July 18, 2000
Loan of a lifetime The Occupational Loan Fund brings a sense of fulfilment to people affected by Aids, helping them to live-and prepare for the worst Bradley Siemens Buasai Soipet weeps each time Jumroen visits her. Buasai is a poor, single mother with Aids. She will die within the next few years, and will not see her four-year-old son grow up. Yet these are not the reasons for her tears. She cries because Jumroen Yaichid, manager of the Thai Concern Foundation's Occupational Loan Fund, has enabled her to provide for her son's future, and given her the self-esteem to enjoy the time she has left with him. As she wipes tears from her face, she says, "I never thought someone would care about me this way. I never imagined I'd be able to help not only myself and my family, but also another person in the same situation as me." None of the families of the nearly one million HIV-infected Thai citizens are happy about the situation the disease puts them in. But for families suffering from poverty, the disease brings more darkness to an already depressing situation. The Thai Concern Foundation offers hope to this disadvantaged population with its Occupational Loan Fund project. Dr Amnuay Tapingkae, president of Far Eastern College in Chiang Mai and chairman of the Thai Concern Foundation board, explains the foundation's motives in working with the underprivileged. "Concern is a combination of compassion for other people in trouble as well as concern for the whole fabric of society. His Majesty the King, by his example and his gracious words, has urged all the people of Thailand to modify their thinking and their actions on behalf of the greater good. We recognise our solidarity and relationship with people entrapped in circumstances which are increasingly dire. They are part of us." The Occupational Loan Fund supports small income generation projects operated by poor individuals and families affected by Aids. Currently funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the project provides interest-free loans to needy clients in the Klong Toey slums of Bangkok, and in the rural areas of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, and Phayao provinces. Although no collateral is required, a client must have several guarantors and witnesses in order to receive a loan. Clearly, the emphasis of the Occupational Loan Fund strays from time-tested business techniques, which would label these loans as bad financial investments. This, of course, is exactly the point, as one of the programme's guiding tenets is to provide help and hope to people who are not routinely granted these things by society. Jumroen puts it this way: "These families have many problems with health and money, and our loans are designed to help solve these problems, not add to them." Thai Concern Foundation executive director Somchai Sirisujin added: "The Occupational Loan Fund does not aim to help poor people with Aids run their businesses, but to support their hope of living with human dignity." This human dignity is based primarily on human relationships. The most important prerequisite for receiving a loan is that the client must have informed his or her family or community of their HIV status, and asked for support in establishing an income-generation venture, as well as paying back the loan required to accomplish this. Close relationships are emphasised as the basis for the project's success. Wanda Chumungpan, a nurse at Padet Hospital, where 10 of the Occupational Loan Fund's clients are patients, vouches for this strategy. "Jumroen's clients respond well to the accountability and responsibility required. The personal follow-ups contribute to building close families." In addition to strong family ties, the fund also fosters other components of a healthy life. A loan, as opposed to a simple grant or handout, re-establishes a sense of responsibility. As the enterprise begins to turn a profit, the person with Aids regains ownership of what once seemed a hopeless situation. Furthermore, a successful business requires the participation of customers, and this participation exhibits a level of acceptance that did not previously exist. The realisation that someone wants a product they have made is an incredibly powerful source of encouragement for a person with Aids. Rather than days growing darker with depression, the individuals have an honest self-esteem, content that they have provided for the future of their children. When the time comes to repay the loan, they know that their money will start another person on the same path out of the dismal cycle surrounding Aids. "This is the most important point," says Somchai Sirisujin. "Learning that someone loves and is concerned about you, and learning how to share love and concern with others in trouble." In all, the process revitalises a life that had seemed to be only waiting for death. This is the theory behind the Occupational Loan Fund. Though the concept of the fund may seem idealistic, its romanticism is matched almost completely by the project's success both statistical and anecdotal. Over its three years of operation, the project has approved 75 loans to individuals, families, and support groups for people with Aids. In only one instance was the client unable to repay the loan. The other 74 projects all became successful enterprises. Approximately 70 percent of these initiatives have been of an agricultural nature-mostly raising cattle or fish. The other projects include a number of small shops selling various village necessities, a bicycle repair service, and a shoe manufacturing business. Over 60 percent of these clients are women who were infected by their husbands, widowed, and left with young children. While the high ratio of repaid loans is one clear measure of success, the most important achievement of the project is the individual lives improved. Pintiwa Saenkat, who received assistance from the fund to open a tiny convenience in a corner of her house, says, "Without the loan, my health would have gone a lot faster ... I'd probably be dead." In addition to the physical possessions provided by the 5,000 baht loans Jumroen gives out, he establishes meaningful friendships with each of his clients. He makes a point of approaching people on their level, shooting the breeze in the informal rural dialect they're accustomed to using. He insists that there is nothing to hide, openly discussing his uncle's death from Aids, an emotional experience that led him to his current profession. Clients respond to this plain sincerity by bringing up their own fears and sorrows, and Jumroen counsels them as honestly as possible. To Jumroen, his relationships with clients are best evidenced by their attitudes towards him. "They don't view me as a loan officer, but as a friend. Instead of hiding from me, they call and ask me to visit." These friendships, along with the statistical success of the Occupational Loan Fund, are balanced by the inevitable reality of Aids. After all the improvements and rekindling of hope, death is still a certainty. One might think that the constant losses of close relationships he has established with clients would take a profound emotional toll on Jumroen. Instead, it has led him to an intimate understanding and comfortable acceptance of death as a natural part of life. "People die every day from all sorts of things, not only Aids," he reasons. "Dwelling in death and fearing it accomplishes nothing. If you freeze from emotional loss you can't participate in the life you have." This attitude rubs off on Jumroen's clients as well. Most of the families live in houses made of cracking cement, unfinished wood, and asbestos roofs. But in these unglamorous houses, families that will soon experience death live life with a wide range of hearty emotions. In a single day, Jumroen will visit the incessantly upbeat Pintiwa, who says, "Smiling keeps me healthy," as well as Buasai and her half-hour of grateful tears. Their reactions solidify his faith in the Occupational Loan Fund and its positive impact on families and communities. So solid is this faith that the Thai Concern Foundation plans to actively expand the project within the next year. The current target group of the Occupational Loan Fund includes the clients of Aids Counselling and Training Centres managed by the Thai Concern Foundation in Chiang Mai, Chiang Kham (Phayao province), Khon Kaen, and the Klong Toey slums of Bangkok. These Aids initiatives provide counselling and material support to over 2,000 people with Aids annually. However, the need for occupational loans and the encouragement they produce certainly exists in other communities and towns throughout the country. To expand, Aids support groups will be encouraged to establish their own revolving loan funds so that more individuals can be aided without adding a large administrative burden to the Occupational Loan Fund project. In addition, within the next year, the Occupational Loan Fund will likely switch from no-interest to a mid-level interest on its loans. This will serve to enlarge the capital in the loan fund itself, which will in turn allow more people to receive assistance. Finally, booklets will be printed later this year documenting the success and methods of the project. These publications will encourage other Aids-oriented NGOs to initiate similar services in other areas of Thailand. Jumroen himself will act as a resource person for any group wishing to set up similar revolving loan funds. If these efforts succeed, and more organisations develop revolving loan funds of their own, poor people with Aids across the country will be given hope and the opportunity to live fulfilled lives. As their children mature, they will have the resources to attend school, and be instilled with fond memories of parents who were truly alive for their last years. Areas of Thai Concern Dr Amnuay Tapingkae, chairman of the Thai Concern Foundation board, says the current Thai Concern Foundation projects include: - Four Aids Counselling and Training Centres operating within urban and rural communities with high per capita HIV infections. - One Tribal Aids Counselling and Training programme aimed at Mien tribal communities susceptible to the proliferation of Aids. - One Occupational Loan Fund enabling persons with Aids to support their families through small income generation initiatives. - One Tribal Hostel Development Project to build the capacity of student hostel managers. - One Tribal Child Sponsorship Project supporting poor children attending school. - One Thai and English Language Centre, teaching these as second languages and supporting a segment of the TCF administrative costs. Info for donations: - Name of organisation: Thai Concern Foundation - Contact person for the Occupational Loan Fund: Jumroen Yaichid - Contact person for the Thai Concern Foundation: Somchai Sirisujin - Address: 348/4 Jaroenpathet Road, Chang Klan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100 - Telephone: (053) 205-133 - Fax: (053) 205-134 - Email: tcf@loxinfo.co.th - Bank account name: Thai Concern Foundation - Bank account number: 407-1-01275-7 - Bank: Thai Farmer's Bank, Chang Klan Branch, Chiang Mai - "We care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. In addition to supporting these causes, you can let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net. For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare.		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