Thai Ngo Sends More Indigent Students To Schools Despite Funding Woes

Online, October 30, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Education for Development Foundation Thailand (EDF-Thailand) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year by sending to schools 7,643 indigent students in the school year 2012 (1 November 2011-30 September 2012) despite the huge flooding in Thailand in late 2011 that affected many of its donors and major supporters.

The foundation in 25 years sent to schools 307,436 indigent Thai students from a total donation of US$15.2 million (Baht 472 million) from more than 160,000 donors.

Coinciding with its 25th anniversary, it won the Thailand NGO Awards 2012 in September for large organisation category. It also won the Thailand NGO Awards 2011 for the central region. The events were organised by the Rockefeller Foundation, Kenan Institute Asia and the Resource Alliance.

Mr Sunphet Nilrat, managing director of the Education for Development Foundation (EDF), said: "EDF-Thailand's year-on-year funding eked out a growth of 9.64 percent from US$2.2 million in 2010 to US$2.3 million (Baht 68 - 70 million) in 2011 fiscal year ending in March 2012 despite the flooding in Thailand in late 2011.

"Of the 7,643 students awarded with scholarships, 7,019 were those in lower and upper secondary educations (Mattayom 1-6), 143 were students with disabilities, and 481 were orphaned students who lost their parents from the unrest in 3 southernmost provinces of Thailand."

He explained that the coming in of four new major donors without losing any of the 24 pre-existing major donors helped EDF-Thailand tide over the funding challenges in 2011.

"Winning the Thailand NGO Award 2012 in September is an honour. It is an inspiration for the whole organisation -- from the EDF management and staff, donors, volunteers to the participating schools and students -- to extend their best even further."

Mr Sunphet said the award was aimed at building and enlarging the capacities of NGOs by improving capabilities in generating more funding sources in face of the tightening donation from international and governmental organisations.