Thailand

Context

In the wake of the airport shutdown in 2008, the image of Thailand was much tainted, regarded as if it were at war, and delivering a huge blow to the tourist industry. However, the political turmoil in Thailand takes place in a different area from where many foreigners (including Japanese) live. In other words, the political upheaval is distinctly limited to the area around the official residence of the prime minister and the location in front of the royal palace. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which occupied the airport and triggered the creation of the current administration, has decided to form a political party. The Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (UDD) advocated by Thaksin and the anti-government rebels, on the other hand, has continued rallying in the countryside. A definitive confrontation between the poor and the wealthy/middle classes has yet to occur but the situation has been deadlocked without any solution in sight.

Summary

In Thailand, the SVA has provided its support through a local legal entity “Sikha Asia Foundation (SAF)”. Starting in 2009, we have worked on management, language issues and public affairs capacity building, based on a five-year organizational plan to achieve independence. With regard to program operations, in the border area with Myanmar (Burma), we have tried to shore up education conditions through library and scholarship projects. The SVA also promotes networking that will connect many individual sites with each other by sharing experiences and know-how, centering on the Training & Educational Development Center that was newly established in Bangkok.

Libraries

  In 2009, the SVA has run mobile-library activities for children of immigrant workers from Myanmar (Burma), in parallel with ones for the Karen hill tribe in a border village of the Tak province in Myanmar (Burma). In a village of the Karen people, we have seen that the picture books that we have distributed as well as the ideas introduced in training have been routinely employed. As well, the SVA has opened the Teaching Material Development and Training Center to leverage and share what we have learned about training activities. For the program as a whole, approximately 100,000 people have benefited from this program, out of which 94,316 people have used one of eight community libraries, 5,381 people have participated in mobile-library activities, 219 people have taken part in training, and about 2,000 children have indirectly benefited from this.
In the year 2010, the SVA will continue the library campaign in the areas bordered with Myanmar (Burma) to further expand its effectiveness. As for the two libraries located in the Bangkok slums, we will transfer its operation to the local community.

Student Dormitories

In two student dormitories in the northern and northeastern areas respectively, the SVA has supported 48 junior and junior-high school students. Specifically, 44 Mon children in the Payao province in the northern area, and 4 children in a northeastern part of a farm village bordered with Laos. As educational conditions in the region improve, the need for student dormitories decreases. Therefore, the SVA has determined to close the Chiangkhan Student Dormitory after the completion of curricula for existing students in March 2010. The student dormitory for the Mon ethnicity in the northern region has focused on agricultural activities to promote independence and they have grown vegetables quite steadily in the newly developed fields. In the year 2010, the student dormitory accommodating the northern Hmong people will promote agriculture to achieve operational independence.

Scholarships

The SVA has offered scholarships to 378 students from the Bangkok slums and from minority ethnic groups. The number of students who are on scholarships is; 185 junior-high school students, 120 high school students, 25 college/university students and 48 dormitory students . The SVA has focused on information collection in places where we have operated as well as on collaboration with administrative authorities to conduct our activities. We have established a new operations system through discussions with related parties to achieve independent project management by local staff with a sense of ownership. In 2010, in order to precisely know the education conditions in the area bordered with Myanmar (Burma), we will maintain a close collaboration with the administrative authorities while trying to reinforce relationships with local citizens and school faculty members. In the area of operations, we would like to work on smooth and efficient management under the new system.

Reconstruction Aid for Victims of the Suan Phlu Slum Fire Disaster

  Five years have passed since this devastating fire occurred. Finally, all of the affected areas have completed rebuilding shelters as of May 2009 and have accommodated people. The SAF runs a nursery school inside the re-built shelter premises and it has 76 children enrolled. Moreover, in order to build up the capabilities of the nursery school staff, we have proactively conducted such activities as training and field visits to external organizations. In 2010, in order to transfer operations to the Khet (ward), we would like to deepen our collaboration with a citizen committee and work on administrative offices. We will also try to develop human resources to improve the operating quality of the nursery school.