With schools closed throughout October the Duang Prateep Foundation arranged a wide range of activities for children from the surrounding communities. Every day in October, up to fifty children, mostly of primary school age, were coming to the Duang Prateep Foundation. DPF staff arranged many art and craft activities, games, computer activities, entertainment by Nithan Caravan and others. Some of the children were also able to go on camps.
The Duang Prateep Foundation was delighted to see how popular the activities were for the children, who kept turning up at the foundation regularly throughout the school holiday. Slum children lack recreation opportunities and many children lack parental supervision when the schools are closed. School holidays, with children hanging around all day, can be times when children’s behaviour can change for the worse, as some children even among the pre-teens, are lured into drugs or other vices. The holiday programme at the DPF proved successful in giving children an alternative to hanging around on the streets.
Another treat for children last month was the visit of internationally renowned magician Franz Harvey to the DPF. The magician gave a brief performance to a large crowd at the foundation and also donated 200 tickets for one of the performances he gave at a large venue in Bangkok. The tickets were used by children who were attending the holiday programme at the foundation.
The attached files <kidsfun1.jpg>, <kidsfun2.jpg> and <kidsfun3.jpg> show some of the action at the Duang Prateep Foundation during the holiday activity programme for children.
Sponsorship celebration
The Sponsorship Section at the DPF arranged a sponsorship ceremony near the end of October, before the start of the second half of the school year. Over three hundred children attended the ceremony, which was presided over by former senator and constitution drafter Prongthep Thepkhanjana. Three students sponsored by the Duang Prateep Foundation who have recently completed their university education were honoured at the ceremony. The foundation has also sponsored two other university graduates who were unable to attend the event. The sponsorship ceremony was also preceded by an anti-drugs march through the local community. The Sponsorship Section is presently administering educational sponsorship for approximately 3,500 sponsored students.
Hearing impaired children dance at Asian Children’s Festival
Children from the hearing-impaired school at the DPF were among groups from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan who performed in front of a large crowd at the fifth Asian Children’s Cultural Festival organised by the Sikkha Asian Foundation. A teenage dance group from the DPF was also among the performers, who came from all over Thailand as well as the other countries.
A group of hearing impaired children also gave a Thai style music performance at a Buddhist robes giving ceremony at Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s best known Buddhist temples.
Aids Project sports event
Last month the Aids Control Project organised a day of activities for motorcycle taxi groups. Some three hundred motorcyclists from thirty different groups attended the event. The day began with a clean-up session through the slum. In the afternoon a soccer tournament was arranged in the yard of the Chumchon Moo Baan Pattana school next to the DPF.
The Aids Control Project has been working with motorcycle taxi groups for many years. Motorcycle taxi drivers are seen as an important target group, both because they are mostly young males with the potential for a high risk lifestyle and also because their work brings them into contact with so many slum dwellers.
Nongmai kindergarten plans uncertain
The Nongmai kindergarten has reopened after the school holiday still in the temporary site which was arranged hurriedly after a fire destroyed the school one day before the start of the school year in May.
Originally, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) agreed to finance the cost of a new school but that offer was later withdrawn. The BMA was not prepared to commit money, as there was no guarantee that the site, which is owned by the Port Authority of Thailand, could be used long term. The Duang Prateep Foundation and the Nongmai community are still seeking a long term solution to the situation.
Trip to Phitsanulok for slum environmental group
Last month the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany sponsored a trip for representatives of the slum environmental group - eggs for refuse scheme - to Phitsanulok in the Lower North of Thailand. German technical experts have been working with the local authority and community groups in Phitsanulok province to tackle the problems of refuse in the province. A representative of the Duang Prateep Foundation, who works on community development projects, accompanied the slum group on their one day trip to the North.
Phitsanulok has introduced a comprehensive refuse avoidance, recycling and disposal scheme. The slum dwellers were especially interested in the low-tech small scale composting methods being used in Phitsanulok. There are plans now being developed to introduce the use of similar techniques in Klong Toey.
Credit Union opens shop
The Klong Toey Cooperative for Community Service, the credit union set up by the
Duang Prateep Foundation, has moved from its location on the front of the Duang Prateep Kindergarten to a site in the 70 rai market, just a short walk from the DPF. The new site has made it possible for the cooperative to open a small store selling packaged food, toiletries and other household items. The primary aim of the new facility is to support small retailers who have shops at their houses in the slum. The opening of large multi-national supermarkets not far away from the Klong Toey communities has severely affected local retailers.
Trip to Japan
Last month the Deputy Secretary General of the Duang Prateep Foundation, Ms. Prakhong Ungsongtham, and the head of the International Section, Ms. Ladapan Praesrithong visited Japan to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Arigatou Foundation in Tokyo. The pair also used their trip to talk to many Japanese sponsors of the DPF.
Also presently in Japan is Nithan Caravan leader Rotjana Phraesrithong, who is staying in Japan for a two-month training programme.
News from Thailand
General election in January
Thailand will vote in a general election on January the 6th. It will be the first general election under a new constitution and a new electoral system.
Bangkok Senators to hold public forums
Prateep Ungsongtham Hata announced last month that the 18 Senators from Bangkok will hold a public forum every month, in order to stay in touch with the opinions and needs of voters. The forums will be funded with the Senator’s own money and each Senator has so far contributed 5,000 baht.
Report finds 21% of population starving
Twenty-one percent of Thailand's population do not have enough food to eat, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s State of Food Insecurity in the World study released last month. The report lists Thailand as having a high level of food insecurity but recognises the efforts Thailand has made in sustainable development and reducing malnutrition, which saw a reduction of poverty from 32.6% of the population in 1998 to 11.4% in 1996. The subsequent recession threw many people back into poverty. There are many factors which can lead to food insecurity, such as land degradation, water scarcity, natural and man-made disasters, economic mismanagement, limited import capacity, inefficient marketing systems, poverty, sanitation and health related problems.
Loans help reduce debt burden for poor
The Urban Community Development Office claims that loans from the Miyazawa Fund and the World Bank have helped unchain people from the debts they owed to loan sharks. Financial assistance of 250 million baht has been allocated through community savings groups to help members burdened with exorbitant interest charges outside the banking system. So far 98 million baht has been loaned to 5,860 families to help release them from their loan-shark debts. As a result, the interest burden of the members of savings group were cut to 0.25% monthly from 20% monthly. In the next five years the programme is expected to save about 102 million baht in interest costs and help 384,000 families in 1,800 communities.
Thai education to lag behind neighbours
A Singapore-based business research firm claimed last month that the Thai education system will lag far behind many of its Asian neighbours in ten years time, with reform being implemented with little foresight or direction. The report by Strategic Intelligence praised Thailand for achieving high levels of basic literacy but criticised other aspects of Thailand's education development.
The intention of the education reform programme is to merge the ministries of Education and Universities Affairs, devolve education administration to local level, reduce management costs by 40%, move from rote learning to a child-centred education, give increased training to teachers and put teachers salaries on a similar scale to the medical profession.
Many teachers are resisting changes to the teaching process. They are not being given the training to enable them to move to a more-child centred education process or training in information technology. There are fears that the devolvement of education administration to the local level would only lead to an increase in corruption and incompetence. A recent survey of Asian universities put the highest ranked Thai university in 51st place.
There are reports that Thailand is being squeezed out of high and low-end industries. Some neighbouring Asian countries are undercutting Thailand in the cheap labour market and Thai labour lacks the skills to compete in the high technology sectors.
Parents complain at high education costs
The state has announced that it would provide twelve years of education free of charge but many parents are crying foul at the wide range of expenses they are being asked to meet by schools. Children have being bringing home demands for payments for items such as gardening and watering, air conditioning and for ISO 9002 certification. Parents dare not refuse to pay the miscellaneous costs as they fear their child could face problems at school.
Push for equal health rights
In a push to ensure equal basic health care for all, more than 800 representatives of people's organisations will campaign for public support for a proposed national health security law. The people's legislation is proposed by a network that brings together groups of people with Aids, labour organisations, slum communities, village organisations, women’s groups, children’s organisations, consumer groups and organisations to help the aged and disabled.
Once signatures are gathered a draft national health security bill will be submitted to parliament next year. Senator Jon Ungpakorn said the existence of different types of health security for different groups was the main cause of inequality in accessing health services. About 40% of the population lack any health security.
People's agenda to empower poor
A new popular movement, the People Consensus, is looking to draft a bill aimed at making poor people self-sufficient. The objective for the bill would be to help find places in the mainstream economy for landless farmers, labourers and people made redundant.
A group of academics brought together by the Thailand Research Fund reported that government spending has been inefficient in bridging the divide between rich and poor.
Condom less sex rising
A recent survey by Durex of sexual habits in 27 countries reported that as many as 12% of Thai males aged between 16 and 24 do not use condoms during casual sex. The survey showed that 33% of Thais in the aged group were not concerned about pregnancy and 67% claimed that condoms were not available. A leading gynaecologist expressed concern at the change from visiting prostitutes to casual one night stands, where there is likely to be less preparedness.
Short course AZT treatment proving successful
The successful introduction of a short course treatment of AZT for HIV Positive pregnant women has led to a big reduction in the transmission rate for HIV from infected mothers to babies. The transmission rate has fallen from a previous high of 30 to 40%, to 7.7% in the upper North and 8.4% in the Northeast.
Communities to have greater say in development
The Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development (DANCED) is providing 45 million baht to finance a three-year programme to draft an environmental development plan. The intention is to give communities a much greater say in local development. Ideally development would reflect the needs of local people in achieving economic prosperity, without damaging the environment or local livelihoods. The money will be used for training local officials, strengthening local civic groups and developing a database of demographic and ecological information.
Bangkok governor’s drugs policy criticised
Last month Bangkok Governor Samak Sundaravej announced a policy of compulsory urine tests for the 320,000 students studying at the 432 schools under the control of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Mr. Samak outlined a three strikes and out approach with children who have tested positive for drugs on three occasions being thrown out of school. Mr. Samak's plan was criticised by representatives of NGOs, including the Duang Prateep Foundation. There was concern that a policy of expelling drug taking students will only exasperate the problem.
Under bridge communities to relocate
Nine households living under Bangkok bridges will relocate to new housing this month. This is the first phase of a planed relocation of 615 households which are presently living in 72 squatter communities under Bangkok bridges. All the households will be resettled on three new sites by April next year. Plans for the relocation have been carried out jointly by the under-bridge communities and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The squatters were allowed to chose their new locations and designed the area plans.
Too costly to relocate dangerous warehouses
The Harbour Department has admitted that budget-constraints prevent the planned relocation of piers and warehouses for dangerous goods out of the city and its neighbouring provinces. The Harbour Department had tried in vain to push for the relocation of piers and warehouses for hazardous goods but none of the companies wanted to pay the high relocation costs and government funding is unavailable. The Harbour Department had previously announced a policy to relocate storage facilities for dangerous substances but the plan has been suspended.
Lack of work for disabled proving costly
Failure to promote employment opportunities for the disabled costs the government almost 50 billion baht a year. The Council of the Disabled reported last month that of the 1.3 million people capable of joining the workforce only 159,000 were actually working. The Council for the Disabled has drafted the National Disabled Labour Institute Bill which would be tabled to the next session of the lower house. The bill aims to set up a labour institute to promote employment among the disabled.
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