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In celebration of its 60th anniversary, BUPA is organising an international charity challenge for 60 employees at Sarnelli House orphanage in northern Thailand later this year.

The objective of the project is to help the orphanage in its quest to raise awareness of the problem of HIV and AIDS in Thailand, whilst bettering the lives of the children living there by building new facilities over a 6 week period.  Community connections plan to develop a sustainable relationship with the orphanage and encourage a stronger relationship with its BUPA business in Thailand.

The challenge will be part-funded by BUPA community connections, as well as fundraising activities completed by the volunteers.

Sarnelli House was opened on the 2nd of October 2000 and was set up to provide medical care and a new home for all the children affected or infected by HIV and AIDS coming to Sarnelli House. The necessity arose because more and more HIV infected children were brought into the care of Father Shea.

Prior to Sarnelli House these children stayed at St. Patric, a Orphan's Home for boys, and Viengkhuk Hospice, a home for girls. Both are founded and run by Father Shea. Sarnelli House is built on a large piece of land, surrounded by bamboo and mango trees. There is room for expansion, for example a planned school. As of now Sarnelli House can accommodate 62 children.

Sarnelli House is the only institution of it's kind in the north-east of Thailand (about 1/3 of the country) which is looking after these kids. Even though the Thai authorities bring children to Sarnelli House, they don't support Sarnelli House financially. Sarnelli House is totally funded by private donations, or churches of many denominations. The children stay in Sarnelli House until they complete their education.

These children were being fed on an equivalent of 0.75 euro a day (30 Thai Baht). They were not going to school. At first, after the building was finished, young aids ridden mothers were bringing in their babies for us to raise for them. Some babies tested out with aids, some did not. Others were children dumped off by relatives or villagers.

The thai government is now giving us children from their welfare homes; children proven to have the aids virus. Sarnelli House has never been funded by the thai government (even though Sarnelli is the only home for children with AIDS in the northeast of Thailand

We will be going to the orphanage to change the lives of HIV positive children in Thailand.  As one of the volunteers I will be travelling to Nong Khai, northern Thailand between the 16th-23rd of November to volunteer at Sarnelli House, which is home to 126 children, most of whom either live with HIV or Aids, or have been orphaned by the disease.

Father Mike, who runs the orphanage on private donations, has been in Thailand for 39 years. Just ten years ago, one of his parishioners fell ill with TB and AIDS. Since then, Fr Mike has lost 140 adults to AIDS, and has accepted the responsibility for the children they left behind.

Ten people will fly over each week for six weeks to volunteer in the orphanage and help the local community. Each group will stay at the orphanage for one week and will tackle a specific need, such as maintenance work within the orphanage, creating a games area or playground for the children, projects in the local community, and garden landscaping.