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Background
Following the severe spread of AIDS in Thailand since 1989, it has been reported that many thousands of HIV infected people and AIDS patients are dying, making a significant impact on Thai families and society. The AIDS Division of the Ministry of Public Health revealed that almost 1 million people have been infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic, and are currently living with HIV or AIDS, and almost half that number have developed into AIDS.
Approximately 100,000 Thais have subsequently died of AIDS, with almost half of these coming from the six upper northern provinces of the country, i.e. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao and Mae Hong Son.
A large number of those infected by AIDS are of working ages. Many of them have just started their families and have young children. Once the parent lose their lives to AIDS, the burden of raising these children usually fall on their grandparents or other relatives, who have far below standard incomes as well as having children of their own.
Becoming aware of this situation after his tenure as Minister of Public Health from 1980-2, Dr Sem Pringpuangkeo set up his Foundation and launched the Foster Parents Program in 1995. With the assistance of outside contributions such as Toyota Thailand Foundation, they realised they could create a better quality life for these children and give them educational opportunities to enable them to be more productive members of Thai society in the future.
It should be noted that the Foundation is non-political and non-religious, apart from reinforcing on the children their own family religious values.
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