Bahn Pak Dang School
Bahn Pak Dang School is in Amphoe Dansai, Loei - 600km from Chiang Mai, over about twenty mountains! The remoteness and the isolation in which these people live are illustrated by the fact that in the village of 200 households there are only two surnames. Bahn Pak Dang village is about two hour’s drive from Loei, straight up a mountain 3000 meters above sea level, needing a four wheel drive car in 1st or 2nd gear all the way!
The needs of the school
When the Trust party arrived at the school they were greeted by an enthusiastic head teacher and all the pupils. From him we learnt that they were short of practically everything: books, note pads, basic sports equipment such as balls and bats etc. The school itself did not have enough classrooms for all the students so they have to be divided into groups and use the classrooms in turn. The classrooms themselves are in need of repair and decoration. Toilets are in very poor condition and unhygienic.
The needs of the children
The food that the children were eating was also very basic with just rice and some vegetables. The diet being deficient in protein and the fact that the villagers have shied away from external contact and lived in isolation, thus having a small gene pool, have adversely affected the development of the children: they are very small. The first step in helping them has to be providing them with food that meet the nutritional requirements of growing children. Then to provide them with equipment for physical exercise to stimulate growth.
What we can do
This was the first time that Mudita Trust had visited the school. Having seen the state of things first hand they undeniably needed a lot of help. We distributed warm clothing and satchels for the children – what we had with us at the time, and five sacks of rice. But we need to raise funds so that we can provide them with basic items such as books and note pads – we really need to build more classrooms, improve sanitation, and provide nutritionally complete meals for the children. The headmaster also asked us to sponsor 7 students for vocational training in Loei. The cost is 3000 baht (about £50) per person per year for six years. That is less than £1 per week per student! You can help by sending donations (click here) or support us by coming to our fundraising events (click here).
