Holistic Care for 450 HIV Positive Thai Families

People often ask us: where do you meet the families which Siam-Care supports? Often people are being referred to us by local hospitals. We have good relationships with many Thai hospitals and doctors know we can offer more personal care than a hospital. But sometimes we meet families somewhere else; in front of a 7-11 (convenience store) for example, like the family of Bib and Boss (not their real names).

Bib is 7 years old, his little brother Boss is 4. They are not a family like any other. Their mother abandoned her children when they were only 3 and 1 years old. She moved to another province and has never contacted her children since. She just ditched them with her mother; the grandmother of Bib and Boss. And their father? He is in prison. He was caught selling drugs and was sentenced with 21 years inprisonment. So Bib and Boss are being raised by their 57 year old grandmother.

Not a safe environment
To say that grandmother is not rich, would be an understatement. She earns money by selling sausages, in front of a local 7-11 convenience store. After school, the boys sit with their grandmother and can only go home once grandmother has sold all her food. Often they have to wait until 10 PM, while they have to go to school the next day. They haven't got much to do; they have no toys and simply have to sit and wait, outside, where it is very hot. The 7-11 is located next to a big road, so the air they breathe, is very much polluted. All in all, it is not a safe and good environment for children to spend their every afternoon and evening in.

Move to different place
Siam-Care staff often buys food at this very 7-11 store and noticed these 2 little boys sitting outside, every single day. Our staff started chatting with grandmother and learned that Boss and Bib are being raised by their grandmother, who only makes about 250 Thai Baht per day, which is hardly enough to survive on. Siam-Care already started talking about supporting this family, and maybe we can help grandmother start selling food on a safer and cleaner place. 

Little bit of love
There is not a whole lot we can do for Bib and Boss. We cannot buy them a new father or mother. We cannot give them a bag of money so they can buy a house. We can only help support this family and counsel them. Buy them some food, help support their education and invite them to fun events at our office. Life isn't always fair. It is hard for us to see in what kind of circumstances Bib and Boss grow up. The only thing we can do, is show them a little love and try to make life a little easier for them. Because of donors like you, we can reach out to them and make a little difference in the lives of people like Bib and Boss. Thank you so much, it means a lot to us and the families we look after!