Educate Thailand's Most Vulnerable Children

Providing our kids with access to education is one of the things that we do daily in our Hands Across the Water homes. Each month we share updates from the homes that tell stories of what our kids are doing at home and at school, including the educational activities that they have taken part in and any achievements or awards that they might have received. Today we share some recent updates from BTN Home. The home has been bustling with activity, from artwork to offsite trips, cooking competitions, and preparations for the Business Blueprint charity ride in support of Hands Across the Water! Read more about these experiences below. 

In March, BTN Home staff organised art-inspired educational development activities for preschoolers and first graders. They blew paint into patterns, had an art teacher guide them in watercolor painting with brushes, and enjoyed the beauty of Sri Phang Nga National Park by watching fish and playing in the water.

On Makha Bucha Day, which was on February 24, the children went to Wat Kongkhaphimuk to attend prayers and to make a pilgrimage for themselves. The purpose of this pilgrimage was to instill a sense of good conscience in the children and to encourage them to embrace Buddhism. In the afternoon, the children listened to sermons from the master. In the evening, they took part in evening prayers and candlelight processions. Learning about Buddhism is a large part of their Thai culture. 

The children have also been busy in the kitchen. They learned how to prepare grilled meatballs. The children helped thread the meatballs onto skewers before grilling them in the charcoal oven until they were cooked and ready to eat for lunch. Learning through cooking is a great way to aquire new skills of self-sufficiency and independence. 

Additionally, the whole home took part in an international cooking competition. The children were divided into groups, and the members helped prepare a foreign dish. This cooking activity was organized to give all children practical experience. Initially, their results might differ from what they expected, especially if the dish was challenging to prepare. Still, they learned that they will succeed if they continue to practice. And in the future, the children can cook for themselves. Knowledge of food and food preparation is a potential profession that the children can pursue. And learning how to work as a team is another valuable skill they were able to practice. 

BTN Home held a haircutting day and a homework mentoring session outside of the kitchen. The older brothers and sisters helped the younger kids with their haircuts because it's a tradition to get haircuts before final exams for the children's good health. Additionally, the older students assisted the younger students with their homework, checked their work to see what they still needed to complete, and helped them submit it to their teachers on time.

Looking ahead, the children and staff are most excited about the arrival of the Business Blueprint cyclists participating in the charity ride with Hands Across the Water. The kids can't wait to celebrate the arrival of these riders, who will have raised $5,000 and will have completed a bike ride of 500 km over 5 days when they arrive at BTN Home on April 21! 

We thank you for your continued support of our kids in their ongoing education in and out of the classroom. Because of the support of people like you, they will have brighter futures and a life of choice. 

Links:

• Home Update from BTN

Since our last report in 2016 we have seen significant changes, namely COVID-19 and its challenges to our work and operational plans, and a period of rebuilding through the post-COVID period to where we are now entering 2024. We have been grateful that over these years we have continued to support the children in our care with education.

In 2021 we wrote to our community about the challenges that we were facing with COVID-19, mainly to highlight that:

With the onset of Covid-19, in early 2020 our operations which had delivered so much to Hands were initially postponed and then with a realisation of the enormity of the impact and likely longevity, they were cancelled. All of the momentum that had been created in building a profitable social enterprise was if not gone entirely, certainly severely impacted. Without the ability to hold our events that generate the funds, we couldn't continue to operate as we had.

The community that Hands Across the Water has grown to support in Thailand is a very different entity than that which we first started with and every company and person who has donated, ridden in one of our charity bike rides, or supported us should be rightfully proud of the change we have achieved. We have brought about significant change to the lives of the children.

The Board of Hands Across the Water resolved that as a direct result of the impact of Covid 19 that a small percentage of charity funds will temporarily be used to support the work of Hands Group, therein ensuring the survival of the charity during these challenging times that have been forced upon us. Arriving at this decision the Board considered all alternatives and consulted with external stakeholders prior to arriving at our position.

For 15 years we were able to ensure that 100% of donors funds went directly to the children and communities we support in Thailand. It has taken a global pandemic to interrupt our operations and bring about this change which is undesired but will ensure the children receive the same level of care and support with access to education and university scholarships. The most pleasing aspect of this all is that the standard of care for the children has not been compromised in anyway. Read more at the link provided below.

In 2023 a second update to this strategy was provided that highlighted where we were up to:

We are still feeling the impact of cancelled bike rides and events. Add to that the increased pressures on the cost of living, and the natural disasters across Australia and NZ keeping fundraising dollars closer to home, we haven’t returned to pre covid levels as quickly as we had hoped.

On the back of what was the most challenging two years that we faced at Hands, we have jumped into 2023 with excitement and confidence that we are pushing towards a more financially stable operation, but, in all honesty, we are not quite there yet. Which is why we have agreed as a board to continue the funding from charity into Hands Group for a further 12 months as our recovery continues.

During this time, we are advancing our work and setting up operations in Thailand that will increase our presence on the ground from a fundraising perspective, and allow us to service and work closer with our corporate clients.

However, our standard of care has not changed. It is important to remember the reason why we are doing this. Every decision that we have had to make over the last three years was to ensure our kids receive the same level of care and support with access to education and university scholarships. We currently have 350+ kids across our homes that receive education as part of our care. We currently have 23 students at University.

We remain committed to providing a life of choice, not chance and to give our kids access to future opportunities and job pathways through the work that we do and the support of our generous donors. The standard of care has never been compromised, and we intend for it to stay this way.

In April, the older students from all of our homes will have the opportunity to participate in a careers weekend that Game, the Director of BTN, is putting together. This weekend will provide insights into the types of study and employment they can explore once it is time for them to leave the home. Helping the kids firstly aspire to something they can’t see, and then creating pathways for them to pursue their new found dreams, is our focus. Read more at the link provided below. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of this project supporting Hands Across the Water. We will be sharing our 2024 strategy update in the coming months.

Links:

• Note from Hands Across the Water Founder Peter Baines 2021
• Note from Hands Across the Water Founder Peter Baines 2023