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Thai-ED Project
The Thai-ED objective is to inspire academic ambition in poor children in the hope that they will help their communities. Thai-DE supports children to high school from Grades 10 to 12 and, in some cases universities, depending on their academic achievement and ambition.
The Thai-ED project was initiated by Dr Prem Naidoo, a psychiatrist working in Sydney, Australia. It is administered as a Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) project supported by The Rotary Club of Chatswood working in conjunction with Rotary Clubs in Bangkok and Isaan.
In Thailand work is carried out in co-operation with The Education for Development Foundation (EDF) which is a non-government organisation and the educational department managers of the local public schools in the north-east (Isaan).
The two Rotary Clubs that have been fundamental in setting up the Thai-ED project have been the Rotary Club of Chatswood in Sydney and the Rotary Club of Bangkok. My heartfelt (jing-jai) thanks in this regard go to Peter Kindred in Australia and Prof. Zadok Lempert in Bangkok
without whose support Thai-ED would not have been possible. Rotary is well known for its support of charitable causes worldwide. The initial plan for Thai-ED is in its support for scholarships for high school students in Isaan. We are hoping that with the aid of the Rotary Foundation we may be able to progress to funding for computer or library equipment.
Children in Isaan live in abject poverty and, because of this, many young girls are lured away by the promise of the bright lights and easy money offered by the sex industry.
These photos show typical houses and cooking areas that accommodate families in Isaan. Sometimes young people live by themselves either because they have been orphaned or because their parents have to move away to find work.
Thai_ED is primarily involved in educational scholarships and money raised is used to cover expenses such as school uniforms, shoes, stationery, etc. and to support the provincial committee who oversee the scholarship administration including student selection, guidance, monitoring and finance administration.
In 2009 the project was supporting 213 scholarship students from both Udorn Thani and Nakhorn Ratchasima.
Your donation will be used to provide sponsorship funds. To fund one student in Grades 7, 8 and 9 is 2,000 baht (approximately AUD $70) and in Grades 10 and 11 is 4,000 baht (approximately AUD $140) per year.
While the education is the main focus of Thai-ED, with the help of Rotary, schools have been able to be assisted in other ways. An example of this is that money has been raised to build a school canteen.
We invite you to contribute to this worthwhile project. Donations of less than $70 AUD will be combined to fund a full scholarship.
To make a donation please complete the fields below and enter the amount you wish to donate before you click the donation button.
This is one place in the world where, for a relatively small amount, you can make a real difference.
If you would like to find out more please contact us at president@chatswoodrotary.org.au or visit the Thai-ED website.
Donations made to Thai-ED through The Rotary Club of Chatswood Benevolent Account are tax deductible in Australia. A receipt will be sent to you. See our donation page for more information.
