Elephant Hills Children’s Project helps Baan Mae Tob Tai school
Elephant Hills Children’s Project has been supporting a small rural school called Baan Mae Tob Tai for over 6 years, and over the years have developed a close relationship to the teachers and students. This school is located in Mae Sariang town, nestled in a serene valley in the mountainous Mae Hong Son province where our mahouts are originally from. Baan Mae Tob Tai has 66 students and 30 students staying overnight in the school dormitory.
In the past years we have supported the school’s food supply, gardening and animal husbandry projects, delivered much needed stationery donated by our warm-hearted guests, donated playground equipment and provided English teaching, to name a few. The largest and one of the most impactful projects was building a brand-new dormitory for the Karen children that travel from extremely remote locations to attend school here.
Being one of the only schools with a decent dormitory in the area, the dormitory placements have also been shared with some neighboring schools. Now the dormitory building is more crucial than ever due to the increasing clashes between Karen people and Myanmar military near the Thai – Myanmar border. The plight of the Karen has affected all schools in Mae Sariang town, and Baan Mae Tob Tai school is no exception, hence the dormitory is nearly full.
To relieve the school’s challenging situation with increased need for meals, we rushed to help by donating food supplies. We determined and sourced the most useful dried food and other essential ingredients, including staples such a large sack of rice. Along with the food supplies, we brought plenty of stationery and simple English books that were brought to us at Elephant Hills from our guests from all over the world.
In a situation where an escalating number of children are staying at the dormitory, the interesting coloring books, story books, educational toys, and art supplies provide a wonderful pastime for the kids’ spare time in the dormitory. Engaging in one’s favorite hobbies can also bring comfort in the difficult circumstances that some of the families are facing in times of uncertainty and conflict at their home villages in Myanmar.
On behalf of the pupils and teachers of Baan Mae Tob Tai school, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our guests donating funds and essential supplies when visiting us! Your donation to Elephant Hills Children’s Project, no matter how big or small, can have a major impact in rural Thai children’s lives.
If you or a family member or friend is planning for a visit to Elephant Hills, please explore our “Pack with a purpose” list with most needed items or consider making a donation via one of the donation boxes located at our tented camp in Khao Sok. We are also currently looking for individuals and companies to co-operate with our Children’s Project through corporate sponsorship. To find our more information or discuss the options, please contact our team on [email protected].
