We have supported one of our key employees as he travelled to Asia to help underprivileged children in the region in danger of exploitation.
Andrew Whicher, 34, has just returned from northern Thailand with his wife Sarah, 34, where the couple have been volunteering with the charity ‘hands’, which serves deprived and marginalised communities, particularly those living in the hill tribe areas of northern Thailand.
hands focuses on creating secure environments for children at risk of exploitation, provide training and employment for refugees and displaced people and organise aid for victims of conflict, emergency situations and natural disasters.
Ahead of the trip the couple raised £475 for the charity, with the majority coming from colleagues here at Cooper Solutions.
During the trip the couple visited two child hostels operated by hands, which home those children at greatest risk from exploitation and trafficking - one housing approximately 60 girls and the other around 20 boys.
In addition to volunteering, the couple have sponsored Rattiyah, a 12-year-old girl in the region, for 18 months and they used the visit as an opportunity to meet her in person.
Andrew said: “The hostels are a way of guaranteeing that the children receive an education. hands encourages the children to develop skills that will enable them to receive an income as they progress.
“We learnt of several children who are now studying at Chiang Mai University – a real success story.
“During this trip our activities with the children centred on spending quality time with them – taking part in arts crafts, games and drama.
“It was a very humbling experience and it certainly helps you to put your own problems in perspective.”
Of the money raised, £50 was used to pay for activities and essentials for the children ranging from underwear for the children to a movie night at the boys’ hostel involving popcorn, drinks, doughnuts and crisps.
The remaining £425 was sent to the charity directly who intend to use it to focus on establishing self-sufficiency projects such as pig farm, chickens, fruit and vegetable farming.
Barry Cooper, managing director of Cooper Solutions, said: “We were delighted to support Andrew and Sarah as they undertook this important charity work for an organisation which makes a telling difference to the lives of underprivileged children.
“They are a shining example to us all and we are pleased that we were able to contribute something to support them and hands.”
For more information about hands, visit www.handsworld.org or facebook.com/handsworld
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