The Life Home Project provides a home for HIV-positive women and children. Besides offering the women and children a safe community to live free from the stigma so often associated with HIV/AIDS, it also serves as a skills training facility. Workshops are held to instruct the women in occupational skills, including sewing, arts and handicrafts. The home also has its own bakery and teaches the women about catering, thereby giving each one a chance to provide for her family and herself. The Project also supplies childcare, health education, and hospice assistance, as well as HIV education and outreach services within the community. The aim is to assist each woman in her recovery, and empower her through love and hope. The Life Home Project is a registered charitable foundation, funded by local and international donors.

Life Home Project (LHP) was set up in 2001 by Jose Luis Gay, a Spanish volunteer with previous experience helping underprivileged children in Phuket. Shortly afterwards he was joined by two other volunteers, Hélène Fallon-Wood, who has the lead responsibility for community relations and fund rising, and Kathy Manthei Coulson, a well known artist in Asia and the USA, who is the inspiration and guidance for the art workshop which helps mothers to develop new projects.

In the year 2007, The Life Home Project built a new home in Koh Sirae.

The Life Home Project (LHP) foundation is a registered institution based in Phuket, Thailand. We’re a non-denominational, non-profit, charitable organisation. We aren’t affiliated with any political, religious or social group. Our main goal is to help to improve the situation of those women who are HIV-positive, their children (who may be HIV-positive themselves), and other disadvantaged children.

We’ll continue to work with the women and children of the southern provinces of Thailand in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We’re providing a secure shelter and place to live for the women and children, presently housing 30 women and 25 children at our project in Koh Sirae. Along with this we’re also providing education and family support to 170 children in the Phuket area.

Over the past few years we’ve been focusing on education in the local schools and out in the local community. We’ve been surviving on generous donations mainly from Europe, with some small donations from UNICEF and the Global Fund, USA.

Current Statistics
Current data shows that Phuket has the highest national incidence of HIV/AIDS infected persons. The Public Health department indicates that 60% of all new HIV infections occur in the teenage group of 15 to 25 year olds. This is a very new and frightening statistic. The Life Home Project is addressing this issue with our outreach program, by providing workshops and community awareness days out in the community of Phuket. We’re aiming to educate the youth to the dangers of unprotected sex, which can end up in unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS infection.

The Life Home Project Foundation objectives

• To reduce and prevent HIV transmission by providing HIV-related education through the Outreach and Community Action Program which includes hospital visits, prevention programs, training seminars, raising awareness, activities for children and a telephone support service. Then there’s the Hands Project, an innovative way to connect people living with HIV/AIDS, around the world.
• To provide a healthy, safe environment for HIV-positive women and children including accommodation, food and basic medical care, where they can live safely in a supportive community.
• To give psychological, practical and economical support by teaching HIV-positive women new work skills in accordance with their interests and abilities.
• To provide education to children through the scholarship programme and the day-care programme for pre-school children, who are particularly vulnerable.
  

Life Home Project Event Announcement
On Saturday March 27, the Life Home Project proudly presents Phuket’s first St. Patrick’s Ball at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. The guests of honour will be HE Ambassador Eugene Hutchinson and his wife, Adele. The evening promises to be great ‘Cráic’, with all things Irish. We’re also asking for donations of auction prizes; hotel accommodation vouchers, dinner vouchers, art work, flights, golf green fees, gym sessions, yoga classes, diving courses, fishing trips, etc. Anything, in fact!

We at Life Home Project look forward to welcoming you all to the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa on Saturday the 27th, and we promise you an evening of all things Irish – food, beer, music and more. Party from dusk until the wee small hours.

Tickets are 3,000 baht and are available at BIS Phuket, West One Salon opposite Tesco on the Bypass road. For tickets and to offer prizes please contact Julie Street at Julie@tawanproperties.com, Hélène Fallon-Wood at irelandconsulatephuket@gmail.com or Kathy Manthei Coulson at kcoulson@bisphuket.ac.th.