Tucked away in a quiet, tree-lined lane in Khon Kaen lies an unlikely oasis of warmth, laughter and love. Ban Meata - the House of Mercy Foundation Children's Home for children affected by HIV and Aids - has a handful of exuberant young residents standing at the gate greeting visitors with smiles.

Roslyn Newick, a talented Australian artist, teacher and mother of three boys, has offered to conduct an art workshop for the children. She's done the same for trainee nurses at Khon Kaen University, who can use art as a form of occupational therapy for their patients.

Angela Reynolds, a volunteer coordinator for Mercy International raised the money for the workshop materials at Mercy's office in Sydney, Australia.

Holding one timid child on her hip and another by the hand, Reynolds is in essence one of the substitute mothers for the orphans. Most of the children have lost their mothers to Aids and have no other family member willing to take care of them.

Orphanage manager Wendy Lewis explains that House of Mercy is currently home to 39 children. A 40th child was recently transferred to Mercy's Petchabun Children's Village when he was deemed free of HIV. The Children's Village is home to 82 children not affected by HIV.

As well as providing homes for these youngsters, Mercy operates two schools, one for 600 poor kids of pre- and primary-school age in Petchabun and the other in Si Sa Ket conducting lessons in English.

Another children's village will be completed soon in Phrae.

An Australian couple, Rob and Jean Dunk, established Mercy International in 1985 to help children orphaned by the scourge of HIV/Aids.

At that time, Reynolds says, the life expectancy of children born with Aids was around eight years, and Mercy's Khon Kaen facility was designed for that age group. Due to advances in medical treatment and the dedication of the Mercy staff and supporters, the children can now live well into adulthood.

At present, the oldest child at House of Mercy Khon Kaen is 15. None of the children has been found to have full-blown Aids.

Financial support for Mercy's work comes from individuals, clubs, businesses and churches in several countries. In addition, each child has up to five sponsors who finance round-the-clock care, but Reynolds says House of Mercy is still well short of the number of sponsors needed to provide adequately for all of its charges.

Money is being urgently sought, as well, for the purchase of a commuter bus to take the children safely to school and medical appointments.

The children at House of Mercy warm immediately to their new guests. Last year brought some 450 visitors, mainly sponsors from Australia and New Zealand. One generous long-term supporter showed up with Christmas presents for all the children.

Newick has come prepared with a CD of photos to provide inspiration and ideas for the youngsters' art. They huddle around her computer, listening to Roslyn explain how wonderful images can be easily made.

And then the fun begins. The younger children are encouraged to make paintings with their fingers and stamps, and the older ones wield brushes and spatulas, blow ink through straws and add detail with felt pens.

The kids soak up every experience, continuing to paint and draw for hours on every piece of paper they can find - or in little Toomtam's case, on his leg.

Without exception, all the work expresses positive emotions. Newick is effusive in her praise and the creative energy she shares throughout the day, all the while demonstrating an enviable memory for children's names.

She takes particular interest in one little boy, Mai, who shows much promise. As the day progresses, Mai quietly steps outside into the garden and continues painting on his own, a paintbrush poised carefully behind his ear as though he's impersonating a famous artist.

By 3pm, with supplies dwindling, I resort to tearing pages from my notebook so the children can continue with the few coloured pencils remaining. One girl draws a picture of flowers with the word "thank" on it.

House of Mercy is hoping to generate further funding by organising a display of the children's art in Khon Kaen. A local artist has offered to photograph the work with a view to making greeting cards.

For further information about the facilities, visit HouseOfMercy-Foundation.com or e-mail info@mercy-international.com.

Donations are of course much appreciated. They can be made to House of Mercy Foundation, Bangkok Bank Lomsak Branch account No 325-0-502741, or Kasikorn Bank Lomsak Branch account No 150-2-41505-7.

Bronwyn Ure

Special to The Nation

The writer is grateful to Crown Relocations for providing her transport to Khon Kaen and delivering donated items to Ban Meata.