Each day in Phayao, Ban Metta Tham encounter children and youth who lost their parents toAIDS or children who are abandoned by their parents and are left to the care of elderly grandparents.  To respond to the needs of these children, parents, grandparents, relatives and significant others who have taken the responsibility of raising the children, Ban Metta Tham started helping 50 children in 1997.  By the year 2005, the Programme has assisted 1,078 children ages 18 months old to university level of which 578 are still in the Programme.

Services to children and youth:

• Educational Assistance.  As much as possible the children participate in the decision making on what kind of educational assistance they would need for the new school year.  It is therefore necessary that the parents/guardians must have a dialogue with their children on the most pressing needs of their children.  When the decision is reached, the child would write a thank you letter to the sponsor for the assistance received in the last school year and another letter expressing his or her need for educational assistance for the new school year.
• Social-cultural and religious events
  • Vincentian Youth Encounter
  • Christmas-New Year- Chldren’s Day and Family Day Celebrations
• Participation of children and youth on education on AIDS:
  • Children’s workshop on AIDS for children in Chiangmai
  • Youth participation at the 10th National AIDS Seminar organized by the Department of Communicable Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health
• Children in ARV Therapy
  • In the area where Ban Metta Tham is serving, there are 37 children who are HIV positive and are receiving ARV medicine from Phayao Provincial Hospital.  Every Wednesday of the week is for children who are HIV positive and AIDS to visit the Pediatric Department of the hospital for medical care, socialization and group work for parents/guardians.  Ban Metta Tham provides the follow-up home visits to children in their home to monitor the adherence of taking medicines as well as to see on the other needs of the child and the family.  The government provides free medication.