PROJECTS


The New Life Project

The Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project helps children who have problems wtih Bangkok slum life. The children, many of whom have a background of drug abuse, go to a rural centre where they are kept active with a mixture of conventional schooling, vocational training and agricultural work for a period of at least 3 years.




Community Kindergarten Project

Kindergartens lie at the heart of the DPF's activities. They began as a form of refuge from the slum conditions and slum values for young children. Kindergartens also became informal community centers where problems could be discussed with teachers and neighbors. The DPF has now assisted in setting up 15 kindergartens in slum areas and is helping to start up kindergartens in poor villages in Northeast Thailand. The kindergartens are administered by the local elected community councils and the foundation's role is a supportive and advisory one. In this way, the kindergartens have become an important step in the development of the community.



Slum Children's Art Project

Realizing the importance of developing a child's imagination and creativity, DPF has created a Children's Rrt Project. The essence of this project is to provide a friendly "drop-in" center. The children meet with the Foundation's art teachers every afternoon when shool has finished. The children have access to materials and equipment and the teachers provide guidance and training in a variety of techniques.



Young Women's Group Project

Teenage girls who leave school with only a limited education are an especially vullnerable group in the community. Girls often have difficulty in finding suitable work. At the same time, they are attracted by the out of reach glamour of a consumption-oriented society. The problems of finding work and the stress of adaptatin to adulthood are two of the factors leading to solvent abuse and other forms of addiction. Furthermore, unwanted pregnancies are common. There are many unmarried mothers with inadequate means of support. Other girls seek escape in the higher earnings offered by the sex trade. It is for these girls that the DPF formed the Young Women's Group to help them as they grew into adulthood. The project offers the girls opportunities in learning handicraft skills, as well as to sing and dance.


Senior Citizen's Project

The DPF is a welfare organization which provides advice and assistance to the elderly in the community. This program helps senior citizens in their dealings with the bureaucracy, with medical personnel, or with any other problems which may occur. The Foundation also has a social club for the senior citizens from the slums.



AIDS Project

The AIDS Protection Project, which was established in 1988, strives to educate the community in AIDS prevention and care. Through regularly held AIDS education meetings and outreach programs, we have been able to increase the community's awareness about the AIDS issue.



Special Education Programme for the Hearing Impaired

The DPF opened their school for the hearing impaired in 1986 to ensure that hearing impaired children are not excluded from the national school system. Each child is fitted with a hearing aid tailored to his or her individual needs. These hearing aids then remain the child's propoerty for life. In this program, children learn the essential skills of listening and communication. They are integrated with their peers (non0hearing impaired) as often as possible.



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