Often in life we can become so stuck looking forward that we forget to look back and see everything we have already achieved. Fortunately December gives us the reminder to do that every year as we start to plan ahead for the next 12 months.
So I’d like to take you back for a moment to where we began with The Q Foundation, to celebrate just how far we have come with your generous support.
It was in late 2014 that we established The Q Foundation to help children and at-risk youth in Kaper, one of the poorest regions in Thailand. It was five years after I first met Q, the foundations namesake who had lost his mother and father to AIDS related causes when he was eight, leaving him alone in the world.
When I took financial responsibility for Q, he was suffering from malnutrition and stunted growth. He was also illiterate, failing all subjects at school and had no safe place to stay. We were quickly able to turn things around for Q, but we also saw that Q’s story was not unique; there are thousands more children who are faced with extreme poverty and the burden of surviving on their own.
So The Q Foundation was born. Originally we started with five children, but fast-forward to now, and there are more than 60 children in our sponsor program.
What a difference three years can make!
- But that isn’t all, since we’ve started we have:
- Built two wells to supply clean drinking water to the village
- Repaired roofs and built home extensions where needed to create safe shelter
- Implemented a breakfast and lunch voucher system to ensure proper nutrition
- Implemented a sanitary napkin voucher system for the wellbeing of our sponsored girls
- Supplied all children with mattresses and bedding (many were sleeping on the floor), and hygiene packs
- Organised Bicycles, helmets & a Road Safety course to help them get to school safely
- Facilitated greater educational opportunities for kids by providing school uniforms, equipment and funding for schooling
- Come to the aid of other charities including Feed The Little Children, Covenant House, the Jodie O’Shea Orphanage in Bali and Next Generation Cambodia
- And, perhaps our proudest moment, seeing the first of our kids go onto higher education (TAFE equivalent) and the career dreams of our kids widen
And as for Q? He’s now at Tech College and has a GPA of 2.41 out of 4.
Our mission is simple and the same as when we started
To bring health, hope and happiness to children in Kaper and the world over.
Our giving is transparent
Unlike many charities 100% of funds raised goes directly to the kids. All administration and staffing costs are covered independently and we openly share how funds are used.
But our challenge is still difficult
With so many children needing help, far beyond our current sponsor list, we need to raise more awareness and support for The Q Foundation kids and projects – and we’d love your continued help.
Together we have accomplished so much in three short years. Imagine what we can accomplish together in the next three!
