Victoria Portal

Program Director
Chutima Jongjet

Mandate
To create a loving home environment for poor children and their mothers living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, to provide a high level of homecare for infected mothers and children who are able to live at home in their community.

Number of Home Residents (2006)
53 children, 3 mothers

Geographic Coverage
Over 30 slum communities in Bangkok with a concentration in Klong Toey, Bangkok's largest slum community.

How We Care
All mothers and children in our family are ensured of the following:

• A loving home environment in Mercy Centre.
• Dedicated teams of nurses and auxiliary healthcare staff on duty 24 hours a day.
• Emotional support and special training to help mothers care for their own infected children.
• Educating the children. All of our children attend school. A computer training center, art school, and playground are also on the premises of Mercy.
• Safety, security, a place where they need not fear shame and discrimination.
• Day-to-day provisions, from a steady nutritional diet to clothing, bedding, washing, etc.
• Field trips, cultural explorations, and holidays for the children.
• An opportunity for the children to play and develop as normal children, equal to their peers.

Additional Program Parameters

• Providing homecare in cases where mothers and children with HIV/AIDS live with family outside of Mercy Centre.
• Job assistance, counsel, and other means of support to the mothers in our home.
• Educating the surrounding community and other slum neighborhoods on various AIDS issues, including prevention, compassion, and care.
• Ensuring access to government hospitals and additional medical care, whenever required, by providing transportation, logistics, documentation, and paperwork.
• Funeral and other family and emergency arrangements.

Origins/History
In 1993 the HDF opened an Adult AIDS hospice and began its AIDS educational programs to the poor throughout Bangkok. In 1997, we opened our Mothers and Children's Home and began a comprehensive homecare program.

Challenges
To reach poor infected mothers before they become homeless and to begin medical treatment for them and their children as early as possible. To educate the greater community in prevention, compassion, and acceptance to prevent abandonment. To prepare our older children for a rich and fulfilling future.

Our Growing Family
Our doors are always open, and our family is always growing. Mothers learn specialized care-giving skills for their children. Children go to school and are treated as equals among their peers. The home itself fosters acceptance and empowerment. Our children have experienced a sense of loss and suffering that often defies comprehension, yet their joy in life and love of friendship are truly extraordinary.