Where We Are

While the development discourse in the past decades has gradually shifted to be more people-centered and sustainability-driven, much focus remains at the ‘quality living’ stage.

With the approaching aging society, more economies start to be aware of the pressing needs to also design and prepare a ‘quality leaving’ as individuals and societies.

Paliative care gains more attention in the medical circle. Spiritual leaders and communities start to join hands to care for the ill and the elderly. A number of facilitating legal frameworks are being developed. Still, much systematic work at the spiritual, individual, communal and societal levels is needed for a harmonized and well-prepared quality departure, for those who live and for those who leave.

The Role of Cheevamitr

Cheevamitr has been naturally and needs-based incubated from the various networks working in these areas. In January 2016, the Cheevatir Social Enterprise was formally set up to serve as a catalytic and coordinating friend (mitr) in life and for life.

Cheevamitr is part of the people’s sector, collaborating amongst different groups, and joins hands with responsible public sector organizations and interested private sector, to prepare for the departure of life with quality and dignity while still living.

Vision and Mission

Cheevamitr has been naturally and needs-based incubated from the various networks working in these areas. In January 2016, the Cheevatir Social Enterprise was formally set up to serve as a catalytic and coordinating friend (mitr) in life and for life.

Cheevamitr is part of the people’s sector, collaborating amongst different groups, and joins hands with responsible public sector organizations and interested private sector, to prepare for the departure of life with quality and dignity while still living.

What We Do

As catalyst, coordinator and knowledge incubator, Cheevamitr works and networks with different groups in the public, private and people’s sectors at sub-national, national and regional levels to design and implement innovative initiatives towards comprehensive timely preparation for quality end of life. Within one year of existence, the work of Cheevamitr has grown exponentially, both at the country level and at the regional level.

Some Examples of Our Work

Knowledge Generation and Advocacy

Cheevamitr has organized a number of workshops for different target groups to generate knowledge and share experiences on the essence of living and the various aspects of preparation for quality end of life—spiritual, legal, medical, for those who will depart and those will stay or have stayed on.

In 2017-2018, Cheevamitr is supported by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to sensitize social influencers who will share knowledge and experiences gained from the nationwide project activities and designed workshops to their social media followers, community peers, and to their admirers through readily available channels, thus creating ripple effects for broad-based sensitivity as a basis for social advocacy on the issue. Over 150 participants to the workshops so far and around other 100 to participate, have included film directors, script writers, writers, media people, actors and acresses, as well as local leaders and influencers.

Incubating emerging initiatives and leveraging existing efforts

The Sookcheeva (Being alive with happiness) project aims to support emerging initiatives and leverage existing yet limited efforts for their sustainability and expansion for continued benefits to society. Cheevamitr acts as a networking agent for knowledge sharing and funding, mainly from interested private sector partners. Many of these projects are community-based yet effective in filling medical service and care gaps, for instance, a ‘medical supply’ bank project where medical equipments for palliative care patients in communities are being borrowed and shared.

Regional Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Within less than one year of existence, services of Cheevamitr are being sought at a regional level. At a request of the monastic authority of Bhutan, Cheevamitr is designing a workshop and study tour programme for a group of Bhutanese lamas and officials comprising spiritual leaders, social welfare officials and judge. The purpose of the project is knowledge and experience sharing-- to share the inter-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach to end-of-life care and preparation in Thailand to Bhutan, and for Thailand to learn from the Bhutanese spiritual approach as a foundation for indiviaul and societal preparation for quality end-of-life.

Our Organization

Cheevamitr is set up as a social enterprise, comprising of five board members, regular staff and volunteers. Cheevamitr invites shareholders and funding support from private sector social corporate responsibility and philanthropists for the organization and on-going & up-coming projects.