The Newsletter of the Anglo-Thai Foundation
The Anglo-Thai Foundation publishes a newsletter
each summer, giving news of the most recent grant giving trip
(
which is normally in January or
February)
This web version is compiled from the text & images of the hard copy version distributed to some 250 of our regular supporters.
Please forgive any illogicalities if the editor omits to modify the text when neccessary.
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Dear Friends and Supporters,
Welcome to our summer 2007 newsletter. Many thanks are due to you for your much-appreciated support and generous donations over the last year as we continue to help the poorest children of Isarn achieve their potential through sponsorship of their education.
This year as well as the annual Grant Giving the ATF organised our second English and Art Camp. 355 children attended from 3 different provinces: Sisaket, Buriram and Surin.
We were also joined by three volunteer English teachers: Helen Williams, Hazel Bennett who stayed on to teach in Phayuh, Sisaket until the end of January, and Hazel Hutchings who stayed until the end of February, teaching in Phayuh, Khukhan and Lamplaimas, Buriram.
ATF Students
At present there are 391 students having their education sponsored by you
- 100 at Primary school level
- 220 at Secondary school level
- 65 undergraduates
- 6 with university grants.
One of our new sponsors has asked what we do with her payments in the months before a student is allocated. At present we give the children their grants, paid into their individual bank accounts at the annual Grant Giving. They get a little gift set consisting of an ATF exercise book, pencils, eraser and their bank book with the money in it. We have a General Fund (from one-off donations) which is mainly used for projects and any children for whom we have yet to find sponsors. Your contributions, whenever you start them, are paying for sponsorship and we link you to 'your' child as soon as we can.
This year we have increased the amounts paid to all our students, and hope sponsors will be able to increase their payments to:
- Primary Level £54.00 (£4.50 monthly)
- Secondary Level £75.00 (£6.25 monthly)
- Further Education £240.00 (£20-monthly)
- University £324.00 (£27-monthly)
(Any shortfall can be made up from the General Fund but that does reduce what can be spent on projects.)
The ATF also have ongoing and proposed projects to benefit our students' schools and the local community. This year has seen the completion of several projects, including tiling the floor of a multi-purpose room in a school in Kaowasirin, Surin (left) and a 2-room nursery class in Baan Nongsaeson, Khukhan, Sisaket (below) Computers for Schools In 2006, we provided 3 schools in Sisaket, Surin, and Buriram with fully equipped computer labs, each with a brand new server unit, printer, 20-27 secondhand computers, tables and other necessary equipment. (below right) |
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Hazel Hutchings, one of the three volunteer English teachers who joined us at the
English Camp in Sisaket this year, tells her story.
"It was a chance meeting with Suraphee at breakfast time in Marrakech in February 2006 which led me to be in Bangkok on 1st January 2007. With many years teaching experience (Maths) in England, and a brand new HELTA certificate under my arm, I felt excited and somewhat apprehensive about the task of teaching English to children at Summer camp. It proved to be great fun.
The next stage, based in Sisaket was to teach in five different schools, three in Phayuh District, (which I shared with Hazel Bennet), and two near Khukhan. Suraphong and Samrong took on the onerous task of chauffeuring us from Sisaket to the schools. The reception at every school when I arrived was warm, friendly and helpful. The students were enthusiastic, enjoyed being active and I believe saw that learning English can be fun. A great deal of miming was involved and I concentrated on pronunciation. Many teachers saw my teaching style as very different from the traditional Thai way, and were keen to observe my lessons and I am sure will use some of the activities in the future. I encouraged a great deal of student to student discussion, which most students (once they overcame their embarrassment) managed well.
I left Sisaket on 10th February, leaving behind some very special people, some wonderful memories and requests to return! I travelled to Lumplaimas, where I was met at the station and taken to Ban Yang, (at which school I taught for the first week), where I discovered I was to stay with a family. This was a new experience for me living with a family (and I am sure for them too), but Sumret and Liard looked after me very well, made me part of their family and community. I taught or the second week in Sumret's school of 101 students. I taught from seven years old up to twelve, the students were like sponges in soaking up the knowledge, and the staff were also incredibly enthusiastic. |
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Venue: Border Police Camp, Baan Namyen, Kantharalak, Sisaket Province
Date: Friday 5th - Monday 8th January 2007 This year the total Camp attendance was 355 which included ATF students and their friends as well as secondary school pupils from Arnpuen School & Natungtabaek in Surin who receive luncheon grants. Many of the students had also attended last year's camp. Accommodation for the children was provided on camp as were all their meals, basically rice with two toppings supplemented by some fresh fruit. The children got up at 5.30 am, breakfasted at 7.30, had assembly at 8.30 and lessons from 9 -12 with a 10 minute break. Then lunch at 12.15 and afternoon lessons from 1 - 3 pm with 20 minutes snack break, followed by dinner at 6 pm, Then there was some evening entertainment provided by the camp personnel; rope pulling games, volley ball and female takrao (rattan ball game) with prayers & meditation from 7- 9 pm with PK Laow Panyasiri and a curfew at 9.30 pm. |
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A team of local opticians tested all the children's eyes on the second day and those who needed glasses received them on the morning of the grant giving on Monday. The Grant Giving itself was attended by those children already there and the ATF students who didn't attend the camp were bussed in for the day. The Deputy Educational District Governor presided over the ceremonies as well as Chaokhun Wimol from Wat Mahatat, Bangkok and Chaokhun Abbot from Denmark. All the ATF students received their bank passbooks and exercise books.
I had many happy moments on the day when some students came forward to tell me they were on their last year at university. I remember many of them as young children when I first met them 11 years ago. Alas we have lost some along the way, but for these few our work really makes a difference to their future.The week before Grant Giving, on the way to Sisaket, the ATF team travelled to visit two schools in Buriram, one of which was burnt down in June due to faulty wiring. Five hardship grants were given to children and their families there.
In Phayu, in Sisaket Province the following day we visited another school and met four very poor families whom we decided to assist with hardship grants - seven children from these families were also invited to join the Camp. The day after Grant Giving we went to visit a school where two orphan boys, aged nine and seven, had been left with a poor middle-aged childless couple 2 weeks ago. We visited their school as well as the family they were left with. It was quite a gathering and we were treated with fresh coconut drinks.We gave the two boys our last hardship grants. Helen, one of our volunteer English teachers, was on the phone with her parents and Dr & Mrs Williams have agreed to sponsor the two boys.
After that we went to visit another school in Sisaket province. The children were working on their vegetable plots along the fish pond. Their canteen is the worst one I have seen, hard dirt floor, disarrayed stoves and pots, etc. Perhaps one of the next projects should be a decent canteen flooring and kitchen/cooking area where daily lunch for children is prepared.We spent the following day sorting out paperwork, accounts, teaching schedules for the volunteers. The next morning in Surin we visited four schools in Samrongtaab District (on the border with Sisaket). The following day, with the complimentary van from Khon Kaen University Education Faculty, we went to Kalasin to tell them the good news about the computer labs. We met all the head masters and the installation work is due to be carried out the following month and completed before the end of the academic year.
Project |
School |
Cost |
Update existing water system & purchase water taps |
Baan Nachum, |
10,000 Baht (£140.00) |
Search for underground water & set up pump |
Baan Nongsakaeson, |
30,000 Baht (£430.00) |
Build school library |
Nikhom II, |
40,000 Baht (£575.00) |
Buy adjacent land for school fish pond |
Baan Nongrung, |
50,000 Baht (£720.00) |
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In the course of our work, we have come, across other people in our villages who are suffering exceptional hardship and whom we very much wish to help. A little assistance from someone living in the West can make a great difference to their quality of life. In 2006, full financial support and a pair of crutches were given to a young girl Patcharida whose leg had been amputated.A project we wish to start in 2007 will help other people in the villages who are living in extreme poverty. These may be children who have lost their parents or have other serious difficulties in life, perhaps being in need of medication or food. We came across a grandmother who had been left to look after her orphaned grandchildren. She is in ill health and has no money for food and looking after the children, let alone paying for their eductional needs. She is sometimes reduced to asking for food from the other villagers, who are barely managing to cope themselves. We expect the cost of this to be around £75 for each case per year. It will be an effective use of funds, since the need of these people is so great and a small outlay can make a huge difference. |
- The Anglo-Thai Foundation would like to thank Michael Strong who retired from the post of Treasurer this year. He joined the ATF in 1998 and his dedication and hard work over the years has been much appreciated and will be sorely missed.
- We would also like to welcome Arch Tail who has taken on the post of Secretary.
- We aim to write to you with a report about your sponsored student every year and are working to clear a backlog, so thank you for your patience over this.
- If you are concerned, do email or write and you will get a prompt reply.
- Thanks again to all our friends and donors for your continued support and we hope to bring you more good news about our students next year.
The ATF would like to thank the following who took part in the Camp & Grant Giving
Volunteer English Teachers:
Hazel Bennett, Hazel Hutchings, Helen Williams & Colin Jarvis
Assistants:
Lapawan Wilson, Geoffrey
ATF Documentation Team:
Dominic Simpson, Waraporn Vejaphan, Luiz Simpson, Somying Boonmee
Co-Ordinators:
Surapong Vejaphan, Samrong Singh-ngern, Sanong Tordkul, Tinnakorn from Buriram, Sawitree Chenghorn & Dorkaew from Surin
(Contributors to the 2007 newsletter; Hazel Hutchings, Carol Isaacs, Luiz Simpson, Suraphee Simpson and Arch Tait.)
If you would like to become more involved in our work, please get in touch with us.