A home for Helping Hands

Priscilla Simons, founder of Helping Hands, which is a safe haven for children suffering the effects of HIV/Aids, sexual abuse and foetal alcohol syndrome, will be receiving a house just in time for Christmas, compliments of the Wang Thai restaurant chain and Pick 'n Pay.

Providing a place of safety and a home for more than 88 children in the Wellington area, Helping Hands has, until now, been operating out of a small shack.

Earlier this year, Wang Thai and Pick 'n Pay partnered and pledged to build a home for this very needy and worthy organisation. This pledge has finally come to fruition and Priscilla and her children will be moving into their new home on the 19th of December.

Many of the children supported by Priscilla, have lost their parents to the Aids epidemic. Priscilla, who is HIV-positive herself, cares for the children by providing food and clothing through charity drives, supervising Sunday school and mass attendance, organising outings, and educating them about Aids, sex and other life skills.

She has run Helping Hands from a small shack, in which the children have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and there was no plumbing or electrical facilities whatsoever. Desperately needing support, they have been receiving no financial contribution from the Government. Fortunately, Pick 'n Pay and Wang Thai came to hear of their plight and have stepped up to become their Christmas angels.

Celebrating Songkran
Earlier this year, Wang Thai in conjunction with Pick 'n Pay, partnered to celebrate the most significant and devout event on the Thai calendar, Songkran. This is the Thai New Year where the spirit of charity prevails.

Every year, Wang Thai hosts a culinary extravaganza and charity auction to benefit the charity of their choice.

Wang Thai came to hear of Priscilla's story and joined forces with Pick 'n Pay, and a number of other sponsors such as Grandwest Casino, Henry and Peterson Quantity Surveyors, Paul Cluver, Hip Hop, the Thai Embassy, and Dragon Power Gym, to make Helping Hands the beneficiary of the 2006 fundraiser. Together they were able to raise R152 000 on the night of the auction - enough to get underway with the building of her new home.

Wang Thai and Pick 'n Pay are delighted to announce eight months later that the house has been completed and that the children will be able to celebrate Christmas and New Year in their new home. - (December 2006)