Aids orphans of Baan Gerda, Thailand

The Aids orphans of Baan Gerda need our very special help. They need shelter in a new family, they need lot of love to forget all the terrible situations when their mother and father died from HIV. They need continous medical care. And they need an education and a chance to life as normal as possible. Every child need 125 Euro per months to cover all the needs.

The history of Baan Gerda
Baan Gerda is a small community 230 kilometers north of Bangkok where 83 HIV-positive children, mostly orphans, live and receive medical treatment in family houses under the care of foster parents.

Baan Gerda is founded (2001) on the principle that all children, no matter how ill or disadvantaged, are entitled to love, nurturing and medical care.

Our approach to treating orphans with HIV differs in key respects from most institutional approaches we are aware of in Thailand. We believe that recreating a family environment is vital to ensure their long term wellbeing. We also are committed to preparing our children for as normal a life as possible, so we have made great efforts to integrate them in local schools.

Baan Gerda’s children are grouped into eight families, each family occupying its own house. Two HIV-infected foster parents — in some cases a married couple but in most cases two widows — take care of between nine and eleven children. Each family functions like a traditional family, and we find that most children readily adopt a new loving environment. Older kids are expected to help their younger siblings.

The medical department of Baan Gerda consists of the Head Nurse and her assistant. Routine medical and dental care is received from the local district hospital, and in cases that children are seriously sick they are referred to Bangkok. Baan Gerda is fortunate to have supervision from a pediatrician, who comes from Bangkok every eight weeks to diagnose and treat problem cases. Blood samples are taken routinely for all HIV-positive members of the community and sent to Bangkok for analysis. Medical records are maintained for each child and weight changes and lab values are meticulously recorded. Lab results are very important to arrive at the proper dosage of ARV and track the health status of children.

Our children attend state-run schools, which are within walking distance. Most kids do well in school, although there are some children where HIV has retarded normal development.

Baan Gerda is an ongoing project that has been running for 8 years. We don’t see any final outcome of the programme per se. While there is still a need we will continue our work. Read more