The Mudita Trust
The Britain-based Mudita Trust is a non-profit, non-sectarian and non-government trust founded on 17 January 1992 by Surapee Mudita Karnasuta. It is a registered charity (charity registration number 102 9665).
The Aim of the Trust
The aim of the trust is to prevent child prostitution in Thailand. The message is simple. Education is the only way for children to make wiser decisions about their future. The aim of the trust can be summarised as below.
- To provide education to underprivileged girls who might otherwise be lured or sold into child prostitution through ignorance.
- To raise money to maintain the schools built by the trust and support other schools and care centres in Thailand.
- To raise funds to support further education/training.
A Brief History
As a child of a wealthy Bangkok businessman in the early forties, Surapee Mudita Karnasuta (Mudita) was shocked at the sight of small girls begging on the city streets. They were the children of prostitutes, young women who had been lured from country villages. These children, she was explained, would probably follow the fate of their mothers.
Mudita vowed to help such children. Forty years later, after a successful career in management for Laura Ashley and as a restaurateur in London and in Newcastle, she formed the Mudita Trust, before settling at Stedham in West Sussex.
You may be interested to know how she came to be in the lovely West Sussex village of Stedham. It is a story of a personal crusade.
The wish which had been closest to her heart was to help prevent child prostitution in her country. So when the chance came to take over the charming country pub, The Hamilton Arms, she saw it as an opportunity to achieve her goal by using it and the attached restaurant, The Nava Thai Restaurant, to generate funds to help these children. (Please browse to "Fundraising" page to learn more about the Trust's fundraising efforts).
Now The Hamilton Arms is the head office of the trust. She and her business partner, Suhail Hussain set aside 10% of the net profits as a contribution to the Mudita Trust for an indefinite period of time.
If you would like to know more about the Trust and its activities please come and talk to Mudita about it. She will be happy to see you at The Hamilton Arms in Stedham. Or if you prefer, write, telephone, fax or email her. All the contact information can be found on the "Contact us" page.
