25 Years of Witnessing to the Word in Thailand 199 Following some negotiation with SVD superiors and the Diocese, Br Damien and Br James were given the green light to go to Thailand in 1999. They spent a year learning the difficult Thai language in Bangkok before travelling to Udon Thani where the Bishop assigned them to work at Mother of Perpetual Help Centre in Nong Bua Lamphu. “At that time the centre was merely a rented house were people with AIDS could come for counselling,” Br Damien says. “The first two years were spent primarily visiting people with AIDS and realising the real needs of the Centre. “We started on a small scale, giving aid to needy children of HIV families, forming HIV groups throughout the province and keeping in regular contact with the people in these groups.” They developed AIDS education and awareness programs for young people in schools. Now each year, the Centre concentrates on delivering these programs in one District, with up to 25 schools taking part. The team at the Mother of Perpetual Help Centre also worked with the local community to initiate self-help development programs such as the very successful cattle project and another to provide food and milk support to babies and young needy children, as well as school supplies and education support to 400 children of HIV families, some of whom are HIV positive themselves. “The Centre would have been closed had not the SVD come to look after it because the Diocese had difficulties finding financial support to keep it running,” Br Damien says.
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