Phuket Community Foundation

The Phuket Community Foundation held its sixth session of back light bulb replacements for motorcycles last weekend (September 4 and 5) in the car park at Super Cheap in Phuket Town. 

The session was opened by Phuket Vice-Governor Teerayut Iemtrakul and Pol Col Chanucharn Cholsuwat, Superintendent of Administrative Affairs of Phuket Provincial Police. Over the two days (the replacement sessions ran from 4 to 8pm each day) 124 bulbs were replaced. 

The PCF is, as always, grateful to the Kusoldharm Foundation volunteers from By Pass Road and Patong Rescue Units for traffic control and “catching” defective bikes; to the students of the Phuket Technical College who gave up their time to replace the bulbs, to Honda dealers Siriyanyon Phuket who donated B2,000 to buy bulbs and Phuket Numsaeng who gave 100 bulbs, and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization who provided the tent to keep everyone dry.

 So far, the PCF has replaced more than 800 defective rear light bulbs on motorcycles in Phuket. The campaign continues. Anyone who wishes to make a donation toward the costs of the program can do so by visiting our Donations Page.

PCF Director Janyaporn Morel (right) and Manager Roongprakai Sang-in check out the bikes.

The PCF offices are crowded at the moment with 12 children’s bicycles donated by Khun Boonlert Charoenrattanapirom of the Niyom Bike Shop in Bangkok.

The bicycles, which cost about B16,200, will be distributed around the PCF’s Toy Libraries on the island. There are currently four Toy Libraries – in Mai Khao, Muang Mai, Wichit and Bangkoo.

The PCF wishes to record its sincere gratitude to Khun Boonlert for his generosity.

Preparations are under way to set up the next one at Baan Para School, close to Mission Hills Golf Club and the Radi medical equipment factory.

The PCF is always very happy to receive donations of toys – new or second-hand in good condition.

For more details see http://www.phuketcharity.org/our-projects/toy-libraries/ To make a donation, contact PCF Director Janyaporn Morel by email to director@phuketcharity.org or by calling +66 (0) 8 1851 2280, +66(0) 8 4442 8004

Provincial Administration Organisation President Paiboon Upatising (left) hands over a "cheque" at the PCF's last grant-making session.

The PCF has issued a call for applications in its 2010 second-half Small Grants Programme. Grants will be made to individuals or groups who wish to help their local communities or Phuket in general. The deadline for applications is September 30.

To apply, download the Guidelines (doc) and the Application Form (pdf).

Please note:

• The PCF will not fund a project in full. We believe that the project organisers should retain “ownership” by finding additional funding themselves.
• The PCF will make grants only for projects that can be completed within 12 months of the grant being made.

However, the PCF will help, where it can, in sourcing additional funding. It will also help to find hands-on volunteers and experts who can give advice or contribute to projects.

For details of the previous Small Grants disbursement, see here.

PCF Director Janyaporn Morel (pink shirt) helps to plant a tree.

The Bangwan Pattana Group, led by Ladda Khawichit – one of the organisations who received grants recently from the PCF’s Small Grant Programme – joined with PCF Director Janyaporn Morel on August 11 to help plant trees on Ket Nee Mountain, Kamala, as part of celebrations to mark HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday, which is also Mother’s Day in Thailand.

The Governor (right) plants a tree.

The activity, organised by the Kamala Tambol Administration Organization was presided over by Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob who planted an Indian Cork Tree and released fish into the reservoir on the mountain.

About 100 volunteers from many agencies in Kamala and relevant government agencies attended this event as a part of the celebration of the Queen’s Birthday, which is on August 12.

The PCF is looking for experts who can help some of our grant recipients improve their techniques or products. We have some ideas on who to contact for help, but if you think you would like to give up some of your time, do let us know. Here’s what’s needed:

Can you improve on this label for coconut oil?

1. Bottling Expertise. The Herbal Drinks Group of Rawai make drinks form local herbs such as lemon grass and pandanus leaf, but they currently put these drinks into cheap plastic bottles which are not attractive, and which may give rise to health concerns about chemicals leaching from the plastic into the drinks. They believe that glass would be better, and would broaden their market, but do not have the expertise to make the switch.

The person or company we are looking for will be an expert in bottling drinks – including sterilising the bottles, the pros and cons of various bottle closures, and possibly setting up systems for bottle returns. If you are this person/company and you want to help, please contact us.

2. Graphic Design. The same group also need professionally designed labels for their drinks, so we are looking for a graphic artist to come up with a label that will be attractive to buyers.

Another group also needs graphic design work. This is the Cold Compressed Coconut Oil Group, also in Rawai. They have a supply of bottles, but the design of the labels could do with improvement.

If you are a graphic designer and would like to help either or both of these groups, please contact us.

3. Ornamental design. The Kala Rawai Group make decorative items and souvenirs from coconut shell. They recognise that their products are not particularly well designed or well made, and are looking for help to make improvements.

If you can help with designs sophisticated enough to be sold through souvenir shops in five-star hotels, for example, and if you can teach these people how to make them, then you are just the person they need. Please contact us.

Time for a photo before the clean-up starts.

Some 150 volunteers dug in with mattocks and grass cutters, and cleaned up a mountain valley and stream that flows from the Nakkerd Hills above Baan Sai Yuan Moo 7 in Rawai.

The aim of the clean-up, on May 30, was to refurbish a small dam and the water course below it in order to “return water resources to the community”. The villagers also plan to promote the valley as an eco-tourism learning site; the local scenery is beautiful and includes sweeping views of Nai Harn and the sea beyond.

The PCF donated B5,000 toward the project as part of its 1^st Small Grant Program.

Many others were involved. Twenty of the volunteers came from the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Base in Ao Makham. Also present were Phuket Provincial Administration Organization President Paiboon Upatising and Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos.

Digging in.

Phuket MP Rewat Areerob donated four cloth banners for the project; Coca-Cola and drinking water were supplied by Hadthip (PBL) Phuket Co; another 200 bottles of drinking water came from the Kusoldharm Foundation; and 60 lunch boxes were donated by PCF board member Chalermkiat Ongcharoen to add to the lunch prepared by Sai Yuan villagers for the volunteers.

By the end of the day a large area of the valley from the small dam downward had been cleaned up. The local community will continue to tidy up the area regularly in order to protect local water resources and to make it a local beauty spot worth visiting.

The PCF is delighted to have been involved in this truly community activity – a fine example of local people’s understanding of the need to protect natural resources, increase environmental awareness and improve the quality of life on Phuket.

The PCF’s first grant-making session is now complete. A total of 28 applications adding up to more than B1.8 million were received, covering needs ranging from the improvement of a local beauty spot to making bread or cloth dolls, or providing foot massage chairs for a community-based massage service.

The PCF’s grants committee, after reviewing all the applications, decided that 11 of them met the criteria set by the Foundation. In most cases, the decision not to give funding at present was because the applicants asked for funding to cover ongoing costs, whereas the criteria for the PCF’s grant program limit grants to projects that must be completed within a year of the grant funds being received.

In addition, projects that did meet the criteria are not being funded in full, on the basis that applicants will retain “ownership” by being required to find additional funding elsewhere.

The PCF will help them identify possible additional sources of funds, and all members of the Phuket community – individuals, groups, local and national government departments, or companies – are invited to look at the individual applications (here) to see how they may contribute. In some cases, contributions may be in the form of expertise or advice, or simply donating one’s time.

For clarification or queries, please contact the PCF Director, Janyaporn Morel by email or by calling +66 (0) 8 1851 2280

The board of the Phuket Community Foundation welcomes two new members, co-opted at its recent meeting. They are Chalermkiat Ongcharoen and Jitrarat Willaert.

Chalermkiat "Ko Chang" Ongcharoen

Chalermkiat, 62, better known as Ko Chang, is a veteran of social and charitable action. For the past eight years he has been President of the Kusoldharm Foundation. In 2004, under his presidency, the foundation was acclaimed as  an “Outstanding Foundation in Southern Region” and “Thailand’s Best Foundation”. The following year he received the “Phuket’s Best Volunteer Award”, and then “Thailand’s Best Volunteer Award”.

He is president of the Phuket Foundation League and the Phuket Social Welfare Fund, and vice-president of Phuket Private Coordination Organization and of the alumni of his old school, Prasartwittaya.

He is also a consultant to the Rachaprachanukroh Foundation, under the patronage of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is on the boards of eight other not-for-profit organisations, helping the disabled and underprivileged; those facing difficulties after disasters; and providing coffins and transport home for the dead.

The PCF is delighted to have the benefit of his huge experience and wisdom.

Jitrarat "Tik" Willaert.

The other new board member, Jitrarat “Tik” Willaert, 36, currently works in the property industry but has always spent part of her spare time on charitable work. She gave invaluable help in the running of the PCF’s Race Day last November.

She also worked for two years for the Grandparents Group of Petchaburi, whose aim was to raise environmental awareness in the community, especially among young people. During this time she organised a variety of fund-raising activities, including designing and running projects with an eye on attracting sponsorship from international grant-makers, and promoted the various projects to the Thai and international press.

The PCF board looks forward very much to her input on exciting fund-raising events.

The PCF  also welcomes Jeerasak Thortip, 47, as an adviser to the board. Last November, Jeerasak was named “Outstanding Citizen” in Phuket for his work over thye past 10 years on preserving the traditional way of life in Bang Rong, a rubber tapping and fishing community on the east coast of Phuket.

In 2002 he led like-minded community members in establishing the Bang Rong Agrotourism project, the most prominent element being the Bang Rong Community Kitchen, a floating restaurant next to the quay from which many tourists take boats out to the islands.

Thirteen years ago he also helped to establish a local community savings fund which now has some 700 member and assets of B30 million.

With  Jeerasak’s help, the PCF hopes to reach much further and deeper into local communities on the island.

Teacher Donna Stephens with three of the children who explained about their class's toy donation.

The primary schoolchildren at British International School, who recently visited the PCF’s new toy library at nearby Baan Bangkhu School – and contributed some of their own toys – this morning handed over a load more.

PCF president Ajarn Pranee Sakulpipatana, along with two board members and director Janyaporn “Yo” Morel, were entertained to a song before some of the children handed over the toys, along with thank-you messages and a photo display of the recent visit, to a teacher from Baan Bangkhu and one of her students.

Piled high: Bags and boxes of toys donated by the BIS kids.

The school also donated a large box of children’s videos and a video player.

This is the second time that children from BIS have handed over a big lump of toys for the PCF’s toy library programme. BIG thank you, kids!!

Anyone may contribute toys to the programme. They can be left at the PCF office (see contact page for details) or at the Phuket International Hospital.

The PCF is also looking for sponsors to help with funding to cover the making of shelves and boxes in the toy libraries, or for painting the walls. If you would like to sponsor something like this, please contact K. Yo by email or by calling her mobile (08 1851 2280) or the office (076 224 317).

The PCF's new office.

The PCF has now moved into a small office space in Satun Rd in Phuket Town, with enough room  for desks for Director Janyaporn Morel and Manager Roongprakai Sang-In.

The office, close to the Phuket Pavilion Hotel, is rented from the Phuket Peranakan Association, which also allows the PCF use of its conference room on the top floor.

The phone and fax number for the office is +66 (0) 76 224 317. Email addresses remain unchanged.

For directions on how to reach the new office, please see our Contacts page.