คามิลเลียน โซเชียล เซนเตอร์ ระยอง
www.camillianrayongcare.org
Camillian Social Center Rayong
Project on care for orphans living with HIV and children affected by AIDS
The center takes care of 23 children affected by HIV/AIDS by providing regular health check-ups and general healthcare by physicians. The children are trained to manage their antiretroviral medication and remember the names of their drugs, as well as receive age-appropriate health education.
In terms of education, every child receives basic education according to the standard criteria, and they also participate in various supplementary lessons with volunteers, such as English. The center promotes life skills development and moral education through camp activities.
Emotional development is supported through weekly sports, music, and recreational activities, as well as regular beach outings to relax and socialize. These activities help the children become cheerful, expressive, and able to live harmoniously with others.
CAMILLIAN SOCIAL CENTER RAYONG
PCU Center 1 (Palliative Care Unit)
PCU Eden 2 (Palliative Care Unit)
Situation of HIV/AIDS in Thailand
As of year 2025, nationwide, there are 561,000 adults living with HIV/AIDS, among them 81,200
are from the 9 south-east provinces with 10,900 from Rayong. The number of new infection
nationwide has fallen to 7,900 cases, but the alarming situation is that new HIV infections are
found more with married women and young people and is often associated with the presence of
syphilis and other sexual transmitted infections.
The highest risk factor is sexual transmission with as high as 84.15%. Most of them are poor and
make their living as labors or migrant workers. When some get sick with opportunistic infection
(OI), returning home is not an option because they have no one to care for them. They can’t take
care of themselves because of lack of information, even if access to care is better than years ago.
So many preferred to stay at home for fear of disclosure of their blood result and stigmatization.
In Thailand, about 300.000 children are affected by HIV/AIDS because their fathers or mothers
are positive.
About 190.000 children, nationwide, are orphan who have lost one of their parents of infections
caused by HIV/AIDS.
In Thailand the rate of mother to child transmission (MTCT) is 1.00% in 2024, beside this there
are hundreds of infections due to sexual abuse of children by HIV positive adults.
The total number of HIV positive children in Thailand is 7,039.
Children living with HIV/AIDS has health problems due to limited access to care because every
province has only one provincial hospital with a pediatric department which prescribes and follow
up treatment with antiretroviral medicines for children.
There is also a lack of understanding on the rights of the children. Still so many children affected
by the HIV virus are discriminated, and some are abandoned by their families and relatives, and
lack the opportunity to receive education and find employment. They tend to live in isolation, have
no friends and lack good physical, mental and social care.
One of the problems of local communities is the lack of access to information about services
providers, medical benefits and HIV/AIDS care.
At the moment there are 495.000 people in Thailand on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and most of
them have been reintegrated with their families, even if there is still lack of skills in selfmanagement and sometimes their physical health gets deteriorate because of misunderstanding in
the use of medication, in a proper nutrition and personal care.
Reference: Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
PCU Center & PCU Eden)
The palliative care unit (PCU) is one of the six projects you find at Camillian Center Rayong. The
first experience of a hospice in Thailand.
Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS history in Thailand, in the year 1994 we opened the PCU
department to take care of the dying people with AIDS in the area of Rayong. Was the only answer
to a deadly disease in those days, thousands of people could find in the PCU, comfort a care before
to die with dignity.
Only 20 beds were available, still no care for children was in need in the beginning.
Thinks has been changed in these last 30 years, with the advent of antiretrovirals and the
development of the treatments in the health care system in Thailand. Nowadays sick people with
HIV/AIDS receive treatment from the hospitals, and are discharged to continue the treatment at
home, if they are lucky they can come back to work and get back as normal people in society.
In several cases, because the many chronic opportunistic infections and lack of good immune
system (full blown AIDS) patients cannot recover fully and are rejected by their families and
stigmatize. Their mental health is also affected.
Among this group the most poor and abounded are referred to Camillian PCU Rayong by hospital
and government agencies.
Today in PCU we have 30 beds available, and a new facility was also opened, 20 years ago, with
28 more beds, called PCU-Eden, since is situated in the district of Baankhai, 40 km from the
Camillian Center at the Garden of Eden.
PCU department takes care of adult people living with HIV/AIDS abounded poor and homeless
sent by government hospitals and Social welfare department. Patients are cared with the wholistic approach until their last minute of life making them feel happy so they can live peacefully with
dignity.
If the patients regain their strengths they are invited to go back to their family (home-care visit)
where they can start a new life in dignity or if there is no place for them at home they are sent to
the Garden of Eden (PCU- EDEN). Most of them are living with disabilities and have mental
problems.
The PCU tries to cooperate with the hospitals and change the attitude of hospital staff towards
HIV/AIDS patients so they can get treatment with more dignity wherever they may be hospitalized.
30 People living with HIV/AIDS poor and homeless and sick (PCU Center)
28 People living with HIV/AIDS poor homeless and disable (PCU EDEN)
10 poor families HOME-CARE in the Baan Chang and Rayong (10 km)
8 volunteers (patients in rehabilitation program - pocket money)
4 assistant nurses (staff)
2 staff in Kitchen and Laundry (staff)
2 cleaners (staff)
2 drivers (staff)
ACTIVITIES
Proper Care of each individual as in a family
- nursing care, first aid, distribution of medicines according to doctor’s prescription, food supplement in case of need
- training in knowing and using ARV properly
- Accompanying patients to hospitals and visit to the admitted by our staff
- special attention to the bed-ridden, cleaning and food intake
- general counselling and advises on HIV and related health complications after admittance to the PCU
- Keep the environment clean and comfortable, creating comfort in the surroundings
- provide sufficient nutrition suitable for the body
- group activities for mental and spiritual balance
- death in dignity, accompaniment and counselling, prayers
- preparation for readiness in case of back to society
- teaching patients how to make handicrafts and give little assignments
- sending and exchanging patients between PCU center and PCU Eden according to their physical and psychological needs
- special care and massage for patients living with disabilities
- promote handicraft making
- meditation and Sunday’s religious activities and prayers
- meeting monks and giving alms to the local temple of Mabchalood
- organizing singing contest and karaoke competition
- Drawing contest and using colors to express their feelings
- Organizing monthly outings activities on the beach and outside meals
- Organizing birthday parties, Buddhist festivals and national activities on day off
- At PCU Eden patients can work outside in the local factories and get salary. Car service is provided according to their convenience.
- At PCU Center patients can be volunteer and get some pocket money
Physical Therapy
- Attending physical exercises in the physical therapy room every day for one hour assisted by staff, and according with each ones disability.
- the bed ridden get physical therapy on bed and practiced to move, to sit to stand and walk with staff helping.
- using the children’s swimming pool one a week for patients in need
Budget of a year
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