Tsunami Scholarship Program

The Cause

Rotary Club of Patong Beach’s scholarship program has been running strong since its inception in 2005.  The infamous Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 greatly affected many families in the Andaman region and left them with hardship and despair.
After urgent needs such as dwellings, fishing boats, foods and clothings were met, our club was able to set up a long term scholarship fund to support worthy students to keep them in school.

History

 
Since the program started in 2005, many hundreds of children in this region benefited from this program. 
The scholarships provide financial assistance for uniforms and other school requirements.  It is not only for the children of Phuket, but also for the children in coastal areas of Phang Nga and Ranong.  The program is constantly monitored to ensure whether the child still needs assistance as family circumstances change.

The Program

At the beginning of new school year in mid-May, our club has a duty of checking in with the schools and sometimes a road trip is organized to visit them.  Students in primary school receive 6,000 THB while those in secondary receive 8,000 THB.  And our program commits to support the students every year until they graduate from secondary school.  We also had a small number of one-time, university level scholarships given to deserving students over the years.  
PP Larry Amsden had shepherded the scholarship program for many years on our club's behalf until his passing in 2018.  His selfless contribution had touched many lives.  At one time PP Larry managed up to 177 students in a single year. 
 
Through the years, other Rotarians had taken a turn to oversee the scholarship program.  Currently, PP Best Wanamakok has the honor to administer the program.
The scholarship fund started at approximately 8 Million Thai Baht in 2005.  Over the years, thanks to our Fundraiser Chair, PP OB Wetzell, and several donations from visiting Rotarians more fund was raised to add to the kitty.   As of 2021, there is about 2.5 MB remain in the scholarship fund.  The number of students the club is committed to supporting decreases every year due to graduation and family circumstances change.  The club is looking into improving the program by involving members to personally identify and hand out the fund to needy students.
 
Thanks to PP Best and all former chairs of this fantastic program for their work.

You can Support a Child

If you like to make a donation towards our scholarship program, please click the donation button below. We appreciate every donation, and we would like to run that fantastic program for many more years with your generous help. 
 
 
Thank you very much.
If you are interested to get more information about this project please contact us
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