Help Keep HDS Bus and Truck Running

At Patak Half Day School our school bus and truck program is continuing to provide safe transportation for the at-risk children that attend our school. The regular attendance of our students is made possible due to this program. Without it we could not ensure the children’s attendance to school and thus the education, life skills, awareness, and training they receive.  Every morning the bus picks up the students from surrounding villages, as well as the Myanmar border. At the end of the day, the truck makes two rounds to drop the students off back at their homes.  

This last period didn’t require a lot of work on the school bus as the HDS temporarily closed on August 20th due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mae Sai is currently considered a red area for the pandemic with cases once again on the rise. All the schools in the area closed to mitigate the risk of spread. The school bus was in use from July to August 19th and during that time received routine check ups including cleaning and checking the air pressure of the tires to ensure the bus was safe to transport the students. 

For the truck, the engine oil was changed and the tires and wheels were checked. The truck was used to deliver food, sanitation, and medical supplies to support families of students that have been impacted by the pandemic. Some families have had to quarantine due to a positive Covid test among someone in the household. The truck has allowed us to provide them with assistance. 

From all the staff and students here at DEPDC we would like to offer a sincere thank you to all our past, present, and future donors.  Thank you for supporting our mission to provide free education and free and safe transportation for at-risk children and youth in the border town of Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand. DEPDC/GMS could not do this without the kindness and generosity of people like you.