Project WIN: Grassroots Partnerships for Thailand

  YEAR END SUMMARY: 2021 Page back through these blogsite posts to pre-Covid times. You'll find everything from flood relief to building cafeterias and school libraries to big months-long installations of Project Protein involving entire villages. Those Project Protein days brought dozens of student volunteers from Maejo Agricultural University in Chiang Mai.  Under the leadership of Ajarn Thongin, they'd team with hill tribe villagers to build and establish fish ponds, mushroom hotels, organic vegetable gardens, and poultry operations. They'd involve kids of all ages and their parents, and the local school with these objectives: Permanent improvement in diet, pride in new cross-generational skills, and increased profits from sales of farm products: self-sufficiency and a better life for their kids. As a small grassroots charity, they depended on contributions from a network of friends.  The Project also planned a two-day village celebration for Thai Children's Day, inc

 Thanks to generous donations from friends abroad we could start thinking about a house for another family. Planning starts now.       It's for a family of five:   Sridee, the dad, is 35 and the mom, Jha Fong,  is 32.  Wichit is 9 and the twin girls, Sei-Phon and Sri-Phan are 4.   Our aim with these houses is to encourage entire villages. As they watch a new home go up, they often pitch in, learn practical, inexpensive methods.  Sometimes they are inspired to upgrade their own homes as well.   This is the bedroom, for five people. No light, no fan,  no mosquito netting, no blankets We contacted the superintendent of hill tribe schools in the Mae Daeng District, about three hours due north of Chiang Mai. He and his teachers picked the five families most in need of a house.   We picked a family in Baan Mae Gok, in part because of the isolation of the village and the problems of getting materials to the site.  We hope to show the villagers what's possible even with challenges and

Project WIN has a tradition of observing National Children's Day. It's been a Thai holiday since 1955, with proclamations, celebrations, and events throughout the Kingdom. In the year of pandemic it's even more important, but has to be different.   In normal years, the Project picks a hill tribe village and creates a memorable two-day affair for the kids. There's a day of hands-on education with learning-by-doing live stations, staffed by volunteers from the agricultural university and other teachers.   The next day it's games for the kids,  live entertainment, and gifts of school supplies and food. Scroll to earlier years for lots of photos from those big events. This year, due to Covid restrictions, we had to downsize dramatically.  On February 25 we went to the village of Mae Kong Sai in Chiang Dao, where there are 20 children in school.  It's an area almost inaccessible during certain seasons and quite remote, but quite beautiful, with a river running throug

Aj.Thongin Nuntarat, M.A.  Coordinator, Project WIN    For ten years Project WIN has taught modern sustainable farming methods and installed demonstration projects in Hill Tribe villages throughout Northern Thailand. www.project-vin.blogspot.com .    We’ve maintained focus on educating village children in a family setting and always collaborated with local teachers.   Along the way, with separately raised funding, we’ve also tackled short-term projects like the House for Withun in 2020.   www. https://project-vin.blogspot.com/2020/06/house-for-withun-update-june-28.html   The House for Withun is in Huai Phong Village, Amphur Chiang Dao, about 90 minutes from Chiang Mai.   Two hundred families live in the village, including 50 school children. Almost of the families subsist with small farms.   While we were building the house, we realized we also built real trust in the region, and may finally be able to do something about the families’ reliance on toxic pesticides and herbicides.   Red

Here's where it started.  The home Withun shared with his grandparents. UPDATE JULY 6, 2020 Covid-19 set us back a couple of months, but we kept building when we could get volunteers and materials to the site.  Now, thanks to the great generosity of friends, it's done!  A couple of days ago Withun's grandparents "bought" the house from the builders, in keeping with Thai custom.  They eagerly  handed over 500 baht (15 dollars US) as the full purchase price, and moved in.  From that moment they are the owners of a brand new home with electricity, fresh water supply, indoor plumbing, a beautiful tile floor, a private bedroom and separate building for a traditional kitchen.  Donors have also provided a complete set of household furnishings and supplies. There will also be a small, walled vegetable garden and a pond to raise fish for eating.  Withun will tend them both under his grandparents supervision, and the family will have a healthy diet.