The Phrao district in the Chiang Mai province of Thailand is located in the so-called “Golden Triangle” comprised of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos where the opium trade has flourished for centuries. In recent years, the drug trafficking has increasingly included methamphetamine. Drug lords in this area frequently conscript innocent farmers to transport these drugs across the border between Myanmar and Thailand. When the Thai army attempts to stop the trafficking via raids, the farmers are usually the ones who are killed and the drug lords escape. These deaths have created hundreds of orphans per year.
The Khun Jae School is located in the village of Khun Jae, in Phrao district, Chiang Mai province. The school has 99 students (aged 5-16), and five teachers. The school needs a building that would serve as both as a school library and community meeting room. The 72 m2 (775 ft2) building would be built on stilts approximately 1.5 meters off the ground. It would have a porch and would be divided into two rooms. The space under the raised floor will be used as storage. The estimated cost for this building is $20,000.
The purpose of this project is to support the educational needs of children in the village of Khun Jae, Thailand. Today, many of these children have three pathways to choose from for their future. They can become involved in the drug trade, in sex trafficking or they can pursue their education. Our hope is that by improving the infrastructure of the school in Khun Jae, we can provide hope to these children for their future. Faith International (FI) is a non-profit organization that has worked with Seattle University’s Engineers for a Sustainable World student chapter to provide support for these children for the past fifteen years with projects ranging from water treatment to dormitory construction. Emerald City Rotary, Lynnwood Rotary and Federal Way Rotary are also supporting on this project.
