Child Protection Thailand Project #9030

Send 70 At-risk Children to School in Thailand

by DEPDC

Send 70 At-risk Children to School in Thailand

Project Report | Oct 7, 2015
Half Day School's (HDS) Term Break Approaching

By Jorn Dix | International Department Coordinator

Time is passing by quickly. On the 11^th of May, a new school year began and we are already closing in on our first term break, starting on 10^th of October. The first half of the school year was filled with many activities and changes.

During this term, DEPDC started to grow its own rice to support the school's lunch program. When the rice saplings had to be replanted, many students from HDS came to help out. With the help from all the students, the job was done within a few hours. Hopefully, we will be able to harvest DEPDC's first own organically grown rice by the beginning of December.

One of the term's highlights for the kids was a visit to the nearby Chai Lee Farm. Chai Lee Farm is a farm in Mae Sai that produces dairy products. For most of our students this was a completely new experience. They found it exiting to see and learn about the process of milk production, all the way from milking the cow until the product was ready to be bought at the supermarket. Furthermore, they had the possibility to try really fresh milk directly from the farm.

The arrival of a new group of International Student Volunteers (ISV) is always a highlight for the students at HDS. This year, DEPDC hosted five groups of ISV volunteers, whom mainly supported DEPDC by maintenance and construction work, but also supported the International Department by taking over English classes at HDS. The five groups from ISV helped to refurbish the area around HDS's refectory, worked on our schoolyard's wall, and paved the area at DEPDC's entrance gate.

We would like to thank all our former, current, and future donors without whose generous support DEPDC's work would not be possible.

Visit at Chai Lee Farm

ISV volunteers helping to replant rice saplings

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Jul 10, 2015
The 2015/16 school year at HDS started

By James Murphy | International Volunteer

1. Grade English Class at HDS

After a well deserved summer break for both the teachers and students, school here in Mae Sai resumed as normal on the 11^th of May.

This 2015/2016 term brings us a school filled with 62 children. The hot dry summer weather met us and the kids as classes like English, Mathematics, Thai , Social science, and straight science went ahead as normal. Cooking classes for the children and cooking for the lunch program also commenced. However there was a large development on the grounds of the Half Day school (HDS). What was a vegetable patch near the playing pitch has now been ploughed in time for rainy season to begin growing rice. This rice will go towards the lunch program and for a period of time DEPDC will be near self sustaining with the efforts of the whole HDS. What was the vegetable patch has been moved down the field and is now growing around 15 different crops in a small scale. Since mid May, we have had International Student Volunteers (ISV’s) come to visit and help at the HDS. There have been 3 groups to date. They have consisted of around 15 or more individuals and students that have helped in teaching English in the HDS. They have joined us from several different parts of the world including America, Canada and Portugal. For the two weeks they spend in Mae Sai, they assist in teaching English as well as conducting maintenance on the DEPDC compound. Some of the HDS students take these volunteers to see some local sights like temples near the Myanmar border.

On 11th of June, DEPDC’s HDS celebrated this years Wai Khru Ceremony. This ceremony gives the students the opportunity to show gratitude to their teachers and to apologize for any misbehaviour. HDS celebrates this ceremony once a year. The actual ceremony is held during the morning and in the afternoon HDS’s students sing on stage and perform short plays that they write themselves. It was a lot of fun this year and both staff and students had an enjoyable ceremony.

To all of the supporters of the Half Day School and DEPDC/GMS, thank you for your kind attention and generosity. We are grateful for ISV’s help this term and look forward to the rest of the term ahead.

1. Grade English Class at HDS

Annual Wai Khru Ceremony at HDS

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Apr 13, 2015
End of Half Day School's (HDS) school year 2014/2015

By Jorn Dix | International Volunteer

Grade 5 students during an outdoor English lesson!

Another three months have passed by and our students went on their well-deserved holidays on Friday 13^th of March. Our school will be closed until May 11^th and then resume as before.

During the time of school holidays HDS's teachers will have one month break as well and then begin to prepare for the new school year. Now we have a little time to reflect on what happened during the past year.

In the school year 2014/2015 HDS had 72 students. All of them belong to one of the various ethnic minorities living on both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border and are victims of statelessness. HDS offers these children a chance to receive at least a basic education up to grade 6 (the end of primary education in Thailand) and also provides them with vocational training in different fields, like sewing, handicrafts, basic maintenance of technical equipment, and agriculture.

HDS is a school under the supervision of the Non-Formal Education Department (NFED) and therefor our students must do their exams for the primary education diploma at the NFED. During the last year all eight of our 5^th grade students managed to receive their diploma for the 6^th grade and are now going to study on for a high school diploma. Three of them even managed to progress on to the formal education system and will be able to study at a Thai government school from the beginning of next term. This is a big success for these children and all HDS and DEPDC staff are happy and proud of this achievement.

The other five students will have the chance to stay at HDS for one more year and study here to improve their knowledge and skills. They will receive support and advice for their further studies.

DEPDC wishes all of them the best of luck in their further studies and hopes that they will go on to receive a 9^th grade high school diploma.

All to DEPDC's staff, volunteers, and students would like to thank all our generous donors for their support. Without your support DEPDC's work for the wellbeing of our students would be impossible. Thank you!

The last flag ceremony for the school year!

Teacher Jorn during a 1st grade English lesson!

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