Living Waters Phuket Foundation – Building Brighter Futures
Weekly Highlights:
Back To School – With the new school term starting and having missed so much learning due to Covid, this week getting children into education remains a priority. Access to schooling is unequal across communities, particularly among migrants and the poorer families. Purely economic barriers to education include money for uniforms, fees, books, and transportation.
The Good Shepherd Learning Centre – The GSLC in Phuket educates Burmese children from kindergarten to Grade 4. They also have a very enthusiastic Youth Group from 11 to 17 years old. Previously, they have a total of 150 – 220 children; however, this year an unprecedented 150 additional students enrolled, swelling the total number to 324. This is largely due to the closure of borders during Covid and the political instability in Myanmar.
Financial Pressures – The GSLC has a policy of not turning children away whose parents cannot pay the 500 THB monthly fee. This fee includes a hot daily meal, but at least 50% of the families are unable to contribute. This situation is not improving with increasing family debts due to Covid unemployment. An added strain on budgets has been the weekly ATK tests, required for staff and students to keep the Centre open.
Grants for Education – GSLC is the latest educational facility to benefit from a Living Waters Phuket Foundation grant. No longer facing an economic barrier to education, all 324 children enrolled will now have access to a safe environment, where they can learn, socialize and have at least one hot meal a day. With their children in education, parents are then able to work to provide for their family, free from the added pressure of childcare.
You can donate to LWPF education and community projects here: Weeboon
Fundraising
Our LWPF Weeboon campaign has raised a grand total to date of 593,336 THB. In addition, donations made direct to LWPF now total 1,256,475 THB. Donations this week through Weeboon to Pay it Forward (Retired Working For You) remained the same; totalled 4,559 THB, with direct donations to date totalling 9,489 THB.
Approved Funded Projects:
- The Good Shepherd Learning Centre
Funding has been given to The Good Shepherd Learning Centre (GSLC), under LWPF’s ‘Back To School’ initiatives, including helping to pay for ATK test kits and school uniforms to help the children return to education.
- The Man That Rescues Dogs (TMTRD)
This grant is to support this shelter’s feeding and care in addition to expanding the care facility. TMTRD helps sick, neglected, and abused dogs, all those rescued are medicated, vaccinated, and sterilized; as well as rehabilitated and socialized in an attempt to rehome the dogs. A new video has been recorded and will be published by end of May.
- Baan Na Yai School
A grant has been approved and work is due to commence to see this project of converting existing structures into an IT lab and library.
- Liamsiri Mar Hill Association
Work has commenced on the new fence at this center for people with Psychosocial disabilities. This organization aims to work together to create a welcoming environment and treat everyone with respect.
- PHBGTU
The children returned to school on May 23rd, after a grant was awarded and this project is in process to help fund English teaching for around 220 students at the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Kamala School, for the school year 2022 to 2023.
- The Red Cross Phuket
This project saw funding to purchase 1,800 wheelchairs for use in hospitals, clinics and vaccination centres across Thailand to assist those with mobility issues. The first wheelchairs are now being distributed.
- Life Home Project
Education assistance funding was provided, with this project helping with educational opportunities for HIV positive Thai Children at this charity. The April progress report has been received.
Completed Projects:
- Baan Lung Pitak Day Care Centre
Grant and works have been completed for a new school roof and kitchen upgrades to provide a safer environment for children aged 2-5 years to come every week day, as the start of their social and educational journey.
- Seeds of Change
Funded sewing machines were delivery to the Vocational Sewing Centre, located at Good Shepherd Migrant Work Centre Phuket (GMSW). This initiative provides employment alternatives and skills development for young Thai or migrant people.
- Koh Samui Life Bags
This project raised funds through donations in order to purchase food, pack Life Bags and distribute to communities in need on the island of Koh Samui. Over 1,800 ‘super’ life bags (supporting around 7,200 people) were packed and distributed across Koh Samui over a 3-day period in March 2022.
- The Good Shepherd BanYa Literacy and Learning Centre
This project saw record speed completion for the purchase of ATK test kits for over 400 children in order for testing to take place to allow the school to reopen. This completed project was achieved in under a week, making it a rapid and successful project for everyone involved.
- The Red Cross Back To School
This completed partnership between Living Waters Phuket and the Red Cross where LWP provided equipment necessary to allow for 390 students across 13 schools in Phuket, to get back to school. Prior to this funding project, these students were unable to attend school as they did not have uniforms, school supplies, funds for transportation and the minimal fee to go to school.
- Disadvantaged Students Project
The Foundation has provided funding for Phuket Has Been Good To Us to allow 500 disadvantaged students access to a new computer lab. This project is now completed.
- Under Privileged Children
The provision of portable water for 300 students at the Coconut Island School, as well as critical equipment for the school’s kitchen including a fridge, freezer and fans is completed. The acquittal report is currently being prepared.
- The Good Shepherd
The project for The Good Shepherd for Solar Panel Installation for the Good Shepherd Phuket Town (GSPT) Learning Centre is now completed.
- Sustainable Farming and Food Production – Phase 2
The Kathu Wittaya School’s phase 2 funded project is now complete. This was around sustainable education for farming and food production and the provision of buildings to help store and sell the food from the funded phase 1 project.
- Tambon Phunai Koh Yao Yai Orphan Education Funding
The Foundation funded school supplies for children from this Orphanage in January 2022. LWP donated funds for supplies and this directly allowed the children to return to school. Funding will cover 1 full year of schooling needs for around 35 children.
- Kathu Wittya School
The Sustainable Education on Farming and Food Production (phase 1) is complete. This long-term initiative was designed around teaching almost 1,000 children how to farm land using proven Thai techniques and processes in order to produce and harvest food.
- Phuket Has Been Good To Us
Living Waters Phuket Foundation completed this project to fund and provide brand new IT equipment for over 500 disadvantaged children for the school. This project helped teachers, volunteers and administrators to be able to deliver their English classes more effectively and efficiently.
- Super Life Bags
This completed project was the largest single order of life bag supplies in the last 22 months and saw over 8,700 large bags packed and delivered to Phuket and the surrounding areas in November 2021, helped by Government officials and 5 Star Marine.
LWP remains 100% devoted to helping the most vulnerable communities.
Please contact us for more information.
Living Waters Phuket
+66 99 341 6799 | [email protected]
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