Send 70 At-risk Children to School in Thailand

The end of the school year is always a bittersweet time at HDS. At the end of each year we welcome the deserved break from all the hard work but we also say goodbye to our students that will graduate from the program. This year we had twelve incredible students graduate and we are so proud of their achievements. They will be greatly missed. Looking back on this last term, though, we have created some unforgettable memories and are happy to share some of them with you. In the last report, we left off with a small break for New Year's. The students resumed classes the 4th of January and the days after were very busy!

After the rice was harvested in November the soil was tilled and the fields were prepared for planting a vegetable garden. The students continued to build on their life skill training of farming and harvesting by planting and tending to many different vegetables. These vegetables, like the rice, contributed to the HDS lunch program and provided them with healthy, organic additions to their lunches. Admittedly, the students weren't too crazy about eating the vegetables raw but when the vegetables were cooked with chillies and different spices they seemed to be a hit!

The students continued to work hard in their classes and we had a new volunteer take over the English classes. The students finished their pen pal project and at the end were presented with a laminated book full of pictures of their pen pals along with typed translations of all the letters that were exchanged. The students were so excited when they saw the books for the first time. Our new volunteer also started an after school yoga program for the students and for many of the classes even the teachers and our school director joined in.

In January the center welcomed two groups of volunteers; one group from the University of Maryland and the other group from the University of Missouri. The groups consisted of 12-14 university students and as always, the volunteers were of great support to the center and the students. In their two weeks they repainted all of the playground equipment as well as painted the Carol House which had recently been refurbished. They even rallied together and gave the center's dog, Dum a much needed bath! This was a huge task in and of itself!

About the same time that the two volunteer groups arrived we had a film crew from the Polish Network TVN visit the center to do a documentary piece on DEPDC/GMS. The film crew was only in Mae Sai for a short week but it was enough time to film the many activities of the HDS. We were able to give them a closer look into the mission of DEPDC/GMS, the problems we face, the solutions we implement, and the children that we serve. We are really looking forward to seeing the documentary and hope to be able to share it with you soon.

In February the students were invited to participate in the annual event of Non-Formal Education Sports Day. This was then followed by HDS's own sports day. This year we had children join us from Baan-Nana, an NGO in Mae Sai that also serves at-risk children. For both days the students spent hours practicing and preparing for the friendly competitions. It is very obvious that these days are two of the most favored days of the school year.

The school year finished with a field trip to Chiang Rai. The students all gathered on the school bus and this year we made our first stop to learn about natural science at Discovery Center Chiang Rai. We then stopped at Wat Huay Plakang and climbed the 9 stories of stairs for a great view into the city and its surrounding landscape of rivers and mountains. After eating the lunch that was graciously provided by a former daughter, we made it to the final destination of Pong Phrabat Waterfall. The students enjoyed playing in the water and hiking to the top of the waterfall. On the way home almost every student was asleep on the bus using each other as pillows. It was a great end to a great year.

More than ever we want to extend our thanks and appreciation to all our generous donors. It is only because of you that we are able to continue with our mission to make a positive difference in the lives of our at-risk children. Your support provides opportunities that would otherwise not be possible. Thank you!

Links:

• DEPDC's Homepage
• DEPDC's Facebook (English)
• DEPDC's Facebook (Thai)

A lot of exciting things have happened at Half Day School (HDS) since our last report. Our crops have been harvested to support the lunch program, Carol House has been refurbished to prepare for a new community development program, and the kids have been studying hard and welcomed two more English teachers to the centre – one new and one old. We’d like to let you know more about them all and what they mean for HDS and the children it takes care of.

In the last report, we told you that HDS’s rice fields had been cultivated with the help of the kids. We waited 4 months for the rice to grow, and in November we successfully harvested 300kg of rice. This rice will support HDS’s lunch program by providing meals for the kids, and will also provide a great opportunity for the kids to develop life skills that will help them live safe, independent lives in the future. Importantly, this achievement also builds on HDS’s ability to be self-sustaining. This is especially critical since, although we are deeply grateful for everyone’s generous support, we know that we can’t be overly dependent on outside support, and want to use people’s generosity to build for the future as well as maintain for the present.

The kids have been working really hard in their classes, and have welcomed 2 new English teachers to HDS in the last month. They’ve started giving the kids weekly pop quizzes, and although the kids weren’t ecstatic about the idea at first, they’ve done extremely well so far, with lots of scores in the 90s and not a single fail! The kids have also been doing a pen pal project, coordinated by one of the new volunteers, and have been sending letters with people from Australia, the US, Mexico, Panama and England. Everyone has really enjoyed the experience, especially the kids, many of whom have never had the chance to speak with anyone so far away before. One girl, using very polite Thai language to convey respect and indicate that they think of their pen pal as their older brother, even said that they “think about and miss [their pen pal] a lot between receiving and sending letters each week, and really love that [their pen pal] speaks about real things and tells them about themselves.”

With Christmas already past this week and New Year’s Eve almost upon us, the kids and the centre are preparing for a short break during which everyone will spend time with their families. We’ll all be back into the swing of things at HDS on Monday the 4^th of January, and we’re looking forward to what the next year has in store. We know that there remains a lot of work to do, and we’re more grateful to our supporters than we can fully describe, but we here at HDS feel very optimistic about the future and hope you’ll be with us to take it on together. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Links:

• DEPDC's website
• DEPDC's Facebook (English)
• DEPDC's Facebook (Thai)