Help Educate Children Living in Poverty inThailand

Dear Supporters, 

During GVI Phang Nga’s Q4 of 2017, we spent a lot of time with the Community Development Center in Ban Nam Khem. The CDC, which is run by The New Light Foundation, provides primary, pre-primary, and occupational education to more than 150 Burmese Migrant children in the Takuapa region. As well as providing a free education to marginalized individuals, the CDC operates a “Feeding Center” program, where they provide nutritious meals to disadvantaged students whose families can’t afford to provide them.

The majority of the funds we raised for the CDC this year have gone towards creating larger garden plots for our Agriculture class. We have been holding classes for 4 ½ hours a week, starting in May 2017, with roughly 25 students in grade 7-9 participating. We are currently using the garden as a model for the benefits of chemical-free agriculture. Students are incorporated in all aspects of garden maintenance, from planting to harvest. The garden continues to grow, with 15+ different crops planted and more coming. In the next term, nutrition is incorporated in the lesson plan to assure proper use of crops.

Progress has been slow due to weather restraints and the inconsistent nature of classes in Thailand, but we have completed construction of 10 m² of farmable beds, one large bean trellis and several shade structures in which to grow seedlings. Our harvest has been minimal so far, as it is just coming into the best part of growing season, and seeds from our successful vegetables have been reinvested into our current crops. With continued efforts and inputs, the school garden project will continue to expand and facilitate hands-on-learning for future food-security.

We have also completed several other notable projects with our partners in the last few months. Our most recent TEFL intern Joanna Buckingham Shum, completed a school-wide leadership project at FED. Students were taught about the growing problem with plastic-use and then completed a variety of art projects using plastics that would have been thrown away otherwise. In the same vein, volunteer Olivia Adamson completed a project with CDC children, making canvas bags to replace the ubiquitous plastic sacks.

During the Thai school break in October. An adult English class was organized here in Ban Nam Khem through the Go Soh Noh Adult Education Program. A month-long course was taught by Community Interns and staff members. The focus was conversational English and fluidity. The class has led to one of the students agreeing to teach Thai to the GVI staff, starting in Jan 2018.

In October we taught the first, of what we hope is many, community health workshops. Health volunteer Melanie Raven organized a First Aid workshop that was delivered to CDC staff and youth leaders. The workshop included demonstrations of simple bleeding control, splinting, and several other basic skills. After the demonstrations, all participants were able to practice the skills. At the end, the school was given First Aid kits for their classrooms, some of which were previously lacking.

With Gratitude, 

GVI Phang Nga