2.2003 - Samuel

14
Rat Puttaw between his
family members - the
new school uniform in
his luggage
Thailand beyond the Tourist Ro
Ivonne Schönberger and Kim, a boy
supported by the Foundation, at his home
Icould already see the rice fields from the plane, all in different
shades of green, and all combining to form a giant
mosaic. And then Chiang Mai. At first sight, the city seemed
very lively and colourful, with its rush-hour traffic an endless
stream of mopeds and three-wheeled "tuk-tuks" rattling past
countless advertising hoardings. So far there was little sign of the
20% of the Thai population who live below the poverty line.
After a drive of two-and-a-half hours that brought me 150
km further south-east, I had left modern city living far behind
me. The Samuel Foundation office is situated in the kind of village
that I have known only in documentaries on rice farming,
with mud roads, dogs and chickens running around, gaunt
oxen pulling wooden carts, and wooden huts built on stilts.
The landscape is characterised by banana plantations and
lush jungle vegetation surrounded by rice fields.
The Samuel Foundation office is made of wood too, and
currently cares for 70 children. The Foundation's basic assistance
consists of providing and organising school meals and
uniforms, transport costs to and from school, and looking
Former Student of the Foundation did a practical
I became familiar with the work of the Samuel Foundation when
I spent two years in the Foundation’s office in Düsseldorf, while
training to become an office communications clerk. Then, in the
middle of August, I was given the opportunity of experiencing the
Foundation's work first-hand by doing a month's practical training
in Thailand …
after the pupils in their day-to-day school life. Even though
education in the public school system is free, the children's
parents must pay for school clothing, food and teaching materials.
Unfortunately, there are still many families who cannot
afford these even basic necessities. The opportunity to give
the children a better school education is often lost for want of a
few extra baht for school meals. In remote rural areas, the school
may also be simply too far away for the children to reach.
As if these problems weren't enough, great importance is
also placed on the pupils' tidy appearance. Almost all boys
have their hair cut short to just a few millimetres in length. Girls,
if they wear their hair long, must have it tidily arranged in
plaits. School uniform is compulsory right up until the schoolleaving
examination. And just to make things even more difficult
for poor families, the children must have four different
uniforms: a traditional one (white blouse, dark skirt), a
"scout" uniform, sports gear and a work uniform (blue smock)
- the last of these for Fridays, when the school yard is swept
clean. All quite exasperating in a country where many people
don't even know where to find the money for their next meal.