Education Thailand Project #36512

Help expand "Young Smart Farmers" organic gardens

by Warm Heart Worldwide, Inc

Project Report | Mar 25, 2026
Planting Skills, Growing Futures

By Evelind Schecter | Program Manager

Clearing the Chili plants and beans

With school out, it’s a time to relax a bit between housekeeping and gardening. The children are enjoying some quiet time with computers, books, and the cats, while still helping out around the farm. Sorn has gone off to be a novice monk for a week, following his family tradition.

Our new farm manager, Ying, has stepped in and is already making a difference. She’s been testing different crops and farming methods, helping us think about how to improve both yields and resilience. We’ve set up the frame for a greenhouse on the field we’ve been preparing with sun hemp over the past couple of years, and we’re looking forward to getting it up and running.

It’s also time to clear out the accumulated “stuff” and weeds and get ready for the next planting season. We are heading into the hot, dry months, but so far the weather has been mixed—some cooler days, a bit of rain, and some heat. After such a long rainy season, we’re hopeful this may help delay the forest fires.

We’ve also been checking on maintenance needs around the campus. A broken pipe—blocked with calcium sediment—turned out to be a sign of a worn-out water filter. These are the kinds of repairs that remind us how important it is to keep our systems in good working order.

In March, many of you stepped in as “Everyday Heroes” to help us tackle these behind-the-scenes needs. Your support is already making a difference—helping us fix, replace, and maintain the systems that keep everything running safely for the children. Thank you.

The school year has wrapped up with some wonderful milestones. Ganda graduated from 6th grade. C, Aoo, and Pam completed 9th grade and are now registering for high school. Obcheoi and Tui Nui graduated from high school, and we are especially proud of Jiew, who has graduated from nursing school.

At the same time, we are interviewing new children from remote villages and difficult home situations, looking for those who can benefit from a safe place to live and the chance to go to school.

The graduates are preparing for their next steps, and the younger children are enjoying a bit of rest before the new school year begins.

Thank you for being part of this work. Your support helps us grow food, care for these children, and prepare them for what comes next.

Sun Hemp helps fix the soil for a greenhouse

Spring Cleaning

Taking a break from spring cleaning

Fixing the water pipes

Recend grads at Jiew's Nursing School graduation

Links:

Learn more about our newly launched program "Everyday Heroes".

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Nov 25, 2025
Lots of Rain, Storing Water, Planting the Fields and Catching Cats

By Evelind Schecter | Co-founder, Program Leader

Watering the eggplants

We have been blessed with heavy rains and minimal flooding here in Northern Thailand. Our rainwater catchment tanks are full, and the ground has settled enough to plant new crops. The children and staff have nurtured lettuce and spices near the boys' dorms while the fields were too wet to plant.

Now we have eggplants, okra, hot peppers, coriander, and cabbage coming up. The bamboo racks are in place for cucumber and squash vines. We've had one crop of long beans, and another has started. We continue to get eggs from our ducks and chickens. Ying has extended the gardens and has collected seeds from friends and our community.

We have also had a rapid expansion of our cat population. One feral cat that we could not catch had kittens, and they had kittens. The kittens are cute if you can catch them. Unfortunately, we were not very swift. We counted twenty cats. Things came to a head when we had 12 kittens on the first of May. We caught the new kittens and allocated them to the children to domesticate. By October, they were old enough to be fixed. One of our local vets was willing to come to Warm Heart to give them their vaccinations and fix them. She was efficient, and the cats came through without complications. We still have more to catch, but only a couple of new kittens have appeared.

November marks the start of our final term before the summer break for the hot season. For now, the weather is cooler, spirits are high, and our seniors are hard at work on their university applications, nervous, excited, and grateful for the chance to dream big. Evenings are full of homework, games in the yard, and early holiday-season anticipation.

Thanks to your support, we have lots of joyful noise and delicious fresh produce.

Best wishes for the holiday season ahead.

With gratitude,

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Family.

Weeding

Girls in the okra

Cute kittens

Time to give our mom cat a break

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Jul 29, 2025
Growing, Learning, and Keeping Things Safe!

By Evelind Schecter | Co-founder, Program Manager

Checking out the corn crop

The rains came early this year, sweeping away the haze and cooling the air. The trees are lush and green, and the nearby cornfields have already grown to eye level after the first planting.

Our own fields are cleared of weeds and storm debris, though still waiting for the main planting season. A few beds are already giving us fresh kale and plenty of coriander for spicy salads and stir-fries.

The lime trees are producing their first ripe fruits, and our pomelo tree promises a harvest of juicy fruit as big as grapefruits later this year.

The school year is well underway, and we are proud to share that all our high school graduates have started university classes. We now have three future nurses in training: Jiew, who began her fourth year, Dachanee, in her second year, and Tangmo just started her first year at a nursing school in Bangkok.

Ice and Nuiy started business programs; Nui will study Chinese for Business. Café was accepted at Chiang Mai University in Plant Pathology. They inspire the younger children and remind us of what your support makes possible.

We’ve welcomed a new staff member, Ying, who now oversees the gardens. Earn has moved on to a new opportunity in the city, working with an organic vegetable producer. Ying keeps the children busy every weekend, preparing the fields and building compost piles to keep our soil healthy.

In the evenings, she and Soda organize games and activities for the younger children, keeping them happily engaged while the older ones finish their homework.

This year marks our 17th year as a home for children in need, and with that milestone comes some long-overdue maintenance.

Recently, one of our staff members accidentally stepped on an old septic tank cover, which cracked underfoot. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the incident quickly turned into a community project.

The children joined in trimming bushes and clearing the area; visiting friends helped us replace the broken tanks. We’re safe and secure again—and next on the list are repairs to our clothes-drying sheds, which have served us well but are now showing their age.

Your continued support keeps our children safe, our gardens growing, and opportunities blooming for every student here. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

With gratitude and good wishes for the months ahead,

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Family

Prepping the vegetable garden

Evening activities

Clearing the flowers and bushes for repairs

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