Help Keep HDS Bus and Truck Running

On any given weekday morning in Mae Sai you’ll see a rusted truck, faded blue from years under the Thai sun, traversing the sleeping town of Mae Sai. The truck follows its route through the verdant orchard grounds that lie in the shadow of the Sleeping Mountain up to bustling the border district.   For the at-risk children that attend our school, our form of alternative transportation is their only means of transit to and from school. Many of our students live on the outer boundaries of town or across the border. Walking, biking, or riding motorcycles to work is not a viable option, and for our little ones it is simply too dangerous. Our bus and pick-up enable the children to attend school everyday and gain the life skills and training to create a better, safer future.

The start of the new semester in May corresponds with the beginning of Thailand’s wet season - and our students return to their classrooms seeking refuge from the daily torrential downpours.   While the precipitation brings a long awaited reprieve from the sweltering heat, it also affects the roads and causes wear on our vehicles. Ultimately, this means our bus and truck are serviced more frequently during the wet season as compared to the rest of the year. In the past three months we had to fix the batteries for the truck and bus in preparation for the new year. Each of these visits is an additional cost to our budget, outside of the gas we require to make our daily rounds. With your donations we are able to cover these additional expenditures and continue to provide safe and stable transportation for the Half Day School attendees. The safety and well-being of our students is our biggest concern.

All the staff members and children sincerely thank you for your time 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 do this without the kindness of people like you.