SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Currently, we are helping 143 children in this program of which 107 of them in primary schools while the other 36 are attending high school.

In the beginning we were planning to provide the children with scholarships and also with a food supplement. But at present, due to the great number of children, we are not in the position to implement the food program.

The removal of the food assistance portion of the program, allows us to help a larger number of children attend school. Obviously, if and when we are in a better financial situation, we will provide them with additional support too.

INCOME GENERATING PROGRAM:

There are 34 beneficiaries in the I.G.P. which aims to help some poor families and households by lending them money at a 0% interest rate. Here is how these loans have been handed out:

Agriculture, fisheries and animal rearing:                          22 beneficiaries

Home restaurants, food:                                                 4 beneficiaries

Tailoring                                                                        3 beneficiaries

Various other activities and businesses                            5 beneficiaries

CARE PROGRAM:

There are 20 beneficiaries of the CARE program.

Six of them are benefiting from medical assistance while 14 are in the family care program (food and medical).

SAO KAE WOMAN’S GROUP

We currently have 6 ladies working daily in Ban Sainam and manufacturing T-shirts, school uniforms and bags. You can check their products in this web site @ SAINAM’S SHOPPING MALL.

GANDHI AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY

The co-op has 43 active members.

SAINAM recently purchased a tractor and G.A.C.’s members will pay to the co-op 180 Baht (€ 3.75) for every acre ploughed, Previously, they had to pay 300 Baht per acre. The 180 Baht will cover the cost of gasoline, maintenance and the driver’s tip.

Also, during the co-op members last meeting, they decided that the money raised from hiring the tractor will be used to buy a rice cutting machine which ha a price similar to the tractor’s 1.000.000 Baht (€ 20.600).

Obviously this is a very ambitious goal and realistically, at least for the time being, unattainable due to a lack of funding.

And also SAINAM has been offered 3 pieces of land by the local farmers to build the planned (or rather “dreamed”) “Rice Storehouse”.

For the moment though, we are surely unable to accept any gifts, at least until we will be able to keep our promises.

The cost of the construction will be around 300.000 Baht (€ 6.200 )

HOUSING PROGRAM:

Even though we are not focusing on a special housing program, we have helped three families with the construction of new brick houses. Two more are planned during this year. The cost of one brick house is about 2.000 €.

BAN NAUDOM SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

SAINAM responded to Ban Naudom School Teacher’s appeal to save the village school which was facing imminent closure due to the lack of funding necessary to repair the dilapidated wooden building.

The local government was not financing the reconstruction work but promised to keep paying its teachers if the village would have covered the cost and independently proceeded with the repairs.

So, the teachers and village leaders of Ban Naudom mobilized to prevent the closure of their school and came knocking on the door of Sainam to ask for assistance,

For obvious reasons, we agreed to their request, as it is aligned with our organization’s mission to work and be integrated with the local social structure.

The current building is a very old wooden house and it has become a real danger to the small students, the teachers and school staff. This fragile building was originally built in 1943.

Currently there are 94 children attending classes--students who in the event of their school closing, will have to travel long distances in order to continue with their studies. For the poorest ones, this may mean completely foregoing an education. Construction work began on February 20, 2008.