Many rural schools and therefore many children in Thailand suffer from a lack of resources since funds and teachers are often drawn to the cities with better living conditions and wages. Imagine going to school and having to eat lunch sitting on the ground, or having to share one computer between nine pupils, or learning from books that are out of date and water damaged. The aspirations of these rural children are exactly the same as those in the cities, they dream of becoming doctors, sportsmen and women, entrepreneurs and many other careers important to Thai society and the economy. The reality for these children is a career in rubber farming or retail. We need to break the cycle of poor education leading to low paid jobs. Children are our future; education is the only way to give them the freedom to make their own choices. This was the reason why we started our Children’s Project.

Siam Safari has been using its over 20 years experience in the nature tourism industry to raise public awareness and generate much needed funds for three schools in the Khao Sok area. The company is well aware of the limitations of simply donating funds.

We have also started to help children in rural villages of Northern Thailand, mainly donating second hand children’s clothes from our guests and staff.

Children’s project is a win-win situation for everyone participating. We are more than happy to take some of our time to visit rural villages and schools, meet these children and help to share your donations to those who really need it. Our guests who make donations, whether it would be funds, old clothes or toys, you can experience the joy of giving, knowing that some little girl or boy somewhere in Thailand’s countryside will be smiling all day with new clothes or will enjoy playing on a new playground for the whole semester. The real winners in this project are the children.

How can you help? If you would like to make a donation you can do it while visiting our elephant camps, taking part on our tours or even send it to us. You can donate clothes, toys, children books, money, etc. and we will make sure the donation goes to the right place to those who really need your help. Read more about recent donations below.

Click here to see our school photo album

An unforgettable day at Home & Life Foundation

During our previous visit to Home & Life Foundation earlier this year we started to discuss about a possibility of a future co-operation regarding a project they needed some help with. We found out that some of the rooms and buildings in the orphanage grounds could do with a fresh layer of paint, and decided to pack our car with few buckets of paint, tens of brushes and a group of cheerful volunteers and Siam Safari staff.

We were politely welcomed by the children at the orphanage nearby a river in Thai Muang town in Phang Nga province. The children immediately invited us to the bakery to enjoy some coffee and tea along with their delicious homemade, warm banana bread. After opening paint buckets the brushes quickly found their holders and everybody were ready and eager to help. We divided a group of volunteers and the children into four teams, each had been assigned their location to paint. After a couple of hours of work and laughter in
the sun it was time to have a short break and lunch. Creamy Massaman curry with omelet
and fried broccoli – cooked by the talented chefs of Home & Life – was served to bring energy
for the hard-working painters.  

After finishing painting the details of children’s rooms, playroom, bakery and kitchen, we had a blast joining the kids with their ball game. We enjoyed a perfect sunny weather throughout the day, and after feeling hot and sweaty with painting and games, the children came up with a perfect solution. Soon the whole group of children and volunteers was splashing and floating in a nearby river. We had plenty of fun with these wonderful children and would like to thank Home & Life for this unforgettable day. We hope that the newly painted walls keep bringing happiness to the children and staff at Home & Life Foundation!

The paints and brushes were bought with funds donated to our Children’s Project by Siam Safari’s guests.

Donation to Home & Life Foundation in Thai Muang

Once again it was time to load our car with two huge boxes full of donated clothes and toys from Finnish travel agency Aurinkomatkat’s guests. In the car crossing the Sarasin Bridge out of Phuket to Phang Nga province we had some of our Siam Safari staff and two trainees eager to see the beautiful smiles of the children of Home & Life Orphanage. We drove past the town of Thai Muang and soon noticed a handmade sign of a bakery close to a small river. When arriving to the nice and cozy community we were immediately greeted by excited and polite children, friendly and helpful volunteer from England and one of the founders, Khun Rasa. All the children took their turn to greet us in English and welcomed us to enjoy the fresh products of their bakery and café.

Home & Life Foundation was established in 2006, two years after the Asian tsunami. Khun Rasa and her husband Khun Bhudit knew that for years there would remain a desperate need to help the children of the area hit by these massive and destructive waves. The warmhearted couple moved to South of Thailand all the way from Chiang Mai and is today running a community and family of 26 children, bakery and organic vegetable garden.

Nowadays the orphanage is home not only for the children affected by the tsunami, but also for children of poor families, neglected or ill treated children and orphans. The children are taken to school every day and sometimes they help around in the bakery and vegetable garden in order to learn important skills for future life. Home & Life Orphanage aims to teach its children consideration, vocational knowledge, Thai culture, life skills and English language in order to guarantee that they will grow up to be caring and successful adults.

The smiles of these bright children got even wider as we started to open the boxes and hand out some of the clothes and toys from Aurinkomatkat’s guests. The children were especially pleased with games, stickers, stuffed animals, coloring books and clothes that were as good as new. Siam Safari would like to thank Home & Life Foundation for their great hospitality during our visit and our sincerest thanks to Aurinkomatkat for yet another generous donation.

Guests of tour agency Aurinkomatkat sent their warm thoughts from cold Finland by donating clothes and toys4th February 2011

On a Friday morning we started heading to the heart of Phuket town from Siam Safari office with some of our staff and volunteers. Our destination was Uncle Pitak Home which is a day care center located at the prison grounds operated by Child-Watch Phuket Association. Uncle Pitak Home helps and educates the prisoners’ children in the day time, and during the nights the children sleep with their mothers. When there is room in the center it also takes care of the children from nearby construction sites and slums.

With us in the car we had a huge box full of clothes and toys donated by guests of Finnish tour agency Aurinkomatkat. On the way we stopped in a small shop selling snacks and sweets and bought some to take to the children. As we arrived we saw a dozen smiley faces eager to see what we brought with us. The friendly staff helped us to place some of the donations on the table for the kids to see. The clothes were as good as new and some of the children found their new favorites among the donated toys as well.

During the whole event the children were very curious and excited and they also took a chance to show us some of their amazing dancing skills. We are convinced that your donations will keep bringing joy and happiness to these unprivileged children again and again. Thank you Aurinkomatkat for your generous donations!

INVESTING IN A RURAL COMMUNITIES FUTURE

Thomas Cook Airlines together with Siam Safari Nature Tours Co., Ltd  helps to build a new library for children of Khao Sok.

The limestone peaks shrouded in jungle and mist are the backdrop for some of the most picturesque villages in the whole of Thailand and are also a mighty backdrop for Baan Ya Plong Primary school which has a total of 153 students.

Since 1989 Siam Safari Nature Tours Co., Ltd has been offering nature tours throughout Southern Thailand and working together with these rural communities. In fact that was the focus of their most recent project in co-operation with Thomas Cook Airlines. “Having run our Rural Schools Help Project for some 10 years now we wanted to really start to make a difference” says Siam Safari’s Manager Khun Wan. “An opportunity arose when friends and business partners of us, Thomas Cook Airlines  planned a Familiarization trip with a group of journalists to the south of Thailand and asked us to help them out. They were to come on one of our overnight trips visiting the Cheow Larn Lake in the center of the national park and they asked us to quote for this trip. Instead of payment we had another idea….” Siam Safari Nature Tours Co., Ltd wanted a contribution to thier Rural Schools Help Project that would really make a difference. Over the past years Siam Safari has built up a close relationship with the local schools, so they had some idea of what the schools needed. After discussing with the headmaster of the school Khun Anothai, it became evident that Baan Ya Plong School’s library was in need of some urgent repairs. So this is what the funds raised from Thomas Cook Ailrines would be used for.

On the 15th of November after spending a night in Khao Sok, Torben Andersen Head of PR, John Alexandersen Commercial Director both from Thomas Cook Airlines, Jan Vendelbo Director of Spies and Khun Chaweewan Noothong from Siam Safari donated 100,000 THB to the Baan Ya Plong School in Khao Sok National Park. The money is to be used for the building of a brand new library.

“We are so pleased to have this generous donation” says Khun Anothai  Headmaster of Baan Ya Plong school. “On behalf of the school and the children I would like to thank Thomas Cook Airlines and Siam Safari Nature Tours Co., Ltd for their kindness and generosity”.

Mr. Simon Brown and his family from Australia came to Phuket and wanted to donate clothes to our Children’s Project. We were more than happy to facilitate the donation of these clothes to the children at Child-Watch orphanage in Kathu, Phuket.

With big smiles on their faces they were all very thankful for these new toys and clothes and even sang a song for us, a thank you song.

We would like to give a big thanks to Mr. Simon Brown and his family who donated these clothes and toys to the children in Phuket.

Ms. Pam Hammond from Australia donated her beautiful handmade clothes for the children at The Life Home Project Foundation in Phuket.

As you can see on the pictures the children were very happy to receive new colorful shirts, dresses and trousers. We would like to thank Miss Pam Hammond who made these clothes and sent to us to give for the children in
Phuket.

Ennovator Marketing and Burchardt A/S in Denmark donated new play equipment to one of the schools in Khao Sok along with Mr Kim Carlsen. Before this there was no outside of class stimulation for the children and as you can see the play equipment was a big hit! We would like to say a big thank you to both Marketing and Burchardt A/S on behalf of the school. Over the next 3 months we will be donating more equipment to 2 other  schools in Khao Sok. Keep an eye out for updated pictures of our donations here!

We are also in the process of creating a project to collect and donate clothes to orphanages in the north of Thailand. Those guests who would like to donate can bring old children’s clothes or even toys and we shall ensure that they are passed on to the appropriate orphanage.

Activities to date:

• Every year on children’s day (13th January) Siam Safari donates 10,000 baht to each of 3 schools in the area to help fund the student’s activities. The schools divide this money between the poorest students to help provide them with clothes, books and pens.
  
  
• A project known to us as “The Trees Can Talk” was also produced. This stimulated the children of the schools to think about what the jungle surrounding their towns would think of them if it could talk. The winner of which received a sponsorship from the company.

• Children’s day January 2006 – Siam Safari and Travel Indochina donated 2 computers to Wat Tam Wararam School in the Khao Sok Area.

• November 2006 – Siam Safari and Kim Carlson (a previous guest of ours) donated 4 more computers, 2 to both Baang Bpru and Yhaa Ploong Schools.

• Donation Boxes in each location where guests can donate to the project, with information about our project.
  
  
• July 2007 – Siam Safari and My Travel (Travel Agent) donated 2 computers to Wat Tam Wararam School .

• June – September 2007. Competition “Keep Khao Sok Green”, children from the schools designed a picture to be featured on t-shirts for Siam Safaris Nature Guests to purchase.  The t-shirts are now on sale in our camps.
  
  
• November – March 2008.  The children planted vegetable gardens with the tools and seeds they were given by Siam Safari, they were very successful providing lots of vegetables for their school canteen. 
  
  
• March 2008.  Dan Broderick and family donated beanie babies, toys and art materials to each of the schools all the way from America.  We thank Dan and his family for all the effort they put in.

• April 2008.  The money raised by the sale of the pictures from Baang Bpru School has been used to make a new school sign.

www.unicef.org/thailand/
www.worldvision.or.th
www.amnesty.or.th
www.pda.or.th