Busy with school opening

This is some update from Baannana before the end of May.
This week all school in Maesai and everywhere in Thailand open already. It is time to go back to school for student everywhere and in Childlife too. Staff who take care of education and preparation for school opening are still busy arranging this event, getting some supported fund from government through school and buying belongings for kids and clearing receipt with the school, checking school uniforms and purchasing if needed and other school kits. They will have more free time to do other thing from now.

Because of many reasons, this year our kids go to many schools namely, Baansankong school for kindergarten and primary students, some of junior high school, from grade 7-9, going to Baansantanon, extending education school, Baan Wiangpan school for some students who we moved them from Baan Pamuad school, Suksasongkroh Maechan school, boarding school for children under the patronage of Princess Sirinthorn for some of junior high school students who passed an interview, Maesaiprasitsart school for 2 girls, one of them studying in Math and Science programme and other studying in English and Math programme, 3 girls studying in Maesai Vocational school in last year of vocational certificate and wiang Pa school in Maesruay district for kids who want to learn more life skills and stay in the school. This is why staff who arrange for school opening are very busy.
Now here in Maesai it started to get into rainy season again and this week some of our children go to school, Sankong school.
Other schools where our children go to will open next week and then they have to go schools. School time comes back again this year.
Whenever rainy season comes, it is quite muddy in the shelter and the entrance to Childlife. This year too is muddy so it is difficult to drive past such rugged road.

Last year, 2010 Childlife was registered as foundation, and this year we are also registered as charity organisation. It is very good to work on the ground and legally from then.

This year we have 3 girls studying in the last year of vocational level and 2 going to the first year of high school in city of Maesai.
Indeed, one girl who left Childlife last year and stayed with her family has finished vocational certificate level of education, i think she is the first one of children from Childlife who finished this level.

In the past, there were many kids of the shelter studying in basic level of education but many of them left school before time or did not want to study in higher level and many of them cannot go because of their basic knowledge and emotion. We just hope that next 3 year there will be some of kids from Childlife going to a university and next 7 year there will be some finishing from university. It is the time that some of the success of Childlife work for supporting education can be seen objectively.

This year is one of our difficult year for financial situation. This month we are not sure we will have enough fund for food and what we need for the shelter. We are waiting for responding from Kindernothilfe, Germany, about the project we sent them to ask for fund. It is approved, it will cover just for running cost like staff salary but it just covers 40 % of budget we prepare. We have to find more for expenses for children and shelter such as food and other things. We hope that you still are interested in helping children in Baannana so that we can send you more details.

Now budget for fresh food in the shelter is 1500 baht a day so around 45000 Baht a month. If including rice, it is 30000 a month, total at least around 75000 baht a month.