Lots of good news to report this month. First on the financial front, we learned the Swiss Lanna Society has selected our Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDP) to be the next recipient of its annual charitable contribution. Lanna Swiss Society President Eveline Willi has informed us that we will receive an amount probably between 40 and 50,000 Baht on Swiss National Day (August 1st). These Swiss Lanna funds will go to our CWSDP Program in Chiang Mai Municipal Schools. Then, CMIRC member Craig Clark and wife Rtn Ann have informed us that they have raised over US$ 4,000 from Minnesota Rotary Clubs for our CWSDP Program. They will be transferring the money this month and we have dedicated it to extending the Australian Aid-funded CWSDP Program in Phrao. Great start to the New Year! Thank you all!!
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Australian Direct Aid Program GrantAs mentioned in the December Bulletin, CMIRC has received a 361,400 Baht grant from Australian Aid to expand our Children’s Water safety and Drowning Prevention Program.
In January, working with the swim instructional staff at the British International School Phuket (right) and with the administration at the Ban Ya Literacy Centre for Burmese immigrant children, we taught sixty-eight refugee Burmese children survival swimming and water safety. The program was hailed as a success by all involved and plans are already being made for next-year’s program. Many, many thanks to the British International School administration, physical education staff and parent association; their generosity and dedication made this amazing program possible. On February 28 the Australian Counsel General in Phuket will be joining us for a certificate presentation ceremony for all sixty-eight children in the program. The next phase of this Australian Aid-funded program will be in Phrao, where we are working with the Warm Heart Foundation. We have developed a plan to begin our program there in February with one-hundred forty, 4th grade students at the Ban Chaeng Khu Ruang School. We will be sending our training team to work with local swim instructors February 8-10 and the first swim class begins on the 11th.
Petchabun
We continue to seek good, reliable partners in Petchabun to develop a Safe Child Thailand-funded pilot Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program there. Readers of this Bulletin, if you have service-minded contacts in Petchabun, would you please share that information with us?
Petchabun We continue to seek good, reliable partners in Petchabun to develop a Safe Child Thailand-funded pilot Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program there. Readers of this Bulletin, if you have service-minded contacts in Petchabun, would you please share that information with us?
Sakhon Nakhon
Past President Joe Evans and his local contact Khun Golf are planning the expansion of the Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention in Sakhon Nakhon. Plans now show the first classes beginning in June.
Past President Joe Evans and his local contact Khun Golf are planning the expansion of the Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention in Sakhon Nakhon. Plans now show the first classes beginning in June.
Patong Beach
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Larry Amsden Swim Safe Programme, under the leadership of program chair, Johan Storck, will continue the program with the Ban Sai Nam Yen School this year, with approximately one hundred 4th-graders.
Chiang Mai, CMIRC-Sponsored ProgramWe have completed the Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program for Rotary Year 2018-2019 with all eleven municipal schools. We will have a certificate ceremony for all children completing the program in May.
We are already planning for next year’s program, which will be our fourth year. We can now say that every Chiang Mai Municipal School graduate has had the opportunity to learn survival swimming and water safety. Over 90% of the graduates have successfully completed our course. The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club fully funds this program as part of our mission to improve child safety, health and education in Thailand! Thank you to all our donors who make this funding possible.