The Thai Child Development Foundation (TCDF) was founded in 2004 by Rosalie Tieges. TCDF is registered as a Dutch ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instilling foundation” as well as an official foundation in Thailand that serves underprivileged children in rural communities nationwide.
The TCDF's headquarters and visitor center is located in the south, 15 minutes’ drive into the mountains from Ranong airport. In Phato the TCDF there runs a 16-acre Food Forest Farm that includes a school and an occupational training center for students with special needs. There are three riverside bungalows for sponsors to visit. The mountain village Phato, is located in a unique natural environment with rivers, waterfalls, and jungles, hidden between the Thai coastal towns of Ranong, Chumphon, and Surathani.The project proposal that came from the Rotary Club of Bangkok South (RCBS) included two phases. Phase 1 which would be covered by RCBS was to repair an old garden hut that is used to keep all their garden materials safe. The shed is also the morning meeting point for students and farm volunteers and is also used for learning programs at the school’s food Forest Farm. In addition , the school bus for special needs students is parked in this hut. Currently there is no roof, the poles of the shed are unstable and the old shed roof is weak and resting on the walls only. The TCDF contacted the Rotary club of Bangkok South to help rebuild the shed so that it could be used more productively. The cost of phase one of the project was around 120,000 Thai Baht and was due to be completed by the end of May, however this target overran.
Phase two of the project involved painting the new shed and providing garden tools to enable the children at the school to continue to work on the farm producing goods to sell and use. The cost of phase 2 was 30,000 Thai Baht, of which 25,000 was donated by the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin, with the remaining 5,000 by a donation from Australia through our Inter Country Service Chair Alan Brown.
In the report from the TCDF it states that “the garden hut was built by Rotary Club of Bangkok South, but there was no more budget left for phase 2 which was to buy garden materials and garden tools. We are so grateful that the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin jumped in and donated the tools! Now our students with special needs can continue their learning on their Food Forest Farm, where they can grow the organic crops to increase local sustainability.
