Adopt-a-School Dedications

Instead of gifts last Christmas, I teamed up with friends and donated money to AMCHAM's Adopt-a-School program. The money we donated supplied books, shelves, furniture and a/v equipment for two needy schools in Lop Buri, a few hours outside of Bangkok.

Friday we drove to the schools to see the finished projects and have the dedication ceremonies. What a fantastic day!

At the first school, which is also an Army training center (yes, it was a little strange to pull into the school and see men in uniforms with guns and tanks) we were greeted by the children and then shown the library. There was no formal dedication ceremony, so we spoke to the children for a few minutes, then Molly and I read to them from some of the English-language books we donated. After, we got to hear some of the children perform on the drums and percussion, and we had a great time showing off our dancing skills.

Overall, the first school was in great shape, except that it has no access to running water. They bring in their water everyday from the nearby village. What a difference.

The second school was much smaller, and in much greater need (although it does have running water). We were greeted by the children and shown the library, where they had put together a powerpoint presentation using the new A/V equipment we donated. One brave 10 year old read through the presentation- I don't think she took a breath as she read through all twenty or so pages of the presentation! It was all in Thai, but the Thai-speakers among us sort of translated along as she described the school and it's activities. We had lunch at this school and took a tour. This school is set on a few rai of land and has room to grow their own vegetables. They mentioned that they grow morning glory- which is one of my personal favorites (it's a leafy green vegetable that I can't really describe, other than to say that it's delicious when stir-fried with garlic in oyster sauce!).

We had prepared "goodie bags" for the students at both schools- pencil bags filled with colored pencils, pens, erasers, etc. We also brought along bags of chips and snacks. At both schools we gave the children the gifts. Every once in a while, a brave one would yell out a "thank you" in English, which would make us smile.

It's amazing to realize what a tremendous difference a relatively small amount of money can make in the lives of others. This is definitely not the last time I will make a donation. In fact, we're already discussing projects needed at both schools that we can contribute towards.