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Vieng Ping Children’s Home
By Chantana Jasper


I wasn’t sure what I imagined as I drove towards Vieng Ping Children’s Home – maybe I was picturing one of those movie images of old Dickensian orphanages in England, where everything is dark and scruffy children are peering out from behind a grey stone wall. I was pleasantly surprised though, as I could glimpse a brightly coloured building next to an enormous sunny courtyard with a thick carpet of grass. The area was sprinkled with well-loved, vibrantly-coloured playground equipment, which I later learned was all donated. Vieng Ping Children’s Home is a place where children not only live – but thrive.

History
This enormous complex is home to girls and boys, ranging in age from birth to six years, and girls from ages seven to eighteen, although Superintendent Manita Tulardilok professes that some of the children stay until they are twenty years old and fully able to support themselves. It is easy to see the warmth and caring in her face as she talks about the children and the home’s programs – qualities also apparent in the home’s attentive staff.
Vieng Ping Children’s Home was established in 1986 as a baby care unit and is under the auspices of the Department of Social Development and Welfare. The home was extended to care for all orphaned children in the North in 1988, and was later streamlined to its current state in 1997. It is the first such orphanage to take in HIV positive babies and children, as well as those orphaned by AIDS.

Daily life


Smiling, cherubic faces greet you from the playground, where vibrant youngsters swing and climb under careful supervision. Meanwhile, in the baby room, volunteers and staff are busy cuddling and feeding the babies. Older children go to public school during the day, while the younger children learn skills suitable to their age, play, eat and, of course, nap! Children get three nutritious meals a day, plus two snacks.
Although the numbers are constantly changing, at date of print there were 176 children on site, and more than 300 in foster homes and group homes (such as Agape). Some of the children are HIV positive. Fortunately, many children born HIV positive will revert to negative as the birth mother’s antibodies are purged from their system. The children receive blood tests for the antibodies at birth, six months, twelve months and eighteen months. Superintendent Manita says, “To date no one has adopted an HIV positive child.” However, of the 160 or so foster families, approximately 20 are caring for HIV positive children.

Foster care
Foster care is the home’s most important programme and serves three main purposes. It is a temporary placement for children; it can prepare children for adoption; and it allows older children an opportunity to experience a family atmosphere. Superintendent Manita says, “Families and children belong together”. She believes that, although the children’s home provides excellent care, it is not a substitute for a family environment and should be a last resort. Even though the staff is attentive and caring, it is not possible for the children to get the same individual focus that they can in a family home. Unfortunately, however, “foster families are difficult to find,” she says.

Adoption
Adoption at Vieng Ping is divided into international and domestic categories. International adoptions are handled by an office in Bangkok, while domestic adoptions go through the office in Chiang Mai. Superintendent Manita is happy to say that domestic adoptions have been on the rise in the past five years; however, many adoptions are relative adoptions, whereby the child is adopted by a blood relative. Carla Lambert adopted her son from Vieng Ping in 2003 and says, “Our son was very happy there and extremely prepared for leaving! They did an awesome job of letting him know who we were. The workers are very attentive and loving.”

Volunteering
Those with experience working with children or a deep interest in helping them can visit the volunteer coordinator’s office at Vieng Ping. Volunteers assist with a range of activities, from feeding and playing with the children, to teaching English or art, to taking groups out on trips to the zoo or donated meals at restaurants. Volunteers are limited to helping for one month and must provide a copy of their visa and passport. It’s best to email, phone or stop by, to see what the home’s current needs are.

Donations
Although Vieng Ping is funded by the government, it is also supported by donations. Cash is always welcome and can be designated for specific items. Donations of blankets, sweaters, towels, brushes, sanitary napkins (for the older girls), underwear, milk bottles, diapers and blenders are also needed. A list of current needs is always posted in the main office. For those who would like to donate toys, it’s best to give sports equipment or other items that can be shared by all the children rather than enjoyed by just a few.

Vieng Ping Children’s Home, 63/3 Moo 4 Donkaew, Maerim, Chiang Mai 50180; tel 053-236-049/211877; fax 053-220-802; email: vpch@cmnet.co.th