Program areas at FROSH
The Outreach Program is a program to visit HIV/AIDS patients in their homes. Fr. Mike Shea started this outreach work with three novitiates from the Redemptorists Novitiate in Nongkhai as his staff and visited the first adult AIDS patient group in Don Wai. Fr Mike Shea and three novices at the beginning working for HIV/AIDS people The Outreach Program covers 5 provinces of the Northeast Thailand and sees approximately 70 families. It provides for the primary needs of families affected by HIV/AIDS by supplying medicines, food and money for educating the children. As well as the home visits, the Outreach Program has visits prisoners in jail, who do not have any relatives to visit them. Once a month the Outreach Team has an activities day in Don Wai where the families and children are picked up and driven to Don Wai for lunch, writing letters to their sponsors and general support. The orphanage is recognized in the community as a place of safe refuge. Many of the in-person Outreach programs were modified to accommodate the COVID outbreak. Some of these modifications continued through 2023
Financial support for drugs to combat HIV infected children, purchase food and goods for the Sarnelli Orphanage. Tuition for the children in school is also part of this Program. This year saw an increase in the need for food, supplies and drugs due to the COVID quarantine. The cost of food increased and this caused increase expenses.
Charlene House Charlene House is a 6 room facility for housing visiting volunteers. It has 2 beds /room and shared bathrooms. One room is wheelchair accessible. Funds raised by Friends of Sarnelli House have been earmarked to provide a place for volunteers to reside. There are not suitable housing alternatives for volunteers who come to donate their time for projects such as painting buildings. This year upgrades to the rooms as well costs associated with upkeep were incurred. COVID resulted in far fewer volunteers visiting. Nevertheless, maintenance and upkeep expenses were incurred to keep the spaces ready once COVID had passed. Addtional delayed upkeep were incurred, e.g. painting.
FOSH provides financial support to pay for the salary of staff, Also covered under this grant is transportation cost for the children to go the hospital, as well as to school. Whilst the orphanage grows and sources much of their own food, there are costs associated with food, cooking gas which FOSH supports. Also included is cost for visiting nurse and physical therapist