Thailand Update
November 2008
The Thailand orphanage celebrates its 30th birthday this month.
October 2008
Nicola has a student physio working each afternoon with two of the children in her care, which is great, but now they complain they don’t see as much of Nicola!
Nicola has moved condo at the beginning of October and now has air-conditioning, hot shower and a lift which is a big improvement from having to struggle up 5 flights of stairs when hot and tired. She now has internet in her room and the new condo is opposite her church and very near Carrefour supermarket.
July 2008
Nicola is now better.
June 2008
Nicola is on her 3rd course of antibiotics for the chest infection, which has been diagnosed as bronchitis.
A sign of the influence the work of 1Step2Step is having in the way the children are cared for has been the arrival of some chairs for the ward staff to use with the children. An American donor, having seen Nicola working with her small group, has arranged for chairs to be made and delivered to the ward to enable the orphanage staff to feed the children in an upright position. This helps with digestion and also allows the children to see the world differently, sitting rather than lying down. It is hoped the staff will use the chairs not just for feeding, but also to sit some of the children in from time to time, to encourage them to lift their heads, building strength in their neck muscles.
The Baby Massage Course is finally organised and paid for. This is a great testimony to the strength of Nicola’s relationship with the orphanage and will be really helpful for the children.
May 2008
Nicola has not been well lately, with a mysterious stomach illness, a nasty cough, and now acute tonsillitis! She has worked through most of these things and is particularly keen to shake off the tonsillitis to enable her to attend to her visa.
June 2007
The Baby Massage Course is scheduled to take place sometime next year.
Chutipong, one of Nicola’s smallest children, has made real progress under her care and the head of physiotherapy believes he would now benefit from physiotherapy sessions as well as the work he is doing with Nicola.
The room Nicola has been able to use for 1-1 portage work with the children has been really helpful in enabling the children to concentrate. She says, 'Some of the group are starting to recognize the room and smile when we enter.' Some of the group have been learning new skills like gripping and releasing objects with their hands and holding concentration when looking in a mirror. These are going well and Nicola is pleased with the progress.
March 2007
The orphanage has accepted the offer of 1Step2Step to send a trainer in Baby Massage from the UK to run sessions for staff, volunteers and parents. Baby Massage is a technique that improves circulation, muscle relaxation and emotional bounds. The details of this are yet to be arranged, however this will be a significant step in helping to stimulate the children and build relationships between them and those caring for them.
1Step2Step have purchased foam supports and car seats for use with the children, which are very useful for positioning the children and propping them up so that they can take part in activities.
We're been offered the use of a small room, separate to the main room, for portage sessions. This should help the Children's concentration during these sessions.
The Thai Church Nicola attends is looking to physically expand as it is regularly full. It is a lively place, which organises a full programme of events and charitable work. Hopefully the development will mean Nicola can take some of the children to services, as there will be room for wheelchairs.
September 2006
Our project is still very much in the fledgling stages and getting ready and well prepared for the work that we are about to take on.
Nicola Anderson has completed Portage training and she is now ready to go and start the pilot scheme with a small group of the children in Thailand. We have many of the toys required thanks to the Early Learning Centre in Lancaster. We will be shipping it over for Nicola to use with the children at the orphanage.
At present all we can say on this page is watch this space for news updates when Nicola starts working in Thailand. If you wish to hear more often why not ask to be added to the newsletter email distribution list? This will make sure you receive the news straight to your inbox.