Provide Running Water for Students in Thailand

Hi everyone!

This Wednesday, June 13, GlobalGiving is literally giving away money. Every gift you make to The SOLD Project on GlobalGiving will be matched at an incredible 40 percent, up to $1,000 per person, per project!

We're just $1,310 away from our final goal, which means all it takes to finish this project this week is...

• ONE $1000 gift, or
• TWO $500 gifts, or
• FOUR $250 gifts, or
• TEN $100 gifts

June 13 is a great time to step out and give generously. Whether you can give $10 or $1000, the return on your investment is truly incredible. Matching gifts aside, you're providing more than 120 kids and their families access to consistent clean running water at our facilities.

Thank you for you ongoing support of The SOLD Project's work to prevent the exploitation of children through education!

—Michael

P.S. By the way, if you haven't already, read GlobalGiving's "postcard" from their recent project site visit. Be sure to check out the great photo they shared of our new desks in action!

Links:

• SOLD's Stand 4 Freedom Campaign
• Project Updates

Jacqueline Lee is an InTheField Traveler with GlobalGiving who is visiting our partners’ projects throughout Southeast Asia. Her “Postcard” from the visit in Thailand:

On May 10, I met with an organization that is addressing human trafficking and sexual exploitation from where it starts instead of at the end of the line. The SOLD Project is using education as a means of trafficking prevention from the outskirts of Chiang Rai, Thailand.

I met with Shannon, Director of Interns and Volunteers, to visit The SOLD Project facility and resource center for youth. GlobalGiving funds provided a computer lab and provided new desks to this facility. When I arrived, a local university student was teaching students the importance of social media safety. A lesson I think we all could benefit from. Shannon shared that there are about 120 youth in its program in total, but about 20-30 attend daily. Youth spend their time after school, on weekends, and on breaks learning about computers, art, guitar, photography, and any other projects that volunteers and mentors wish to teach. 

During computer time, I was able to sit down with a few of The SOLD Project's scholarship recipients and get to know them better. 

Cat, one of the first scholarship recipients, shared a bit about her background: Her favorite subjects include English and math. When not in school, Cat watches TV and listens to music. After high school she hopes to do something with communication and language. She loves to learn because of the variety of knowledge she gains, and she wants to learn more. After, she said “thank you very much for tables, chairs, and computers.” Because they have access to computers and Internet, they can all learn so much more. In addition to the computers, the new shiny desks were wonderful to see compared to the old ones that were falling apart. 

Nan is another young student I spoke with who has applied and just passed the entrance exam for a good school that teaches English and Chinese. In her free time she likes to listen to music and read books. Her favorite subject is language, and she hopes to pursue studying tourism when she gets to university.

I was told by one of the SOLD students that if SOLD wasn’t there, she would not have anything to do, be bored, and not be with friends. The SOLD Project provides an outlet for these youth - a chance to continue education past what they can afford, continue learning, and a safe place to be when not in school. 

At the end of the day, I sat with staff and spoke about their backgrounds and what brought them to SOLD.  Many shared how their religious backgrounds drove them to work with an organization like SOLD, but all shared their passion and commitment to working for this organization.

Links:

• JacquelineInTheField Blog