OAT associates in Thailand donate time and resources to improve the quality of a local school during a day of community service
November 22, 2011
Kanchanaburi Province, situated about 200 miles west of the Thai capital of Bangkok, is best known as the location of the infamous “Bridge on the River Kwai”—but it’s also home to the Pu Ong Ka Primary School, which Grand Circle Foundation has been supporting since 2004. As a Foundation partner school, Pu Ong Ka is part of our A Day in the Life program that travelers may experience during OAT’s Discover Thailand adventure.
Grand Circle Foundation—helped in part by generous OAT travelers—has supported the school with donations of more than $12,000. Travelers who visit the school when it is in session (May-September and November-February) will see firsthand how these donations have empowered the school to purchase computers, employ an English teacher, plant an organic farm, and more. But there is still a great deal to be done.
Of the 220 students, around 70% are from the Mon ethnic tribe, whose families emigrated from the Thai-Burmese border. These families earn meager wages farming for a living, and are well below the economic standards of the rest of the country. That’s why OAT’s regional associates in Thailand chose Pu Ong Ka as the location of their annual community service event this past August.
A team of 38 regional associates from our Bangkok office spent a day volunteering at the Pu Ong Ka Primary School.
According to Ton Rerkdee, Regional General Manager of Thailand, Laos, and Burma, the team had concerns about the condition of the school kitchen in particular. “The teachers help each other cook for 220 students each day with very poor kitchen equipment,” Ton said. To improve the quality and hygiene of the kitchen and dining area, the team of 38 associates from our Bangkok office—including both office staff and Trip Leaders—installed a wastewater treatment tank and set up newly donated tables, chairs, and shelves. Their efforts created a safer, healthier, and more efficient eating environment for teachers and students. The team also cleaned up the surrounding school grounds, mowing the grass and removing weeds from the farm and garden areas.
Volunteers broke into two groups: One team worked inside to improve the dining and kitchen areas, while another did yard work on the surrounding school grounds.
The school principal, Mrs. Arom Timon, expressed her appreciation to the volunteers, and to Grand Circle Foundation. “On behalf of all teachers and students, I would like to thank you for the continual support given to our school,” she said. “Our students have been given so many more opportunities for their education. And now, with your support to improve the quality of the kitchen, we are able to provide a more hygienic atmosphere for our students without waiting for approval from the provincial education office.”
You can see firsthand how this day of community service has benefited the Pu Ong Ka Primary School during A Day in the Life on our Discover Thailand adventure. We’re proud to be able to give back to deserving communities in the places we travel—and improve the quality of education at schools like Pu Ong Ka Primary School. To learn more about the work of Grand Circle Foundation, visit our website at www.grandcirclefoundation.org.