UNESCO joins the “Power of Thai” Campaign to rehabilitate Thailand’s education sector after the worst flood in decades

Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, (first left in a middle row) takes photos with ‘The Power of Thai’ alliance. (©UNESCO/D.Schlenker)

CEOs of Thai private organizations takes photos with leading Thai singers from GMM Grammy. (©UNESCO/D.Schlenker)

Students from flooded affected schools performs Thai traditional performance ‘Likay’ to thank the ‘Power of Thai’ alliance. (©UNESCO/D.Schlenker)

Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education gives interview to Thai local media. (©UNESCO/D.Schlenker)

UNESCO Bangkok connects with Thai private sectors to provide technical support for school rehabilitation and strengthen the education sector’s preparedness for and response to disaster.

The objective is to provide people with the knowledge and skills to better prepare for and respond to disasters, thereby saving lives and protecting development gains such as investments made in the education sector.

Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok said: “Education is critical for the country’s ongoing prosperity and development, and the swift resumption of quality education services should indeed be a top priority.

“As education being one of UNESCO’s core mandates, we are pleased to learn about the Power of Thai Campaign – an excellent local initiative that places education as a priority in Thailand’s recovery and we stand ready to support the Campaign, particularly in its efforts to rehabilitate the country’s education sector,” said Mr. Kim.
 The worst floods in decades hit Thailand in July 2011 and continued to elevate and spread across much of the country. An estimated 562 people have been reported killed and more than 100,000 displaced, and critical national and international supply chains were severed. Immediate economic impacts included the closure of thousands of businesses, and the swamping of several major industrial estates. 

The disaster has also had a particularly severe impact upon the education sector, with 3,000 education institutions and 250 community learning centres being affected by closures and delays. Physical damage estimates for the sector exceed 300 million USD. In those places, books and stationeries are soiled, and furniture damaged; learning rooms are in disarray, covered in mud and waste. Repairing these damaged institutes and centres is one of the highest priorities of the Thai Government, in particular those in the rural and remote areas which were more severely affected by the floods and will face greater difficulties towards recovery. 

“Aids from a public sector may take time and long process so we, as a private sector, need to help. The faster we solve the problem, the better,” said Suphachai Chearavanont, Chief Executive Officer and President of True Corporation Public Company Limited, ally of the “Power of Thai” Campaign.
  
 Recently, 35 renowned private companies in Thailand, and UNESCO Bangkok as international organization, announced their cooperation to bring back smiles to Thai people through the “Power of Thai” Campaign in response to the flood situation. The objective of the Campaign is to raise funds for the rehabilitation of Education sector of the country. UNESCO is so far the first UN agency to join the campaign.
 “Education is a ground of the country. Aid to education can be limited if each of us help them separately. With this campaign, we can bring together funds, labours and knowledge. And this can reduce overlapping work,” said Nusara Assakul Banyatpiyaphod, Managing Director of Ocean Life Insurance Company Limited, ally of the “Power of Thai” Campaign.

Fund-raising activities include “Power of Thai” wrist bands in Thai National Flag’s colours at 100 Baht and “Power of Thai” T-shirts at 199 Baht for sales starting from 15 December 2011 without cost deduction in order to be the initial funds for operation of the Campaign.

Each organization will also conduct activities or produce goods for sales under the symbol of “Power of Thai” and all or part of the incomes will go to the Fund. Other activities such as the “Power of Thai” Concert which will be held from 17 to 18 December, 10.00-22.00 at Central World Court and a special football match “Power of Thai Flood Relief” between Everton Team and Norwich City. The football players will wear Power of Thai’s shirts and wristbands at Finch Form, Everton’s Stadium, United Kingdom on 17 December 2011.

Besides the fund-raising for flood relief, the allied organizations will share experience and synergies from their corporate activities for flood victims. 

The Campaign started on 15 November 2011 and aims to have a summary of the Campaign’s fund-raising ready by 30 June 2012. The main objective of the Campaign is to rehabilitate the education sector. Since 15 November 2011, the working groups have been divided to survey schools affected by floods in various provinces, bringing back the information to initiate the steps of rehabilitation and to process aid to these schools to re-open and get back to normal schooling.

Past activities included the rehabilitation of Wat Dhammikarama School, Amphor Banmee, Lopburi Province which was affected by flood earlier. A team of volunteers painted walls and classrooms, repaired buildings, cleaned, provided learning and teaching materials including sports equipment. This activity aims at 84 schools with promising 1-3 schools per week.

By Rojana Manowalailao, UNESCO Bangkok