Mercy Centre/Human Development Foundation

I am happy to announce that Mercy Centre/HDF is the charity for this project! There are so many causes near and dear to my heart, but the children of Thailand hold a very special place. Mercy Centre is an amazing safe haven in the middle of the worst slums of Bangkok for street children, orphans, and abandoned/abused children and those with HIV/AIDS. But is it so much more than that. It was started by Father Joe Maier and Sister Maria  - two incredible, selfless people - against all odds. It has grown over the last 30 years to become a loving home to many, many children. See full description and mission statement below. 

"Mercy Centre is a shelter for street kids, four orphanages, a hospice, a home for mothers and children with HIV/AIDS, a 400-pupil kindergarten, a community meeting place, and a serene haven in the slums with small gardens and playgrounds. Originally built on a former Buddhist Temple site on port authority property, Mercy Centre has stood in some shape or form for 30 years. In 2000, it was rebuilt through a generous gift to accommodate our expanding services to orphans, street children, and children with HIV/AIDS. 

We work to help the children and communities of the many slums of Bangkok. Together with our neighbors in the slums we create simple-but-progressive solutions that touch the lives of thousands of the poor every day. We build and operate schools, improve family health and welfare, protect street children's rights, combat the AIDS crisis, respond to daily emergencies, and offer shelter to orphans, to street children, and to children and adults with AIDS - always together, hand in hand and heart to heart with the people we serve. WE ARE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE POOR."

There is a great book called "The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions & Revelations in The Slums of Bangkok" that tells the whole story of how they came to be and the struggles to start the place and daily heartaches and obstacles. Really an amazing story. Eye opening, to say the least. (See link on side bar - available at Amazon). This is how I first came to know about Mercy Centre and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind or heart ever since.

I am so glad to have this opportunity to work with such a great organization and hope I can do a lot of good for them and sell lots of CD's! They gave me the go-ahead today to put their logo on my CD and tell people about their cause...so we are going to press!