Educate at-risk girls, end poverty cycle: Thailand

Some of you have asked why we don’t feature stories about the personal backgrounds of our girls, most of whom come from situations that would certainly inspire a compassionate desire to help. There are many deeply moving stories. They were the noble inspiration for starting the school and continue to be the driving force behind the untiring efforts of everyone at Dhammajarinee.

Since Dhammajarinee was founded, Acharn Yai, the very wise and compassionate school director, encourages the girls to forget their past and only look forward to a brighter future. With the internet and email as it is today, stories of the girls’ past can inadvertently become a permanent online record of everything we want the girls to put behind them.

However, we do want you to be aware, in a very real way, of the difference you are making to girls in poverty, including migrant and refugees.

• More than 700,000 children in Thailand are out of school.

• National dropout rates continue to rise. Although Thailand offers free education, associated expenses, such as annual uniforms and registration, are difficult for impoverished families to meet.

•  50% of the girls at Dhammajarinee were orphaned or abandoned with no family member who could afford to care for them. Many of these girls were at public shelters that recommended they attend Dhammajarinee for greater opportunity in education and in life.

There are also girls at Dhammajarinee who were removed from the household by a public agency that determined the girl was in a seriously unsafe home situation. The agencies often themselves have observed this or they received a report from the community about parental alcohol or drug addiction that could harm the child.

• Students from poor Thai families only have a 5% chance of advancing to higher education.

In the more than 30 years since the school was founded, it has progressed far beyond providing a safe home where at-risk girls receive a basic education. At Dhammajarinee, the trauma of their former lives becomes a thing of the past, through the enlightening, stress management programs. In addition, by making use of progressive teaching methods like STEM, DWS has enabled 90% of the graduates to attend university.

We thank you for being a dedicated champion of Dhammajarinee’s mission to rescue girls from lives of problems and light their way to a life of joy and freedom.

In this regard, an opportunity is coming up soon for Dhammajarinee to receive a bonus for your donation.  18-22 September are the dates to remember. We will send more details closer to the date. Thank you in advance for participating and spreading the word.