Autistic Thai Foundation is a non-governmental organization that helps develop lives of both adults and young people who have autism. Under this joint initiative, a batch of art supplies was donated by Alibaba to Autistic Thai Foundation and communities in Chonburi, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Phanom and Phuket. Alibaba also helped raise awareness of the needs of autistic youth and the work of Autistic Thai Foundation through a series of social media posts on its Facebook channel. The posts, which covered topics ranging from the characteristics of autism and how art helps improve their wellbeing, have garnered over 9,000 likes and attracted over 500 positive comments since the campaign's kick-off on February 10.
The campaign cumulated in a virtual art therapy class sponsored by Alibaba and produced by Artstory, a social enterprise under Autistic Thai Foundation, for autistic youth aged 15-22 and their parents in Autistic Thai Foundation's network. Held on 1 March with a class size of 100, the session aimed to discover the inner world of the participating youth and enable them to relax their mind through painting. The participants acquired basic painting and coloring techniques, how to choose colors and what each color means, and how art therapy can heal their minds.
"At Autistic Thai Foundation, we believe that art therapy can be transformative in the lives of autistic individuals. We are grateful for Alibaba's support in expanding access to art therapy for the autistic youth we serve, as well as raising awareness of their unique challenges and needs. We hope this collaboration will inspire more people to pay attention to our cause and take action to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those with autism," Chusak Janthayanont, chairman of Autistic Thai Foundation.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the art therapy class. It was a wonderful experience to see my child express himself through painting and to learn more about how art can benefit both him and myself as a caretaker. Thanks to Autistic Thai Foundation and Alibaba for making this possible," said Namfon Dorchana, parent of Watcharapon Dorchana, one of the participating parents.
Alibaba remains committed to supporting the Thai community and will continue to explore ways to contribute to the wellbeing of Thai people.
Source: Spark Communications
