Thank you!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Photocopier Arrives!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Evening at Jomtien Boathouse
On Thursday 25th September, a special dinner and evening of entertainment with Elvis was held at the Jomtien Boathouse Restaurant, Jomtien Beach Road. A wonderful dinner was served by the Boathouse Restaurant staff and organized by Khun Kannika. A slide show of the projects in Mae Sot was presented along with a presentation by Bronwyn, Kylie and Rosanne. On this evening 150,000 Baht was raised for the WWM education programs in the Thai / Burma Border Camps. All proceeds from the evening will go to support the welfare and educational needs of refuge Myanmar children living in camps on the Thailand border.
A special thank you goes to our Sponsors for the evening DHL and a special friend Chitra for her generous donation. Also sincere thanks for the wonderful auction and raffle items donated by Ursula Antiques, Kalae, Arlette Cykman, Nancy Srikumpol, Patricia Foulstone, Indian by Nature Restaurant, La Luna Restaurant, Café New Orleans, Boathouse Restaurant, Residence Inn Restaurant.
Women with a Mission (WWM) is a private group of women who work to organise help for people who need it most. We are currently working to help provide educational supplies (such as a photocopier which will enable to copying of text books for distribution to 54 community schools) to benefit some of the thousands of Burmese children living in the camps along the Thailand/Myanmar border (previously Burma). We are also trying to raise money to supply the children with food, clothing and medical supplies. These children have been displaced by both political uncertainty and more recently a natural disaster, namely the devastating Cyclone Nagis, which left thousands of children orphaned.
Friday, August 15, 2008
An Evening of Dinner and Entertainment!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Article in Pattaya Newspapers - July 08
This past week WWM has been able to send food, clothing, medical supplies and funds into Burma and the Mae Sot area to help feed, clothe and educate the children of Burmese migrant workers and survivors of Cyclone Nagis.
The management of Regent Park, Naklua, provided a house to use as a collection point for all of the food and clothing items over a period of one month and DHL Logistics provided a truck and staff to load and deliver the items to Mae Sot.
Arriving into Mae Sot around 7:30am on Sunday 13 July the truck was greeted by the children and director of Hsa Thoo Lei Orphanage and Learning Centre, home to 210 orphaned Burmese/Karen children and children of Internally Displaced People (IDP). Within three hours the two truck drivers and children had unloaded the large truck and separated the items for ease of distribution. Within an hour of the truck being unloaded, a local volunteer organisation was able to take the boxes of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing for distribution to survivors of Cyclone Nagis.
The remainder of the food and clothing items were distributed between Hsa Thoo Lei and two orphanages inside Burma, who through their various channels help the survivors of Cyclone Nagis. Due to the difficulties in transporting relief items into Burma, the orphanage house mother and her driver will make three trips in a small van over the next few weeks so as not to draw unnecessary attention to their activities. WWM left additional funds to be used for transportation.
It has proven difficult to give assistance to the people in need inside Burma. Many obstacles stand in the way of sending in large quantities of relief items and the high cost of fuel has prevented even small shipments going in, along with unrest at the border. We have been able to direct funds collected (over half a million baht so far) to an organisation operating inside Burma. They are utilising the funds to provide food and medical supplies, re-build homes and repair boats so the fishermen are able to start earning a living again. Your donations of money, food and clothing have had, and continue to have, a positive effect on their recovery.
Women With a Mission will continue to assist the Burmese families inside Burma with funds to help rebuild their lives in addition to providing children living in refuges camps along the Thai/Burma border with daily meals, educational materials, uniforms and medicines.
A big thank you goes out to so many people, but first of all Marjolijn for co-ordinating the food and clothing drive, along with her many friends. We also thank the following people, schools and organisations for their generosity.
Management of Regent Park (Bangkok Sunday Co. Ltd)
DHL Logistics
Thai Thani Management Co. Ltd
St Andrews International School
International School Eastern Seaboard (ISE)
Montessori Children’s Centre International
Neighbours of Regent’s Park
De Nederlandse Vereniging in Pattaya
AGS Four Winds
Pattaya International Ladies Club
Dana Spicer (Rayong)
There were many individuals who helped in collecting the goods, sort and label boxes, produce packing lists and others who provided medical supplies. Our thanks go out to you all for making this a successful collection.
Help is still needed by the Burmese people. Please contact WWM on how you can make a difference to the lives of those with so little. We’d also like to hear from you if you wanted some more information or updates on our activities.
Email – wwm.burma@gmail.com.
Rosanne, Bronwyn and Kylie
Monday, July 14, 2008
Arrival...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Fab fundraising night to raise money for the children in boarding House
Photo: Delivering food to the canteen at Boarding House, Thailand border.Newly formed Melbourne group of women "EMPOWA" used their first fundraising and community awareness raising activity to empower the Burmese children at a boarding house within a refugee camp on the Thai border. The women held a dinner and silent auction at the Burmese restaurant, Burmese House, in Richmond, Melbourne. Great food, including traditional dishes from Burma, was served in between information sessions and a photo presentation of the living conditions of Burmese migrant children and refugees living in Thailand. The night was a good time for old friends to catch up, and new friends to be made. Great contributions to the cause, $3,500 AUD was raised, all of which is going to the boarding house.
So thanks to everyone who contributed, 85 children will have protein, fruit and vegetables included in their daily meals for the next year.
Special thanks to:
EMPOWA Women's Group - Vic, Kim, Kerry, Kerri, Karen, Michelle, and Bron (who is a member of WWM).
Burmese House - thanks to Mimi for fabulous cooking and the great staff support.
Orient Express for donating beautiful Burmese items for the auction.
D'Fine/Creative - for donating the art work and printing for the banners.
Kim King and her party for their great support for the night.
FOOTNOTE:
The boarding house is located within a refugee camp near Mae Sot, Thailand. It is home to between 85 - 100 children who cross the border from Burma to have the opportunity for education and to live safely, free from the threat of the army burning down their villages, and worse. They come without their parents (if they are still alive) and often do not see their families for many years. Some of the children receive rice rations from the main camp, but many are totally dependant on people such as us for food, clothing, and hygiene supplies. With the increasing price of rice since Cyclone Nargis, food is now at a critical level for these children, who receive only two meals a day, unless substantial extra funding is received.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Dear Family and Friends
21 May 2008
Dear Family and Friends
Most of you will know that soon after the tsunami of December 2004, I joined with two of my friends to raise funds for the communities in southern Thailand. Immediately after the tsunami and for the next three years, as Helping Hands Pattaya, we achieved many great things, including self- sustaining lunch farms in seven schools; daily school lunches for children in eight schools; child sponsorships and provision of milk for babies and children to the age of five years.
Of the three of us, Rosanne is the only one still living in Thailand – Bronwyn has relocated to Melbourne, Australia and I am living in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Women with a Mission came about after we realised we needed a name that reflected our new locations, continued collaboration and our plans for the future!
We are each devoted to being citizens of the global community, without cultural or religious boundaries. As a private group, WWM is able to reach those that cannot be assisted by organisations with strict guidelines. We are able to co-ordinate with a wide variety of organisations.
We have had a commitment to the people of Burma for some time and in February of this year we visited the border town of Mae Sot in Northern Thailand. Thailand is home to an estimated two million migrants escaping 50 years of internal conflict within their country and living in dire poverty in refugee camps throughout the border regions. Many of them are orphaned children and teenagers sent by their parents from Burma in the hope they will live in safety and receive an education in the schools established by the Burmese community.
The need for aid is great in Mae Sot. Prior to Cyclone Nagis in Burma on May 2, we had committed to fundraising for a commercial photocopier, which would enable distribution of teaching materials to the schools and learning centres as part of our plan to establish a consistent curriculum.
It is still our intention to provide the photocopier – the cost is THB224,700 (approximately AUD7,400). We have chosen to purchase this machine as it can be purchased and serviced locally and will provide further financial support for the local community.
We maintain our commitment to assist the people of Burma, especially in this great time of need. We have contacts that have been able to enter Burma to distribute funds, clothing and basic food necessities, collected in the past two weeks. Should you wish to contribute towards this immediate cause, we are able to assist.
We are committed to being financially accountable and use the funds received only for the purpose requested. We do not utilise any of the funds for our expenses, in fact donating these ourselves. In places where we donate our time and resources, we respect the autonomy of local communities, encouraging people to develop their own development processes.
Your support of our efforts to assist the people of Burma is greatly appreciated and donors will receive detailed information on the use of their funds if required. I look forward to hearing from you individually – even if it’s just for more information or updates on our progress.
Kindest regards,
Kylie
for Bronwyn, Rosanne and Kylie
Thursday, May 8, 2008
An open letter....
May 7, 2008
A terrible cyclone has claimed many lives in the Burmese southern coastal area and has left many people homeless and orphaned.
They are in desperate need of your HELP!!
Women With a Mission (formally Helping Hands Pattaya) has been working in the Burmese refugee camps in Mae Sot since February of this year. We have contacts in that area that can get supplies directly to the people that need it.
The Mae Sot area was hit by the tail end of the storm and two of their schools were destroyed at the migrant workers’ refugee camps.
I have been gathering clothing, books and monetary funds for the last couple months with help from friends like you to send up to Mae Sot. This has been hugely successful, and we thank you for that.
Unfortunately, now there is a need much greater and URGENT!!
I am rallying some organizations from Pattaya (Rotary Clubs, Pattaya Mail, Mercy Center, Fountain of Life, Father Ray Foundation, Jesters Care for Kids and Four Winds Moving Comp.) to be more successful in our efforts to help the most needy.
Please help us be successful in these efforts by donating between 5,000 and 25,000 baht and/or much needed supplies, such as:
1) Tarps
2) Mosquito nets
3) Food supplies and water
4) Clothing
Send your financial support to the Fountain of Life (bank information below).
Thank you for your much-needed support and caring for our neighbors in Burma.
Sincerely,
Women With a Mission
Rosanne
for Bronwyn, Rosanne and Kylie
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