December 26th marks the 10th Anniversary of the Asian Tsunami that was the most devastating natural disaster in modern human history killing over 282,000 people and devastating families leaving behind so many orphans and broken families!
We will continue to show these Orphans they have NOT been forgotten!
Last month Na, Buddy and I visited Thailand to do site checks on Orphanages and look at few potential organizations. While in Phuket, we found the Phuket Has Been Good to Us Foundation. Though they do a lot of great work for Thai youth around education programs we focused discussions and our visit with them on their Coconut Club program which is assisting 130 Orphans.
Our sincere thanks to Graham Haslam who heads up Events & Fundraising for playing tour guide as well as Volunteers Alex and Elizabeth for helping devise programs geared for our donors specifically targeted at the orphans
Our initial 2015 efforts will be focused on these children.
What is the Coconut Club?
Coconut Club offers a programme of on-going leisure and education development activities that provide after-school, weekend and inter-session experiences to the 130 residential students of the Rachaprachnukroh School in Kamala and to the Primary 5 and 6 classes at Baan Kalim School in Kalim. The aim of the organisation is to help Thai youth become capable and confident English speakers so they can secure well paid employment in Phuket’s tourism industry.
The Blue Writing is The Water Level of the Tsunami in 2004 that Destroyed the School
The residential students are orphans or children whose families are not able to look after them. They rarely, before Coconut Club, had the opportunity to leave the school grounds or engage in any activity outside the routine of their school lives.
The Coconut Club enhances not only their English language skills, but also stimulates their imagination, experimentation and independe
nt thinking abilities. It provides a safe and comfortable developmental environment, which raises their self-esteem and confidence, allowing them to use and apply what they are learning in their English class to their everyday life.