History of the Foundation

The Early Years: 1999-2000

The Foundation dates its origin to the summer of 1999 when several American women living in Chiangmai, Thailand, learned the Viengping Children's Home desperately needed a vehicle. The Viengping Children's Home was the first orphanage in Thailand to introduce a foster parent program where children live with families while awaiting adoption. The vehicle was needed to periodically visit the 80 children in the foster homes.

To raise funds, a gala garden party and dinner was organized, and with the proceeds a vehicle was purchased for The Viengping Children's Home.

The response was so overwhelming that the organizers decided to make it an annual affair. A second gala was held in 2000 for the purpose of building a weekend school in Ban Maejong. The process of becoming a Thai Foundation was begun. This proved a lengthy procedure as many regulations had to be met.

2001

While working on the Foundation status, we held our third Gala in 2001 to raise money for our second building project. A preschool was to be built built in the mountain community of Sadosa, in the Mae Chaem district. This is a very remote area and the last thirty minutes traveling time is by four-wheel drive and is not accessible at times during the rainy season. The village itself is a seven-generation village of Karen people, originally from Burma. Many of the children have never been off the mountain. A particularly moving day was when our Chairman took his digital camera and computer to the village on one of our inspection trips. He took photographs of some of the kids and put them on his laptop. The kids recognized their friends, but not themselves, as they have never seen photographs of themselves before!

The two-room building was completed. Two teachers, paid for by the Thai government, are now giving the young children in Sadosa early childhood skills training during the day while their mothers work in the fields. They are also being taught the Thai language, as their first language is Karen. They must understand Thai before they can attend the Thai public school halfway down the mountain. FERC held a dedication of the Sadosa pre-school in March 2002. The children entertained the Board and guests and FERC sponsored a meal for the entire village. Board members continue to visit and FERC supplies the school.

Also in 2001 the Foundation's first scholarship program was begun.

2002

With our application for Foundation status granted in June of 2002, the group formed itself with an orthodox Board of Directors. The original Board consisted of four Americans, one Swiss and two Thais. FERC was very fortunate that one of our original group, an outstanding Thai educator and president emeritus of Payap University, Dr. Tapingkae Amnuay, quite eagerly committed to Board status. He is very helpful with Thai officialdom and guiding us in what will be of the most benefit to the furtherance of the education of poor rural Thai children.

While we were building the preschool at Sadosa, we became aware of the living conditions at the Thai school in Mae Chaem where the older kids from many mountain villages in the Sadosa area attend school. Since the villages are some distance from the central school, the kids must sleep at the school during the week. The sheds where they were sleeping were dreadful, and we decided to build a proper dorm to house at least some of the kids. This project was funded by our fourth annual Gala, in November of 2002, and completed in early 2003. Currently, about 50 children are being housed. We particularly like the fact that the students pitched in to help with the building. Kids as young as six board in order to attend school. The dorm has four rooms furnished with sleeping platforms. We have also provided blankets for all the boarding kids – even the ones we cannot accomidate in the completed dorm. We also built three toilettes We hope to do further work at this school where sleeping sheds continue to be used for many children.

2003

In 2003 we expanded the Board to include a larger number of people whom it is anticipated will be of real benefit as FERC grows. Our current distribution by nationality includes three Thais, four Americans, one Swiss, one Malaysian and one Dutch. All Board members serve without compensation and we have no administrative expenses. We are currently in the process of applying for a 501c3 status in the United States. This means that all contributors who file U.S income tax returns can now claim an exemption for contributions to FERC.

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