Rice for Thai kindergarteners in need

Dear Friends,

We received several recent donations for our “nourishment” project. Every one of these donations makes a huge difference. We need four tonnes of rice every month to serve the following groups:

1. Over 2,500 kindergarten students. We have 23 kindergartens in Bangkok’s slums with an enrollment of over 2,500 students. Approximately 20% of the children are under- or mal-nourished when they first join our kindergartens. We provide a nourishing lunch and fruit snacks every school day and measure their development throughout the school year.
2. Mercy Centre children. Over 180 orphaned children live with us as family in our Mercy Centre,
3. Over 150 children living in construction work camps. We operate three schools inside construction worker camps. The parents of these children, mostly migrant workers from Cambodia, work on construction sites near the camps. The children are not allowed outside of the camps. Without our schools, these children would have no place to learn to read and write or play with other children in a safe environment.
4. Our poorest neighbors in the slums. We feed and nourish the poorest of the poor in their times of greatest need. After a slum fire, as occurred last week, we serve meals every day to all the victims who are left homeless until they are able to get back on their feet with a roof over their heads.
5. Street children. Our street social workers look after and feed 100s of children living on Bangkok’s streets.
6. Families registered in our HIV/AIDS homecare program. We provide homecare to the poorest families living with AIDS. For those families who are destitute, we provide a monthly package of rice (along with dry foods and hygiene products) to help them stay healthy and remain productive members of their community. Currently we work with approximately 350 families.
7. Drop ins. We are a drop in centre for our community. Anyone in need, anyone who is hungry.

The cost of rice fluctuates, while our needs remain ongoing. Today the cost per metric tonne of rice is over $500.

Your gifts make a profound difference in the lives (and futures) of the children and adults we serve. No donation is too small. Even a $10 gift is enough to serve a nourishing lunch to several kindergarten classrooms. We wish to thank you one and all who have contributed in any way to this project, and invite you to visit our Mercy Centre  whenever you may be in Bangkok. You are always welcome and will always be a part of our Mercy family.