Projects-Thailand

The Agape Home

The Agape Home in Chiang Mai, Thailand cares for abandoned
babies and children who are HIV-positive and/or have AIDS. Agape
has taken care of over 180 children since it was opened in 1996
and is currently caring for 62 children. Prior to 1996, there were
few placement alternatives for orphaned or abandoned children
with or at risk of having HIV/AIDS. Most often, these children were
left to languish in hospitals with no one to care for them.

Nikki was an extremely sick two-year-old girl who was a resident
in a government-run orphanage. Nikki's health was so bad that a
doctor had written "leave her to die" in the chart during one of her
hospital stays, but she survived several serious infections and was
returned to the orphanage. Avis Rideout, who was volunteering at
the government orphanage at the time, decided to bring Nikki into
her home. The Rideout's love for Nikki transformed her into a
happy, healthy little toddler, and she has become the beautiful 14
year old girl shown at left. With thousands of other HIV-positive
children in Thailand needing the same kind of loving, Avis felt
called to open the Agape Home.

Today, Agape has grown to not only care for young children, but
has expanded to include families and older children. Over the
years, Agape saw the need for a home where HIV-positive mothers
could stay with their children, since many women do not want to
give up their children, but are too ill and don't have the resources
to care for them. Agape believes in the importance of keeping
families together. As well, they have recently recognized the need
for continuing care for older children as many of the children they
took in as babies have continued to thrive into healthy teenagers.
Agape has now begun foster homes on their campus that will
allow the older children to become a part of families as they
outgrow the units for young children.

Agape has an ongoing need to help cover the costs of running the
home; this can be done by giving a general donation or through
child sponsorship. They are also in need of funding for building
projects to continue to expand their amazing work. To find out
more, see the Agape Home website at www.nikkisplace.org.