ATW News

Update - July 4, 2009

We are so happy to announce that 11 of the students supported by ATW have graduated high school and decided to pursue futher education. This is our dream, that these kids will not be held back due to poverty and the lasting effects from 2004, but will instead continue their education. We hope to see these kids graduate from college, obtain good jos, and then be able to help their families and community to prosper. To this aim, ATW has created a "scholarship fund" - especially as we've noticed a change towards more kids needing this kind of support.

At the same time we have heard about 15 other kids needing our support - fortunately we've been able to quickly find sponsors for them.

 

Update - May 23, 2009

Yesterday a team from ATW went to the R35 school in Khao Lak to meet with many of the students and some of their teachers.

At the meeting we talked about their needs, and also we were updated on changes. Some of the ATW students have graduated and have applied to universities, while a few have not returned for the start of the school year. We also met four new kids that need our support. One of them is Poy, who is 7 years old and lives with her grandmother.

We also learned that there is a real need to support ATW kids when they head off to post-secondary schools, though kids still need support with day-to-day expenses. For this reason ATW is re-thinking how sponsorship funds are used in the future, and we'll let everyone know soon. Our Annual General Meeting is approaching (June 7), so full details will be in the AGM's report (...more).

Update - May 3, 2009

This week "R" is recovering from her surgery. Her hand is not growing normally and each year she requires corrective surgery. R has been sponsored for 4 years now and was one of the first kids we identified as needing support. She was orphaned by the tsunami of 2004.

 

April 2009

SPECIAL RECOGNITION & THANKS: The grade 3 students at ISB, through their read-a-thon, raised over 300,000 baht towards supporting the students in Khao Lak.

You've probably heard about the recent events in Bangkok. Though the continuing political turmoil is unsettling, at this time it does not affect After The Wave and our ability to support the kids in Khao Lak. The demonstrations are localized to very specific areas in Bangkok; outside of this life continues as normal for Thailand.

Though schools are now closed for their summer break, After The Wave has been quite busy. We've added 5 new students to our list of kids needing support. They range in ages from 10 – 14. Their stories are similar to the other kids we support. They may have lost one, or both, parents. Alternatively, their parents may be unable to provide for them; often due to the economic downturn that has followed the tsunami (and is compounded today with this global economic recession).

Some teachers, students, and the principal of the R35 School in Khao Lak visited us last month in Bangkok. They expressed to us their concerns about the future,
especially as more of the older kids we support approach college age and will need help with tuition, etc. They also told us they expect to see changes when the school re-opens at the end of May. Sometimes students we support may not show up for school when it re-opens. This could be because they have moved out of the area. At the same time, new students move in to the area. For these reasons, we are holding off on contacting sponsorships that will be up for renewal in the near future. When we have a better idea of the needs we will contact sponsors with an update.

March 2009

This month the schools in Thailand close for their "summer" break. The R35 school, where most of the After The Wave kids are, will re-open in May. For those kids who are orphaned, they will stay at the school during this time, while the other children we support will be with their caregivers.

One of our students, "R", will be coming to Bangkok soon for her annual surgery. “R” has a deformity in her hand that requires corrective surgery, and since she’s still growing this has to happen once a year. After The Wave will use the “Special Projects Fund” to pay for her surgery, and the expenses of bringing her to Bangkok.

We’ve also added 4 new students to our support list. They range in age from 11 – 19. We’re noticing a trend in that more-and-more of the older students need support, especially as they begin to worry about university.

Meanwhile at ISB the grade 3 students are just completing a read-a-thon to
support students at the R35 school. Next month we hope to have some photos and stories from this event.

ATW News - January 2009

ISB’s 3rd Annual Friendship Weekend. This month we visited the R35 school with some of the students from ISB (more).

Kanda: Also, welcome to our newest student. Kanda Khratalae is in grade 12. She comes from a very poor family, and her background is that of the Morgan Peoples (sea gypsies) – http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/06/morgan_en.htm.

We were able to match Kanda with one of our sponsors. This is a fantastic opportunity for her as it will guarantee that she will have the funds to continue her education after she graduates this April.

Website Changes: A presentation has been added to the website, and gradually we’re adding the students’ photos. If you know the name of the student you are sponsoring, we’ll have their photo posted soon. Also, we’ll be adding a few details about each kid (such as their birthday). This all takes time, so check back on the website periodically for changes. The photos can be found under the “gallery” link.

Funding: We’re also working on plans to fund raise. Our “special projects” fund is almost depleted. Two ideas we have at the moment are (1) an annual golf tournament fund-raiser, and (2) a FaceBook campaign – (for which we will need corporate sponsorship – if you know a corporation looking to give something back, please tell us!).

Dec. 15/08 - Urgent Call for Donations! One of our sponsored students, Apident, underwent surgery last week in Bangkok. After the Wave took care of the expenses (almost 200,000 baht) and happily Apident will be fine and has written a "thank you" card in appreciation. This has depleted our"special projects" fund quite rapidly. Thus, we're asking our sponsors to spread the word and to see what they can do about finding people to donate to ATW. Please spread the word and do all you can to help us cover these medical expenses.

Nov. 17/08
Last month the R35 School was closed for their end of term holidays, however since some of the students actually live at the school, we were able to pay a short visit. In particular, we took one of the students (Apident) to Phuket where he met with a doctor. On November 28th, Apident will undergo a surgical procedure to correct a birth abnormality. This surgery will significantly improve the quality of his life as well as lessening his current risk level for cancer. (more)

 

(news archives...)