices with the alternatives that the foundation offers, a concept that NIST students are familiar with. Despite being independent and obliged to take care of the younger ones as though they are adults, these children are all in
all, still children.
We feel that as privileged individuals we ought to do whatever we can to give these kids the experience of a normal childhood. We spend 2-3 hours every Saturday morning getting to know them, their background, and what their
dreams are so that one day, we can achieve our ultimate goal which is to fulfill their dreams, be it a birthday party or just a musical instrument.
"This is a dream come true for me as well. I have for a long time thought of starting a project involving direct service to the most disadvantaged in Thai society, which I believe are the children who are born with HIV.
Further, I wanted our students to get a chance to engage in meaningful service that continues over a long period of time, where they learn to express empathy rather than sympathy, and which is 100% student led. I believe such an experience to be transformational in nature, meaning that the students begin to enjoy the internal rewards of service, and develop a personal drive to continue this kind of selfless work. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the students who have participated in this project so far. I am very impressed by the love, care and continuous effort that they have expressed during these first four
months of service. Good job guys!"
~ Joachim Ekstrom