Send 70 At-risk Children to School in Thailand

These last three months have been very busy and exciting for all the students and teachers at DEPDC/GMS’s Patak Half Day School. The students have begun a new semester this month and have welcomed in a new International Volunteer named Lizzie from the United States.

 A look back on the last 3 months…

 Camping!

 Shortly after the last GlobalGiving project report, the Half Day School students began their annual camping trip. On February 22^nd, the HDS children said goodbye to their parents and arrived to school each carrying one bag containing only clothing and a few necessary items.

All students participating in camp were required to give their cellular phones to the Director of Education to be locked away for the duration of the three day, two night camp. Students were also encouraged to wake up each morning at 5:30AM to exercise for at least a half hour before cooking breakfast campfire style.

The first two days of camp, guest speakers came to teach the students about health, the human body, sex education, emotional wellness, and developing healthy relationships. The students then created creative posters and presented important concepts they had learned during this training.

Fire safety training was provided on the final day of camp. A handful of members from the Fire and Rescue Department of Wiangphangkam, Mae Sai, provided hands-on demonstrations on how to put out fire in a safe and efficient manner. The children learned about the different classes of fire (i.e.,  Classes A, B, C,D, and E) and learned how to extinguish fires involving solid materials, flammable liquids, gases, metals, and live electrical apparatus appropriately.

Basic Life Support Training!

Sharon Moreau, BSN, RN, CPN, a nurse from Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas, USA, came to visit DEPDC/GMS for two weeks to assist with the Patak Half Day School and SYSTERM program. During her visit, she helped teach English classes to the Half Day School, donated 300 kilograms of rice, and taught lifesaving skills to over 85 children and youth. By the end of February, all the Half Day School students in classes A, B, and C had learned how to perform Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich Maneuver.

Half Day School Visitors from Singapore!

The Half Day School students completed final exams during the first week in March for the 2017-2018 school year. However, the HDS students continued to come to school each day to join in character, skill, and team building exercises led by 27 bright student volunteers and their 3 professors who participated in the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), an international service-learning program from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore.

We sincerely thank you for your support and your time to read our news blog! Look out for more updates and photos by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!