In an attempt to expand the ideas and facilities of alternative education, Moo Baan Dek has initiated a project to provide funds and advice to small projects that adopt disadvantaged children for education. The operators of each project are free to choose the kind of education they see fit for the children. An emphasis is of course given to alternative education in which children find the opportunity to fully express themselves and to grow holistically.
1. Baan Huay Mai Hang School Project
2. Baan Saun Dek (Children's Garden Home)
3. Pu Takian Child Center
4. Baan Tor Fun (Dream Weaving Home)
5. Mae Moon Munyuen Center (Playon Kindergarten and the Elementary
6. Baan Saan Fun (Education for Peace)
7. Baan Soblarn Day-care Center and Kindergarten
8. Rasisalai Community
9. The Spirit in Education Movement (SEM)
10. Lang Muang Community
1. Baan Huay Mai Hang School Project: 40 poor and tribal children
Ethnic Karen Ampure Maesod, Tak provice: These tribal people still live with their indigenous culture, language, traditional dress, and pattern of life. Attempts were made in securing and improving their agricultural livelihood to prevent an exodus. Because they have adequate food to eat and forest to live, and understand Thai well enough. Then we consider how to prepare these children well so that they will not be easily trapped by the city life style as more and more city folks come visit them.
Tribal children under the program 40
Volunteer 1
Full time staff 4
2. Baan Saun Dek (Children's Garden Home), Baan Tamafaiwan, Kankraw district, Chaiyapum: 7 poor children
Based on Buddhist tenets, the school is an attempt to create a healthy community for children where they are given love and care. There, they learn how to live close to nature, and to improve their self-organization. The activities include natural farming, batik making, and other vocational training, as well as the practice of meditation. At present, there are eight children from Moo Baan Dek living at Baan Suan Dek.
3. Pu Takian Child Center: 15 poor children
This program has been initiated by a nun who was interested in implementing the idea of Buddhism in taking care of disadvantaged children. There are currently 15 children under this program based in a monastery, Wat Pu Takian, Saiyok district, Kanchanaburi. With love and care of nuns and monks in the center, the children have been progressively developing.
4. Baan Tor Fun (Dream Weaving Home), Tambol Nonglu, Sangklaburi District, Kanchanaburi: 25 poor and ethnic children
It gives an emphasis on friendly relationships and interdependence among human being and between human being and the environment. Most children here are ethnic minorities along the Thai-Burmese border. The activities for students include the practice of natural farming and meditation. Of the current 15 children at Baan Tor Fun, one came from Moo Baan Dek. All of them attend a nearby primary school for academic study. At Baan Tor Fun, they live like a self-dependent community, and practice natural farming.
5. Mae Moon Munyuen Center (Playon Kindergarten and the Elementary School): 65 poor children
The Mae Moon Munyuen village is located in Ampure Kongjiem, Ubolratchatanee province. There are 65 children aged from 2 to 15 years old. In order to help set up a school there, we have trained four teachers from the area in our Montessori courses held in November last year at the Children's Village School. Every 3 months the school sent teachers and assistants to give advice for the new local staff. We believe that teachers and children should come from the same community if we would like to provide the education as a process of strengthening the community.
At the moment, of 65 students, 35 are in kindergarten level and 30 in elementary level. They are siblings of the village folks, whose agrarian livelihood has been destroyed by the construction of large dam (Pak Moon Dam). About 1,000 families have set up their village to live together at the dam site since 1998. To learn about their suffering and background, please visit the homepage of International River Network.
Therefore, Moo Baan Dek -- Foundation for Children helps them in securing educational facilities and manpower. We began from helping with the kindergarten, and after two years the number of students has expanded to cover elementary school. Many of these students have been treated badly by teachers in local public schools, as they belong to the parents who fought against the government. Last year, the government authority (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) has instructed gang men to burn down all properties in the village, including the school buildings. Therefore, we are badly in need for funding for reconstructing the buildings.
Daily schedule for kindergarten students
8.30 preparation, yoga, prayers
9.00 games, singing
9.30 manipulation of Montessori material
11.30 storytelling, group activities
12.00 lunch
13.00 meditation
13.10 free time/ bedtime
Daily schedule for elementary school students
8.30 preparation, yoga, meditation
9.00-12.00 class (voluntary)
12.00 lunch
13.00 Community study / practice recording, observing
16.00 school end
6. Baan Saan Fun (Education for Peace): 20 poor and tribal children
Objectives
· To be center for the promotion of education among poor hill tribal
children in remote areas.
· To instill love in their local cultures and traditions so that they
do not move out.
· To install peacefulness among youth, and so that they are willing
to help contribute to local environmental conservation.
· To impart academic education and skill training among poor children.
Target groups: 20 poor children aged from 7-12 years in adjacent neighborhoods of different tribes including Karen, Mong, Leesor and Moosur in seven provinces including Chiangmai, Chiangrai, Prae, Nan, Payao, Lampoon, and Lampang in the academic year of 2001 (starts in June).
Activities
· Provide sufficient basic necessities.
· Support children through their elementary and secondary education
at Ngew Thao School, two kilometers from the project office.
· Provide supplementary education on vacations and holidays including
sustainable agriculture, skill training, and arts.
· Provide supplementary education on traditional subjects on vacations
and holidays including local culture and wisdom, environmental conservation,
and traditional music.
7. Baan Soblarn Day-care Center and Kindergarten: 35 tribal children
A community of poor Karen in a very remote place with difficult access to schools. We plan to make possible a day-care center and kindergarten.
Baan Soblarn is a small community of 15 households, and located in Samerng
district, Chiangmai. Local leaderships share the concern that their children
have been educated in modern public schools and began to loose their self-respect
in their local cultures and traditions. Some dare not speak their own dialect
anymore. Also, many children in the village do not have access to public education,
as the school is too far away. Therefore, a need is felt for creating a community
education center with the aim to concoct educational curriculum, which suits
local needs of the parents and the students. In 2000, a group of village folks
have traveled extensively to survey the threads of culture, traditions and
needs of the Karen tribes, who live along the Thai-Burmese border from North
to South for nearly 400 kilometer stretch. They have come up with a curriculum
based on the rich diversity of culture of the Karen tribes.
8. Rasisalai Community: 40 poor children
Assistance shall be given to the needy children belonging to the families which have been affected by the construction of the Rasisalkai Dam in Sri Saket. A small day-care center will be set up.
9. The Spirit in Education Movement (SEM)
SEM was founded by 1995 Right Livelihood Award recipient, Sulak Sivaraksa, as an alternative to mainstream education. It provides the general public with courses on Buddhism and mediation, community building, deep ecology, green politics, etc. Thus, for higher education, Moo Baan Dek cooperates with Spirit in Education Movement (SEM) to provide an undergraduate education which helps the learners to love nature, the environment, oneself and others, and to contribute to society in which they live. This kind of education is aimed at helping children as well as staff to live their lives more meaningfully and to instill confidence to withstand consumerism.
10. Lang Muang Community: 130 poor and tribal children
The community houses two ancient ethnic groups namely Karen and Black Moosur in three villages. The population is 386 with 69 households, and 130 children and youth. They have been relocated from their habitats in the forest, after the Royal Forestry Department had expanded the territory of the Forest National Park. This happened despite the fact that they had been living in the area since ancient time. At present, they live near the urban area, but without access to health and educational services.
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