As the pandemic rages on, here are the people lending a helping hand.

By Ashima Sethi

Initiatives launched by the Lions Club Silom Bangkok

In May, the Lions Club Silom Bangkok organised a charity drive under the leadership of President, Aakriti Sultania. The purpose of the drive was to help the elderly staying at the Ruth Old Age Assisted Living Home located in Uthaitanee, Thailand, situated approximately four hours by car from Bangkok.  

The drive provided the elderly community staying at the home with daily essentials and food items that would last them three to four months. Under normal circumstances the group would have liked to visit the home to spend time with the elderly people under their care but because of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, they decided to arrange the donation to be handed over by representatives.

According to President Sultania, “It was lovely to see our team of Lions gather together safely to hand over all the donations to Ms.Uan, the Head of the ‘Life Foundation.’ As Lions, we are committed to helping people and the community in every way possible.”

In June, the Lions Club Silom Bangkok donated a high-specification laptop to Baan Unrak, a foundation located near the Myanmar border that houses 30 children between the ages of 12 and 18. With the world rapidly changing, the need for technology in education is clear as being proficient with computer technologies can enhance learning as well as offer better future job prospects.

The group met with a representative from the foundation in Bangkok to hand over the laptop along with 200 face masks. It was reported that the group was very happy to receive the device, and believed it would have great use in regards to educating the children in their care.

Towards the end of June, the group completed their ‘Spread Smiles’ charity activity where they were able to provide help and necessities to over 400 children living in the four most affected slums in Bangkok who are under the care of the Foundation for Slum Childcare.

Each kit contained goods such as art and drawing equipment, towels, toothbrushes, socks, reusable masks, sanitiser, lunchboxes, food items and snacks, toys, and more. The group have stated that they received tremendous support from their members as well as assistance from organisations, groups, and individuals outside the fraternity. During the donation, the District Governor, L Suchittra Sermboonpaisal along with other dignitaries were present.

Speaking to Masala, President Sultania stated that “It’s been tragic and painful for daily wage earners and law income communities living in the slums who have lost their jobs and barely have enough to make ends meet. We are thankful that the Lions Club Silom team could work together and make this charity drive possible…we were able to donate goods worth around THB 140,000 to this foundation.”

Efforts by the Indian Women’s Club

The Indian Women’s Club (IWC), led by President Geeta Rattan, have shared with Masala that their members and non-members have donated selflessly and generously throughout this pandemic period. They have been donating things like food and milk, necessary medicine, and more to individuals living in the slums. Currently, the group are also assisting members in the Indian diaspora who require food, self-testing kids, medicine, lab tests, pulse oximeters, oxygen, and hospital beds. According to President Rattan, she says “May God heal the world soon.”

Food drives by Pranic Healing Thailand  

Pranic Healing Thailand successfully completed three days of their food drive for undeprivileged communities last month. A dedicated group of their members travelled to Wat King Kaeo in Bang Phli and the Food for Fighters Foundation at Chulalangkorn University to serve 1,500+ fresh, hot meals and fresh fruit, assorted juices, and milk packs to those who need it most, including individuals who are out of work as a result of the unexpected fire that erupted at a chemical factory in Bang Phli a month ago.

According to the group, it was immensely rewarding seeing people of all ages from children to senior citizens cherishing their hot meals. Moreover, the group also donated 100 boxes of food to a nearby hospital where COVID-19 patients were being treated. Utmost care was put into the donation from maintaining the right hygiene practices to using 100 percent eco-friendly packaging.

The team behind the Thai-Indian Youth Achievement Awards (TIYAA) are also pushing ahead with their COVID-19 donation drives with the aim to raise THB 1 million by November that will go towards a total of 35,000 meals. A daily effort, the first day of the donations saw a few hundred meals distributed to the people living communities around Khlong Toey with the hopes that upcoming donations will feature even more.

If you would like to support the cause, donate funds to:

Name: Kohan Prida Narula
K-Bank acc. no. 037-8-23259-7

The Global Welfare Society of Thailand (GLOWS) have also been active during this time, running several donation drives for needy communities living in Bangkok’s slums. With help from community members they have been donating food items including rice, oil, sugar, milk and dried noodles as well as hot meals. In May, the group donated goods to 350 underprivileged families and have been donating monthly ever since. Their June drive supported 150 families while their July drive assisted over 350 families. In August, the group have completed two drives with more planned. If you’d like to help, their next donations are on the 22nd and 28th of this month.

If you would like to donate, send funds to K-Bank acc. no. 771-2-17005-5

The JITO Thailand Association in collaboration with the Thai-Jain Association and India-Thai Diamond Colorstone Association have also come together to launch COVID-19 relief initiatives. With the help of Krishna Patel, Sanjay Naheta, Tejas Shah, Nitin Mehta, Ketan Mehta, Shilpa Kapadia, Jolly Lodha, and Mitesh Shah, they are asking for funds to buy vegetarian dry food, any daily necessities, medical supplies, and sanitisation products. An ongoing effort, you can donate to the follow accounts if you would like to help:

Bangkok Bank acc. no. 540322153
K-Bank acc. no. 343242242
SCB acc. no. 22611887

The Indian Association of Thailand (IAT) has also continued with their work to support the community and underprivileged communities during this time. Beyond organising vaccination drives, the group led by Pinderpal Singh Madan, Nikorn Sachdev, and Papni Thakur, extender relief aid to those living in the Khlong Toey area. Supplies were distributed by Captain Thamanat Prompow, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives.