June 15, 1999
We care Keeping the milk of human kindness flowing Two years after the economic crunch-and amid increasing need-the Foundation for Slum Child Care needs help to ensure its Milk Fund can continue to provide quality care for babies and children Wipawee Otaganonta At the Foundation for Slum Child Care's headquarter in Klong Toey, Wednesday is Milk Day. Shortly after 1 p.m., women from the nearby slum begin drifting into the compound's airy ground floor area with infants in their arms. Eleven-month-old Orm is placed on the scales by his mum Supa Seriwimontham. The pair are among the many mums and toddlers who benefit from the Milk Fund. -PICTURES BY YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK After each mum presents her membership card, the children are weighed and checked, and all the while the foundation staff ask about how the little ones are doing, and about life in general. Then the mums are handed their weekly allotment of baby formula, two 400-gramme cans for youngsters under one year, and one can for those older. While some women get the formula free, most are asked to pay between 25 and 50 baht a can. The ones who can't pay got their milk on credit. "Times are hard now," said Mrs Wanpen, 32, mum to a plump four-month-old boy. "My husband collects junk and scrap, and takes odd jobs when he can. With the daily downpours, he doesn't make much. I don't have a job, so I watch our three kids. The free milk I get here helps a lot."Tan Ngaokachorn, 82, came to the centre with her eight-month-old granddaughter Nittaya. "Her mum goes out to sell stuff," said Mrs Tan, as she paid 50 baht apiece for the cans. "If we don't get milk here, we have to buy it at regular shops where it is more than 100 baht a can."Another older woman ambled in with a six-month-old girl to collect her weekly supply. "The baby's parents have been in jail for a week now for selling drugs. The grandma is now raising the child," said staff member Buariew Chantaramanee. For many families living in the slum-and below the poverty line-this free or heavily discounted milk can mean the difference between malnutrition and health for their babies. Without such subsidies, said foundation manager Srilada Katewong, many poor parents would feed their babies with the cheaper and unhealthy diet of diluted condensed milk or nam khao (a thick liquid obtained as a by-product of dry-cooked rice). "Sometimes parents simply skimp on the formula, using just one spoon instead of the six or eight required for a full bottle of water," said Mrs Srilada. Mrs Wanpen holds the hand of her four-month-old son Wittaya as he lies on the scales and has his weight recorded, while another mum joins the queue with her baby. This results in malnutrition and leads to illnesses and slow progress among slum children. Although the foundation has strongly promoted breast-feeding among slum women, it realises that sometimes breast-feeding is not possible or not appropriate. "Some mums are drug or alcohol addicts, or in poor health. Many can't breast-feed for very long because they have to work. Some leave their children with relatives, like those in jail," said Mrs Srilada. The foundation was set up in 1981 and two years later was accepted into the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana. The Milk and Supplementary Food Fund was set up at that time thanks to grants from the Princess's and the Princess Mother's funds. The project continues to receives royal support to this day through annual grants. Currently 294 children, mostly aged between four months and five years, receive milk from the foundation's headquarter and four branches scattered in slums in Soi Phetchkasem 104, Soi Onnut 86, Soi Suayai Pracha Utit, and the Chao Phya community on Rama IV Road. "The centres in Phetchkasem and Onnut work with slum communities which evolve around the city's garbage dumps. The one in Soi Suayai Pracha Utit is in an area where most people make a living from recycling junk and scrap," said Mrs Srilada. Although the Fund initially aimed to help youngsters aged between four months and three years, it has extended its limits to include other youngsters in extreme situations, such as those whose mums are HIV-positive or drug addicts. "We also support three youngsters whose parents can't care for them and who live with their grandmothers in the provinces. We provide them with milk supplies, dry food stuff and some money, and we visit and check on them every month," said Mrs Srilada. The foundation's Milk Fund also supports nurseries in each of the five centres which between them provide daycare for about 150 youngsters aged between four months and five years. "Our nurseries take in babies who suffer severe malnutrition, or whose development is slow, or youngsters in situations where both parents work and there is no one else to care for them," said Mrs Srilada. "Their parents are asked to help contribute for the care. The most they can pay is 20 baht a day, though, when it costs approximately 100 baht a day to properly care for each child," said Mrs Srilada. The foundation also strives to provide much-needed advice and training on childcare for parents living in the slums. "Our milk comes with strings attached," laughed Mrs Srilada. "Before we accept any family into our programme, we ask them to meet our conditions. "At least once a month they must bring their baby into our centre so we can monitor its weight and progress. On those days, we also ask them to stay for childcare advice and training."And usually once a month the staff visit the families in their homes. "Once the parents see we truly care about their child's welfare, they open up and this allows us to form a trusting relationship with them," said Mrs Srilada. "We try to help them with any problem they have, because problems the parents have will inadvertently affect the children."The extra steps the foundation staff take may also mean checking on families who don't show up for their weekly milk supply and delivering boiled water to sick or alcoholic mums on a daily basis to ensure their baby's milk is made with clean water. But along with its clients, the foundation has been hard hit by the economic crunch. "The hard times mean more slum families need our help. And at the same time, our income, which comes mostly from local donations and interest from our saving, has dropped drastically," said Mrs Srilada. "Before the crisis, we usually got about 600,000 baht in donations every month. Last year the donations dropped, but we began to feel the impact in a big way late last year. "This year is even worse. The amount of donations we get from the boxes we have around town has declined by about 60 percent. Also, many people who used to sponsor kids in our nursery programme have asked to discontinue their pledge. The financial problems caused by dwindling donations have been compounded by the sharp drop in interest rates and the increase in the price of baby milk. "In 1998 the milk was 90 baht a can, this year it cost 120 baht, so we switched to a brand which is equivalent in quality but cheaper," said Mrs Srilada, adding the Milk Fund now provides baby formula produced by His Majesty the King's Dusit Dairy Project. Even with the switch, the foundation is now operating in the red. "Baby formula alone now costs us more than 30,000 baht a month," said Mrs Srilada. "We have not cut down on anything for the children and we don't want to. Instead we want to raise funds and public awareness. We want to tell people that in the long run, the well-being of these children in the slums will affect the well-being of our whole community." Info for donations: Name of Project: The Foundation For Slum Child Care (The Milk and Supplementary Food Fund) Contact person: Srilada Katewong Address: 100/771-775, Klong Toey Block 6, Art-Narong Road, Bangkok 10110. Telephone: 249-0953-4. Fax: 249-2956. Bank details: Thai Military Bank (Klong Toey branch), account number: 015-1-05650-4; Siam Commercial Bank (Klong Tan branch), account number: 028-3-03936-5; Thai Farmers Bank (Klong Toey branch), account number: 017-1-05777-9. In addition to the Milk and Supplementary Food Fund, the foundation runs other projects which need public support, including a project to support pregnant women. In addition to cash donations, the foundation would welcome donations of baby formula, pasteurised milk [for older children], and kluay nam wah (a kind of a local banana) to be used as snack for children under the foundation's care. Alternatively, send your cheque payable to Post Publishing Public Company Limited (For the Foundation For Slum Child Care's Milk and Supplementary Food Fund) to Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110, telephone 240-3700 ext. 3224-5. Please include your name and address with your cheque so we can send you a receipt. We Care is a weekly series honouring people who believe in giving. Apart from supporting these causes, you can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can honour their efforts. Fax We care on 240-3668 orcall 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Or email <sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net>. For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's We Care series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at http://www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare/.		Current Issues in Thailand Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review AutoWeb Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons NiteOwl Student Weekly Real Time Special We Care Back Issues Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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