The Ripple Effect

Each year schools and their communities approach The Ripple Effect with ideas for projects that need funding. We work with them on an application process that includes meetings and discussions and the completion of a project outline.

The Ripple Effect have identified the following projects as initiatives for which we will raise funds in 2008:

Computers:

Computers are an urgent need for schools in rural Thailand. More and more jobs are requiring computer skills which poor rural schools cannot provide. Children at these schools are at an enormous disadvantage as they finish school with little or no computer skills.

Approx $500 per computer (or any donation)

Year 12 Scholarships

Very few students make it to year 12 at Suksasongkroh orphanage. Most students drop out to take up farming positions or to look after other family members. For those that do finish school, university is often far out of reach. It is expensive and there are very few opportunities for scholarships.

$500 Per Student Scholarship

Thai/English Dictionary’s:

The 2008 team were fortunate to raise enough money to buy 200 teddies bears for the primary school age students at Suksasongkroh school and orphanage. We are now hoping to be able to do something similar for the high school age students. After much discussion with the school it was decided that providing each student with an English/Thai dictionary would be the best option. There are only a handful of dictionaries in the school library; this is not sufficient for all 500 high school students. The dictionaries are a resource students can keep for the rest of their lives.

$7 per Dictionary

Box of Books:

All the schools that The Ripple Effect works with have very poor library resources. $250 is enough to equip a library with a significant amount of good quality reference and reading books (English and Thai).

$250 Per Box

Baan Kwang Knoi School: Security Wall and Door for hygiene area.

The hygiene area is for kindergarten children to wash themselves, an important resource in an area where disease is spread easily. Children who don’t have access to washing facilities at home can wash at school. However the area has no door or security and during weekends and holidays the area is often vandalized. The project is to provide a metal bar and door so that the area is enclosed and can be locked.

16,700 Baht
Approx. $650

Baan Kwang Knoi School: Hygiene Area for brushing teeth

The school would like to provide an area with taps and sinks for students to be able to brush their teeth after meals. Students often lank proper direction in dental hygiene nor do they have access to dentists. Therefore it is important that the school teach students how to care for themselves (there are enormous dental issues among Thai children).
20,820 Baht
Approx. $800

Baan Kwang Knoi: Window Security

There is no glass or bars in the windows of this school library. This means that the library is often broken into and items are stolen. The school would like to obtain funding to be able to put metal bars on the windows so that people cannot climb through

12,750 Baht
Approx. $490

Baan Kwang Knoi: Water Tower

This school does not have enough clean water for students to drink and wash with. They would like to have a water tower placed in the school.

48,021 Baht
Approx. $1,623.65

Kok Glang: Cultural Centre

Kok Glang School is passionate about educating their students about the farming and cultural traditions of their area. They would like to provide a cultural centre for students and the wider community which will display many of the local trades, tools and cultural icons.

35,000 Baht
Approx. $1346

Baan Nong Boat: Teaching Equipment

The teaching equipment includes books and cd’s to help increase students learning of reading and writing.

10,000 Baht
Approx. $346.74

Baan Nong Boat: Water Pump

This school needs a water pump for getting clean water. A school of over 600 students needs to access clean water. They will use this water for vegetable gardens, brushing teeth, drinking etc.

10,000 Baht
Approx. $338.10

Other Project Needs for The Ripple Effect

All money donated to The Ripple Effect goes directly to the students in rural Thailand (unless otherwise stated). This means that volunteers within The Ripple Effect (many of whom are University students) pay for other expenses themselves. These include:

• Administration: administration costs include brochures and flyers, printing of pictures, film for cameras, stationary and equipment and much more. For the first year ever, The Ripple Effect is asking for donations to admin costs to assist with this burden.
• Flights: volunteers who travel overseas to view the projects need to pay their own costs over there, including their flights. This can limit the participation in the overseas part of the project for some volunteers and therefore we like to ask for any donation that can go toward reducing the cost of volunteer flights.