No time like the present

No time like the present

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
No time like the present

Give back to society and help those in need with Life's charity gift guide for the season of goodwill

 WILDLIFE

Wildlife is a huge environmental issue in Thailand.

But you do not need to go into the wild to help animals. Support can be shown through donations to wildlife rescue centres and foundations dedicated to improving animals' livelihood in various ways, from providing sanctuary, offering medical care and rehabilitation to releasing animals back into the wild and caring for those who are unable to return there.

Some organisations educate people, particularly children, in hopes of preventing cruelty towards animals, run campaigns against the illegal wild animal trade and discourage the use of animals for entertainment.

Besides making a donation, you can help wild creatures by volunteering to work in rehabilitation centres. Here are some wildlife organisations that need assistance.

Wildlife Friends Foundations Thailand (www.wfft.org)

The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand (www.warthai.org)

Wildlife 1 Foundation (www.wildlife1.org)

THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

The calendar currently on your desk will become useless as soon as this year ends, but it is still useful for the visually impaired.

The Foundation for the Blind in Thailand on Ratchawithi Road accepts donations of desktop calendars, which can be turned into educational tools.

Desktop calendars are often made with thick paper suitable for making Braille reading materials. Thick paper allows the Braille to last longer than it would on regular paper.

The foundation also welcomes the donation of wall calendars depicting beautiful pictures of nature, Thai traditions, and cultures and places. Some students are partially sighted and can still see the images, while teachers can describe those pictures to students.

The foundation also creates bookmarks from old calendars, each containing a short Braille message. These bookmarks will be given to donors as a souvenir of thanks.

Visit www.blind.or.th or call 02-354-8365/8 and 02-354-8370/1.

EDUCATION

If you and your friends love golf and gourmet dining, get together for a philanthropic tournament to raise money for the Bangkok Post Foundation, which supports the education of needy children.

The Bangkok Post-Black Mountain Charity Golf and Gourmet Dinner will be held at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin, on National Children's Day this Jan 10. It promises to delight golfers with an 18-hole tournament followed by an outdoor gourmet barbecue dinner served by executive chefs from 15 of Bangkok's five-star hotels and Black Mountain's Swedish executive chef. The 2015 event will also feature a grand auction. The evening is expected to generate more than 4 million baht for the foundation. Tickets cost 100,000 baht net for a group of four golfers.

Email thanyarats@bangkokpost.co.th or call 02-616-4552.

LEPERS

The number of leprosy patients in Thailand is constantly dropping, There were 280 new cases in 2011, compared to 405 in 2010 — a 30% decrease, according to figures from the Department of Disease Control.

Admittedly, those with the infectious disease are still the target of social stigma and disdain. This forces them to live in colonies, a sanctuary of sorts where communities of lepers come together.

Phud Hong Leper Colony in Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the largest colonies in Thailand, where 150 lepers struggle to survive on the 100 baht daily allowance they receive from the government.

Those who wish to make a donation to help lepers can transfer the money to the Phud Hong Leper Foundation, Account No. 218-0-13367-6, Bangkok Bank, Sunthorn Kosa Branch, Klong Toey, Bangkok. Call 081-900-4922.

MALARIA VICTIMS

Every minute, a child dies from malaria in Africa. Not long ago, the statistic was the death of a child every 30 seconds. In Africa, Malaria is the leading cause of death among children.

Nothing But Nets began as a grass-roots campaign in 2006, which captured global attention when sports writer Rick Reilly challenged readers to contribute US$10 (330 baht) to purchase anti-malaria bed nets — a simple, effective solution to the problem.

According to the UN Foundation, insecticide-treated bed nets can be purchased and delivered for just $10 — the cost also includes the education of people on proper use of the equipment — while providing other malaria reduction interventions. Bed nets can reduce the infection of malaria by 90%.

Over the years, the campaign has delivered more than 7 million bed nets to families in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nothing But Nets partners with Unicef, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Health Organization.

Visit www.nothingbutnets.net

DIGITAL HAVE-NOTS

If your home is cluttered with piles of old computers and electronic items, giving them to those who want them is a smart and useful solution.

Used computers, notebooks, printers, mice, keyboards, scanners and peripheral equipment in any condition are useful to children. Donate through the Mirror Foundation's Computer for Kids project. Visit www.com4child.org or call 02-9732237 ext. 112.

Other relevant organisations include:

Association of Persons with Physical Disability International will recycle computers and also vehicles for people with disabilities such as wheelchairs or tricycles. Visit www.apdi2002.com or call 02-990-0331.

Thai Wisdom Learning Centre in Samut Prakan province will repair broken computers and computer parts and donate them to children in rural schools. The donation also promotes the centre's computer repair occupation initiative. Call 02-750-9937.

Suankaew Foundation at Wat Suankaew Temple in Nonthaburi province. Visit www.kanlayano.org or call 02-595-1444​.

KIDNEY FAILURE PATIENTS

Not all charity totes have to look like dreary billboards. Take those by Kiddeeproject, for example, which have a trendy typographic appeal and support those with kidney failure.

Their totes are made from actual dialysis bags. According to Nan Hospital, which has approximately 1,000 patients with renal disease, eight bags of dialysis solution are used per patient every day. This adds up to almost 3 million bags each year.

Thanks to this project, kidney patients can sell these dialysis bags back to the waste bank, where they can be cleaned and dried. They are then sewn to waterproof fabric, transforming them into a two-toned, unisex tote large enough to carry a 17-inch laptop. Profits from the sale of these handy and waterproof carryalls support renal patients and promote sustainability.

Dialysis bags cost 1,650 baht each, inclusive of EMS charges. Place your order at www.facebook.com/Kiddeeproject.Thailand. Visit www.iamdr.co/2014/09/19/kiddee-project-no-1-tathata-brand.

PET ANIMALS

The festive season is the perfect time for anyone to express their unconditional love for others. And if buying nice presents for family and friends is the opportunity for us to help needy animals, why not?

The simplest way to support Kasetsart University Veterinary Hospital's Help for Helpless Animals Fund is to purchase products from its Dr Namjit-Dr Namjai project during the holiday season. Recommended gifts include a tea set (990 baht), a set of Dr Namjit by Naraya pleated handbags (1,200 baht) and a limited edition Dr Namjai Seiko watch (12,000 baht). Cute coffee mugs, T-shirts and notebooks and other products are also available.

All the Dr Namjit and Dr Namjai products can be purchased at the royal project shop of Chakri Bongkot Palace, Pathum Thani; the 906 royal project shop at the Marketing Organisation for Farmers market, Chatuchak district; the Dr Namjit-Dr Namjai shop at Chulabhorn Hospital; the Dr Namjai shop at the Small Animal Hospital of Kasetsart University, Bang Khen; and five Naraya outlets in Bangkok.

Visit www.facebook.com/dr.nam jit or contact Chakri Bongkot Palace at 02-598-6635 or 02-598-2976 ext 6079. Anyone wishing to donate money to support the Help for Helpless Animals Project of Kasetsart University Animal Hospital may transfer money to Account No. 043-7-30275-5, Bangkok Bank, Kasetsart University branch.

NEEDY STUDENTS

A gift is most valuable when it is given to the person who needs it the most. Right now, children in many of Thailand's remote areas need school bags.

The "Bags for Children" project was set up by Chiang Mai University's Development Foundation, with the aim of distributing donated bags to those in need.

The project welcomes the donation of various types of used bags, from school bags or tote bags, which are still in good condition.

Donations can be made in person to the foundation, at Chiang Mai University's Dean Office. Call 053-943-499 or 093-307-1550.

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