OUR PROGRAMS
THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
enables needy families to send their children to school. This scholarship typically covers the costs of tuition, school fees, uniforms, and books.
What We Have Achieved: We are currently helping 400 children in this program. 210 of these children are in primary school, while the other 190 are attending high school. Unfortunately, we have an additional 62 children waiting to benefit from this program, but are unable to help them at this time due to budgetary constraints.
Future Plans: We would like to increase the number of children in the program to include all of the children who are currently on the waiting list. At the same time, we would like to guarantee support for our college and university students.
THE BAAN RAO PROGRAM
The Baan Rao Program finances the construction of new houses for families who are homeless or extremely poor. To achieve this goal, and to be able to follow the progress of these families, the MOO BAAN (the “village in the village”) has been created.
What We Have Achieved: We have built 5 brick houses in the MOO BAAN, and 12 more houses for very poor and needy families in various villages in the area.
Future Plans: We would like to satisfy the requests of all the other families who have asked us for a new brick home (at present 5).
THE CARE PROGRAM
The Care Program assists sick children, adults, and the elderly who have been left to care for themselves. The program intends to provide medical care and food supplements to needy individuals and families.
What We Have Achieved: There are 54 beneficiaries of the CARE program.
Future Plans: We hope to continue, and if possible, increase the program which is extremely helpful for some of the poorest and most needy families.
THE INCOME GENERATING PROGRAM
The Income Generating Program aims to provide needy families with a small business (e.g. fish farms, home cooking business, or animal rearing). The goal of this program is to make them self-sustaining and to provide some financial stability thanks to the 0% interest loans which we provide. The beneficiaries are repaying the loans according to their abilities in the shortest time possible. The repaid funds will then be available to provide for other families requiring the same kind of assistance.
What We Have Achieved: There are currently 54 beneficiaries in the I.G.P. or the Micro-Lending program.
Future Plans: this program is now frozen due to budgetary constraints.
THE LIAN-MOU COOPERATIVE
The “Liang Mou Co-op” is a pig farm cooperative. We gave 0% loans to 8 families (the co-op members) to buy small piglets (which they are now rearing) and the fodder for the first four months of activity. Once the piglets are ready, they will be sold to larger farms for meat production. Our co-op will not butcher the animals. We added the co-operative to the Micro-Lending Project because we found the whole project economically viable.
THE PEOPLE’S CO-OP BANK (OMSAP SAINAM)
OMSAP SAINAM will combine the meager life savings of the people who join, and so form the co-op which will also provide personal loans at very low and affordable interest rates, thus saving our people from money lenders and loan sharks. The I.G.P. (our Micro-Lending Project) will also become part of the OMSAP SAINAM as a 0% interest business loan.
What we have achieved: So far 331 bank books have been issued.
THE GANDHI AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY (G.A.C.)
The G.A.C. is a gathering of local farmers. Sainam acquired two new tractors that are now used and shared by all its members. This allows them to avoid being forced to rent a tractor from other people who are now making them pay far too high a price for its usage, thus freeing them from the huge debts they incur at the beginning of the agricultural season. The G.A.C. is also helping the farmers who do not have large amounts of land, and therefore have a limited production capacity. Their situation traditionally meant that upon selling their rice they were not paid the wholesale market price, but two Baht/Kg less instead. The G.A.C now buys the rice from the farmers at the wholesale price, and then resells it to the big traders at the same price.
What We Have Achieved: The co-operative has 350 active members. Sainam purchased two tractors and a rice cutting machine for this group during the years.
Sainam also built a new storehouse (Saangk Kaaw) in the village of Ban Naudom which is used to store the rice of the co-operative members. This will allow us to sell the rice later at a better market price.
SAOPANAKIT SAINAM (VILLAGE’S INSURANCE)
This program is a village insurance, which will give our people some support in case of a family members’ death. It works like this, when some SAINAM SAOPANAKIT’s family member dies, all of the insurance members will give this family 100 Thai Baht. This will allow them to have enough money to cover the funeral costs, and have a small kind of lifesaver. At present the insurance has 210 member families.
THE SAO KAE WOMAN’S GROUP
The Sao Kae gathered together a few ladies and had them start to work as a co-operative preparing and sewing clothes and manufacturing school uniforms and t-shirts. Sainam is, in this way, trying to relieve the families of some financial pressure.
What We Have Achieved: We currently have six ladies working daily in Ban Sainam manufacturing t-shirts, school uniforms, and bags. Additionally, Sainam purchased four sewing machines and placed them at Ban Sainam for this program.
THE SAO YAI WOMAN’S GROUP
SOONDEK SAINAM
This project is aimed at protecting small children who are often left unattended by their parents or guardians in their houses or huts. The case of the kidnapping of a young girl that is part our sponsorship program opened our eyes and urged us to try to do something to protect these children.
What We Have Achieved: The project takes care of about 25 small children who are looked after by three housemothers, who are women from our village. The project’s seat is in a building we built in our Moo Baan where we also created a garden/play ground for Soondek’s children and the kids who live in our Moo Baan
Future Plans: We wish to reach financial stability for this project to be able to comply with the increasing request for admission.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
THE BAN NAUDOM SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
The Ban Naudom school has finally been completed. Sainam responded to the Ban Naudom School teachers’ 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 would not finance the reconstruction work, but promised to keep paying its teachers if the village would cover the cost and independently proceed 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.
We agreed to their request. The current building is a very old wooden structure which 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 there – students who in the event of the closure of their school would have to travel long distances in order to continue their studies. For the poorest ones, this may mean completely foregoing an education. Construction of the new school began on February 20, 2008 and was completed in April 2009. The building was officially donated to the Thai Government on April 13, 2552.
BAN KHENNOI: MULTI-PURPOSE HALL
Sainam responded to Ban Khennoi School Director’s appeal to build a multi-purpose hall for the school and the village. The whole village took part in this project, and worked with the Sainam Foundation which provided the funds to buy the construction materials, while the manpower was offered by the local people. The multi-purpose hall was inaugurated on March 16th, 2553 and is named after one of Sainam’s first and greatest friend, the late Italo Zali.
THE RONG SEE KAAW PROJECT
The Rong See Kaaw Project serves as an integral part of our development work for our farmers, in particular the members of the Gandhi Agricultural Community. Upon request from the village people we agreed to rebuild the old Rice Mill, the land for this project was offered to us on one condition: that we would restore it and that it would work for the people.
Such a proposal immediately caught our attention as it came from the people we are helping, and it may significantly improve the daily lives of the local farmers and moreover the mill would also provide more work opportunity in the village.
This project has been made possible thanks to the support and generosity of the Swiss Embassy of Bangkok which sponsored the reconstruction of the Rice Mill. We are truly grateful for their generous support. The Rice Mill was inaugurated on June 1st by the Swiss Ambassador in Thailand, Mrs. Christine Schraner-Brugener.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you would like to be updated on the ongoing progress of Sainam various projects simply subscribe to our electronic newsletter, it is completely free and without any obligation. To subscribe, please contact claudio@sainam.net or claudio.sainam@gmail.net. Also visit our website, www.sainam.net, or YouTube page, http://www.youtube.com/user/SainamFd
Written by: Claudio Romano, President of the Sainam Foundation
Formatted and Edited by: Megan Austin, Volunteer P.R. Editor
Last updated: April 31, 2554
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