Healing Family Foundation
The Healing Family Foundation(HFF) is a family and community-based organization in Chiang Mai, which focuses on integrating people with intellectual disabilities into their community, while simultaneously helping them create a sense of self-worth through creative works.
These individuals, who are referred to as artists, have been given the opportunity to express themselves through activities such as weaving, performing arts, and interactive programs within the community. These activities help the artists to fully develop their mental and physical skills, as well as independence.
Their work
While Thai society is built upon the characteristic of compassion and generosity, the needs of the disabled are not always a top priority in society today. As a center which provides learning opportunities and skills training, HFF creates weaving and production jobs for the artists, which gives them greater sense of self-esteem. HFF aims to instill an awareness of the needs of the disabled into the community. They also aim to solve these problems through compassion and generosity, as well as with the production of marketable items.
Their Model
HFF provides an important but rare environment for people with disabilities to openly express themselves and learn how to effectively integrate within their society. The main activity in which the artists engage is a unique hand weaving style. This weaving style is a perfect fit for HFF, given the accessibility of resources provided by the local area and the fact that the process is relatively easy to learn. The benefits of this activity include creative freedom, a chance for the artists to express their unique vision, as well as a fully-marketable, one-of-a-kind product.
Our Activities…
Although weaving is a core activity for the artists, it is only one of many programs which HFF offers. Other activities include dancing and other performing arts, public seminars, and an artists-run café. While these activities allow the artist to gain more independence, family support is still the cornerstone of the foundation. Community support, donations, and volunteers are also necessary to ensure smooth operations of the organization.
How it all began…
The Healing Family Foundation has its origins in the The SAORI Creative Center. This was a project to create working opportunities for people with disabilities. It was supported by “Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Partnership Program” and operated in Chiang Mai from October 2002 to October 2005.
The fundamental values of that project became the initial model for The Healing Family Foundation.
More information can be found at their website at: www.hffcm.org