**New Life for Naha Jungle Trek - 17th March 2013**

Members of the New Life community will soon trek 10km through the hot and steamy Thai jungle to raise money for the new project and we'd like you to get involved and support us.

­We will walk, jog or run to support the New Life for Naha project.  Naha is a thirty-five year old woman who lives in the impoverished village of Cha Derh not far from New Life Foundation.  Severely mentally and physically handicapped, she spends her life in a tiny, dark wooden shed, just 8 feet by 6 feet, with no furniture and a hole in the middle for her to use as a toilet. Naha has rarely, if ever, left the immediate vicinity of her hut. Her only respite is to crawl onto the small platform beside her hut for some daylight and fresh air.

Naha’s mother is unable to care for her sufficiently, and as a result her basic needs in terms of personal hygiene and dignity are not met. Her situation is heartbreaking.

New Life Foundation wants to improve Naha’s quality of life. We plan to build her a new wooden hut, with a toilet and shower, and a separate bedroom. The new hut will have windows to let in sunlight, and a wooden roof to replace the stiflingly hot corrugated steel roof she currently lives under. It will also have a small ramp to enable Naha to use a wheelchair which was recently donated but which currently sits unused because her hut, like others in the village, is on stilts. Furthermore, New Life plans to provide materials for her to begin developing her motor skills. We will also arrange for her to receive some physical therapy such as therapeutic massage, to stimulate her neglected limbs.

Here at New Life Foundation, we are all too aware of how drugs can destroy lives and communities. Yet, in a hillside village barely an hour's drive away, drug addiction, poverty and lack of education are endemic. In order to make a living, many of the villagers have become involved in drug trafficking and prostitution. Many children have been left orphaned by drug- and AIDS-related deaths.  With little support forthcoming from the state or neighbouring communities, our project for Naha is the first stage of our plans to help the community in any way we can.

All members of the New Life family - former volunteers, residents, guests, retreat participants, and other supporters - are invited to join in by holding their own sponsored walks or runs wherever they are around the world. 

If you would like to support this project you can make safe and secure donations through PayPal or by credit card (in Thai Baht) by sponsoring your friend or family member here at simplygiving.com. The proceeds of your support will immediately be sent to the New Life Foundation and used entirely to fund the New Life for Naha Project. (note: any extra funds raised will be used to fund further work in Naha’s village but if you would prefer your donation to be reserved solely for this project, please indicate this in the comments section when you make your donation.)