By Kristin Moreau | International Volunteer, DEPDC/GMS
The team at DEPDC/GMS’s Half Day School is happy to report that our bus and truck are both hanging on thanks to donation support through GlobalGiving. Both vehicles continue to safely transport Half Day School students to and from school each day, thus providing access to free education to at-risk children who are unable to attend Thai government or private schools. The majority of the children live several miles from the school and are unable to count on family members to drive them each morning. Therefore, their education would not be possible without your generous donations to support our school transportation!
The Half Day School
The Half Day School (HDS) provides primary school and life skills education to children primarily from the age of 4 to 16 who are at-risk for human trafficking, forced-labor, and sexual exploitation. The HDS provides a safe environment for our students to learn and grow. For some students, the campus has become home due to unsafe family situations which place them at a higher risk of being sexually exploited. DEPDC/GMS’s education focuses on practical, skill based learning with emphasis on human and child rights, language and literacy, occupational and competence training, and basic life and health skills.
Transportation Needs Continued During HDS School Break
The Half Day School children went on break during the month of April and just recently returned last week to begin a new semester. However, the bus and truck did not take a break. The teachers remained on campus these last two months with over 50 students participating in the Shan Youth Safety Training to End Risk Migration (SYSTERM). This program seeks to provide intensive leadership, life skills, and safety training to stateless, youth, at-risk of being trafficked into exploitive conditions, such as forced labor, prostitution, and domestic servitude. The truck is necessary to transport small groups to the border every 7 days to renew their temporary passes to stay legally in Thailand. The bus has allowed them to take field trips to learn about various NGOs in Chiang Rai as well as different economic development projects.
Bus and Truck Maintenance
The blue bus and truck required brake fluid changes recently and all other routine care was completed as normal (i.e., gas, oil, coolant, cleaning). However, the interior of the bus requires maintenance on its windows and floor lining. We want to keep our bus reliable, clean, and most importantly, safe for our children.
On behalf of all the staff members, volunteers, and especially our children, I want to sincerely thank you for your time reading our update and for supporting our mission to provide free education to at-risk children and youth in the border town of Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand. DEPDC/GMS could not continue without the kindness of people like you!
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