Give 220 Disadvantaged Children a Brighter Future

In May 2024 we welcomed back over 300 students in our PHBGTU Primary Grade English classes for the new school year, refreshed and energised after the Songkran (Thai new year) break. Thanks to your generosity, they have come back to an abundance of learning and fun both inside and outside the classroom. Our after-school Coconut Club is adored by the 250 disadvantaged children who call the school home during term time. The club provides extra-curricular opportunities to foster their personal development, nurture new interests and hobbies and to dream big about their futures!

When it comes to learning in the classroom their PHBGTU teachers provide a wealth of engaging English lessons to forward the children’s academic learning and set them up for success in their future. The classes are varied and the teachers use creative and interactive ways - think singing, acting, drawing and storytelling - to make learning a blast! The students across all ages are curious, eager to learn and work collaboratively to inspire each other's growth. In June, the students had a chance to demonstrate their gratitude for all this hard work put in by the teachers as the school celebrated the annual tradition of Wai Kru (Teachers’) Day. They were spoiled by the children with gifts, flowers and beaming smiles, a truly heartwarming day for teachers and students alike.

At after-school Coconut Club the children have the chance to express themselves and lean into their playful spirits. Recently, the students had the opportunity to boost their mental and physical wellbeing by taking part in yoga sessions. They stretched their way to relaxation and mindfulness and achieved a feeling of zen! Aside from playing games together outside or cooking up a storm in the classroom ‘kitchen’, the budding computer whizzes also set focus on enhancing their typing accuracy and speed to empower them with computer literacy for their future endeavours. Arts and crafts encourages the children to unleash their creative sides and this semester, they tried their hands at upcycling, transforming ordinary paper toilet rolls to vibrant pencil pots!

We are incredibly grateful for your kind donations which allow Phuket Has Been Good to Us to provide our fantastic children with an invaluable education and to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life, all whilst having some fun along the way! Thank you for making this amazing journey possible!

In March students in Thailand take their end-of-year exams. In their Phuket Has Been Good To Us English classes their results reflected the hard work and dedication they showed to their studies over the school year, with an overall average grade of 81.40 % across all age groups.

Over the year we maintained our support of the children outside of their classrooms too, with our many Coconut Club extracurricular activities.

The Hyatt Regency Resort in Kamala kindly continued to invite small groups of students to their Marine Biology Center. Their resident Marine Biologist talked to the children about the life cycle of jellyfish. The children were excited to look through a microscope to observe baby jellyfish and plankton. In the tanks around the Marine Center, the students could see firsthand how a turtle might mistake a plastic bag for a jelly fish, helping them to understand the significance of reducing plastic use as well as recycling.

After school our teachers and volunteers have been busy helping children explore their possible future careers. It's amazing to see their enthusiasm as they think about their interests and skills. Some want to be police officers, pilots, teachers, or chefs. We combined this lesson with computing skills using our donated laptops. The children expressed their ambitions in various ways, learning how to type their chosen careers in English, insert pictures on their documents, then practicing their presentation and English-speaking skills, sharing their dreams with their classmates and teachers. They're dreaming big about helping others, creating art, and even starting their own businesses and we are excited to be there to help them to achieve their goals thanks to the support of our kind donors.

The Thai school year finishes in March and in April the children enjoy a long school holiday and celebrate Thai New Year with Songkran celebrations. We’re looking forward to the new school year in May when we can continue to provide opportunities to disadvantaged children thanks to your support.