The Thailandproject is a non-profit humanitarian organisation run by Norwegian students in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, through ANSA. The project is a main contributor to the BaanChivitMai (“Home for new life”) organisation, an orphanage located in Chieng Rai in Northern Thailand.

Swedish missionary Ewa Olofsson founded BaanChivitMai in 1993. The Thailandproject started up in 2001, after a group of students joined student chaplain Knut Inge Bergem on a visit to BaanChivitMai. Since its inception, the organisation has built a main centre in Chieng Rai called Hua Doi, which houses over 50 school-aged children and 20 teenage girls. A second centre, Eden, is situated in the same area and caters for children with HIV and AIDS. Another two centres are located in rural areas outside of Chieng Rai, and BaanChivitMai have several new projects in development.

Small jungle villages inhabited by poor tribal people surround the city. These villages are largely disjointed from the greater Thai population. They do not speak, read or write the official language. They have minimal official documentation, and as a result they are often not regarded as Thai citizens. The process of becoming accepted as citizens is tough, and made tougher by a lack of education and medical help from the government.

Traditionally the villages depended on opium crops. Since their only trade has been banished, there have been provided no other options, and the local people struggle to find alternate sources of income. The reality for the children in the region is surround by horrors of poverty, hunger, physical abuse, drug abuse, and being sold to prostitution. In recent years there has been a large-scale outbreak of HIV and AIDS, which can be seen as a result of the considerable increase in child prostitution.

BaanChivitMai’s target group are children in danger of being sold. They provide food, accommodation and education, work and work training for the local population and their young. All funds donated to the Thailandproject go unabridged to BaanChivitMai. Administration costs are funded by other means.

ScanArt’s exhibitors make a mandatory donation of 25% of their sales to the Thailandproject, and we encourage our visitors help us help the cause.

For more information, visit www.thailandproject.org