RADION International
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Eugene Wee, Benjamin Goh |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Vulnerable & Marginalized Communities |
| Location | |
Area served | Thailand |
| Method | Child rescue, Advocacy, Rehabilitation, Humanitarian Relief, Disaster Recovery, Community Development, Education, Livelihood development |
| Website |
www |
RADION International, commonly known as RADION, is a Christian humanitarian relief & development organisation that serves underprivileged and needy communities in Thailand. RADION's work revolves round children education and development, community development and disaster relief.
RADION International is headquartered in Singapore, supported by a country office in Chiang Mai, Thailand and a field office in Phetchabun, Thailand.
The organisation's aid projects span across 120km in land distance in Thailand, and has provided relief aid in six countries.
History
2007: RADION International was founded by Eugene Wee and Benjamin Goh to provide basic necessities to 8,900 Hmong refugees who had sought asylum in the remote province of Phetchabun, Thailand after the secret war.
end of 2007: Eugene began an informal blog under the name of New Life Outreach that helped rally the initial support base for this project.
2009: RADION is inaugurated as a registered charity in Thailand under the name of RADION International Foundation.[1]
2010: RADION is registered as a social enterprise in Singapore.
Programs
RADION helps under-reached communities living in the fringes of society that are plagued by social stigma, marginalization or geographical distance. The organisation's programs goes beyond child rescue, food and medical aid to involving education, community development and training to empower individuals to contribute back to their community.
Community Development & Relief Program
This holistic program in Thailand serves more than 17,000 people, consisting of Hmong-Thai villagers, needy communities and Hmong-Lao refugees[2]
The Relief component focuses on crisis relief while the Development component provides long-term development of marginalized people groups living in poverty.
RADION runs the following programs:
SHOPHOUSE! and Phetchabun Integrated Farm, social enterprises that aid victims of domestic violence by providing jobs, work skills training, rehabilitation in a safe environment, and opportunities to attain financial independence .STREETKIDS!, a rescue, intervention and rehabilitation program consisting of a 24/7 shelter for children from ages 7 to 18 from high-risk backgrounds such as substance abuse, gangs, physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.
The STREETKIDS! program provides at-risk children with a conducive environment to learn, recover and re assimilate into society. [3]
Mass excursions are organized every quarter where RADION reaches more than 60-100 destitute village children during each event. The educational outings create strong bonds through personal contact, building trust and bridges in our developmental work in the village while allowing the needs assessment team to single out and eventually assist children from high-risk families.
There are currently 43 children in the two shelter in Khek Noi and Chiangmai.
DEKTHAI!, a weekend education development program to support education for needy children living in rural areas.
There are currently 60 children from two villages in Khek Noi and Khun Sathan, with plans to expand their reach to include other villages in Thailand in the upcoming years. Many of the children on this programme come from similarly poor families.
The DEKTHAI programme was started with the intention to act as a preventive step for children from the surrounding villagers to engage in some activities with the children and staff at RADION on weekends, to help mitigate the chance of them ending up in the high-risk category.
Humanitarian Relief/Recovery projects are short term projects aimed at saving lives and alleviating the impact of disasters/humanitarian crisis. This is done through the provision of relief aid such as food, shelter, medical and crisis support.
Disaster Recovery projects aim to provide mid-term assistance to communities impacted by disasters through the provision of livelihood options and economic recovery.
Hill Tribe Village Outreach + Expanded (120 km in radius) Providing direct assistance to rural villagers focusing in particular on households in need, where special attention is given to elderly (abandoned/destitute) and special needs families (HIV/ostracized). Food rations are distributed regularly to more than 100 families after a thorough needs assessment by the assessment team.
RADION International is also currently the only non-governmental organization serving the Hmong hill-tribe village of Khek Noi — the largest Hmong community in Thailand.[4]
Project LIVES!
Every year, RADION organises an annual awareness campaign that rallies Singaporeans and businesses alike to come together to make a difference in the lives of the needy in Thailand. PROJECT LIVES! is essentially an open call for crucial relief items, which will then be packed and sent to the needy communities.
PROJECT LIVES! goes towards aiding a community of 17,000 impoverished hill tribesmen in Phetchabun and helping the community overcome social problems such as drug abuse, domestic violence and child neglect though RADION's community development & village outreach projects.
The campaign also serves as a platform to encourage youths and Singaporeans to step out to make a significant difference[5] to less fortunate communities through culturally sensitive approaches. [6]
This year, about 200 people passed through our doors to donate and pack the supplies collected. It was truly a collective effort that we managed to successfully fill the 40ft container with clothing, food and medical supplies. This container of hope will go a long way to impacting the lives of impoverished villagers in Thailand
Project DREAMcenter
Project DREAMcenter is an education and livelihood training centre to equip rural womenfolk with skills, a safe shelter for domestic violence victims, and a community node for children and elderly families who fall through the cracks of the welfare system.
Past Projects
2007-2009 : Pioneered outreaches spanning 600 km across Thailand, providing 8900 Hmong-Lao refugees in 3 different areas with humanitarian aid.
a. Phetchabun Refugee Camp (8200 refugees)
b. Nong Khai Detention Center (158 refugees)
c. Refugee Settlement (450 refugees)
Each site had different pressing needs, and as a result, outreach operations varied in scale and intensity from basic MILK! Missions (children nutrition augmentation missions), FRUITS! Mission (family food augmentation mission) to first-aid training.
Jan 2009 : Disaster Relief & Medical Support
RADION International responded when the Thai government called for additional support during the sudden cold snap in 2009. RADION International provided medical assistance to 8 villages within a 120 km radius from RADION's field office in Phetchabun.
Nov 2013 - Jan 2014 : Disaster Relief For Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
RADION was amongst the first to respond after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in Nov 2013. The disaster response team spearheaded missions into Capiz Province that had been devastated by the typhoon but neglected by other aid agencies. The relief effort is currently still ongoing with volunteer teams providing medical care, relief items and establishing development initiatives to assist and restore affected communities.
Partners & Supporters
RADION receives support from individuals and corporate partners, including:
- Crocs, which donated several hundred pairs of footwear.
- Singapore Technologies (Info-communications), which helped to set up satellite collection for relief items.
- Lee Foundation, supported project cost for education projects
- Welch Allyn, which donated medical equipment and essentials towards the projects
- Silkair, which donated computers & laptops towards community education projects
- Starhub, which donated school bags & stationaries
- The Pan Pacific Singapore, which contributed retail space to serve as a collection centre for a RADION donation drive in February 2009.[7]
- Syngenta, which supported agricultural development projects
- The Salvation Army Singapore, which contributed relief items.
- FS Freight Systems Pte. Ltd.
- Crabtree & Evelyn, which donated essential toiletries.
- Woleco, contributed hygiene items.
Supporters
- Afiko Delivery, which is contributing S$1 out of every S$50 of revenue towards RADION.[8]
- colinsphotograffi, which contributes 10% of profits & photography services towards RADION's marketing and communications materials.
- NUS Medical Society, ongoing collaboration to provide medical care in impoverished communities.[9][10]
- INTASE, donates a percentage of profits towards education and development projects
Notes & References
- ↑ Singaporean Moved By The Plight Of The Hmongs
- ↑ .About Us. RADION International. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ Article From University Of Chicago
- ↑ The Land Without The Concept Of A Title Deed
- ↑ Challenge Magazine Pull Out
- ↑ S'poreans doing overseas charity work have hero mentality . 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ↑ A Fisheye View Of Project LIVES!. 2009-09-02. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ↑ A Worthy Charitable Cause. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ A Heart For The Hmong. 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2011-11-31.
- ↑ ActivAid 2012: Understanding How Working Together Works. 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-31.