Holistic Care for 450 HIV Positive Thai Families

As you probably know Siam-Care focuses on children who are affected by HIV and their families. 95 percent of the families in our program, have family members who are infected with HIV. Od and Ed are an exception. This very special couple has been part of our program for many years. We would like to introduce them to you.

Od is a funny and a happy guy. He is 54 years old and was born in Bangkok, in the same house where he still lives today. When we visit him, he always makes jokes and shares a lot of smiles. He lives together with his sister Ed, who was born in the same house. Ed is a very friendly and calm woman. Together with her brother she does the house hold chores: she cooks, cleans and washes their clothes. 

No ordinairy family
Od and Ed are no ordinairy family. Od has profound spasms and cannot walk. Ed is blind. Because of their conditions, they are both unemployed and cannot leave the house. Yet they are very well able to survive as a couple. Ed takes full time care of her brother. Eventhough she was born blind and doesn't know what her own house looks like, she knows every corner of the house like the back of her hand and does all the house hold chores by herself. She is the legs of this family, Od is the eyes. She walks around to do household chores, Od tells her where things are being kept and warns her when he sees something on the floor that might cause Ed to stumble and fall. They wouldn't be able to survive by themselves, but as a couple they do miraculously well.

Loneliness 
This family hardly has an income. The Thai government supports this family because of their illnesses, but the ammount of social welfare they receive is way too small to make ends meet. Siam-Care has been supporting Od and Ed for many years. We give them food and keep them company every now and then. Their lives are pretty lonely, so we try to visit them as often as possible. We listen to their stories, laugh with them and sometimes pray for them. We will never be able to change their situation: Od will remain cripple and Ed will remain blind. But we can make sure that they have enough food to eat and that they won't get too lonely. Your supports helps us to support Od and Ed. Thank you very much for making a difference in their lives.