Glazing and window frames

The multi-purpose room had windows with wooden frames. Despite regular maintenance they were not in good working order due to the hot and humid climate here in Thailand. Some windows did not close properly and when opened they risked falling apart.
Thanks to a generous donation we have been able to replace the windows and frames in December 2024. Now they are made from low-maintenance material so we don’t have to worry about them and they are easy to open and close. A wonderful result.

Chairs for the homework rooms

Being able to sit well while doing your homework is important. Because the chairs are used all the time the old seats were frayed and we had to fix the frames more than once. This got to a point where we could no longer do this, and they became an eyesore.

We were able to buy new chairs for all three family houses and we would like to thank our sponsors very much. The girls are very happy with the new chairs.

Wardrobes

The girls’ wardrobes had turned very ugly. The veneered closets were damaged, shelves and doors were broken, and they had become very unstable. Due to generous donations all the girls now have their own wardrobes for storing their clothes and personal things. We hope they will be able to use the new wardrobes for many years to come.

Many thanks to our sponsors.

Computers for homework

Doing homework may not be the children’s favourite activity, but it has to be done. A lot of homework, especially tasks from high school and college, needs to be done on a computer. The computers we had needed to be replaced which is a major expense. Therefore we wanted to switch to another system, Chromebooks. These are not only less expensive but also easier in maintenance. This is quite new for Baan Phak Phing, but our IT specialist has used them before on a large scale and so we are confident that this is a good solution.

We are grateful to have received enough funding to buy Chromebooks. They have been supplied, prepared for service and put in place. The girls now daily use them for their training and sometimes for leisure.

A new car

Baan Phak Phing is located quite a distance out of town and public transport here is not as good as it is in The Netherlands. Therefore, we drive the girls to school every day ourselves. Each of the family homes has its own car, in which up to 12-14 persons can be transported. Besides driving the girls to school by car, we also need the cars to do groceries, to do family visits (and the families usually live far away or in the mountains), and for outings. So, the cars need to be safe, strong, and in good condition. One of our three cars was 20 years old and well past its due date. It didn’t have enough power to go up a mountain anymore, and we needed to take it to the garage regularly to be repaired. It also no longer met the government requirements. If possible, we wanted to replace this car by a new one and just recently we were able to do just that due to a generous donation. On 2 April 2024 the car, a van suitable for 16 people, was delivered. We hope to use it safely and for a long time to come.

Curtains in the bedrooms

It is nice to sleep with the curtains closed, it gives everybody in Baan Phak Phing a feeling of privacy and security. However, the curtains were old, faded and torn. We are so happy that we have been able to buy new curtains and curtain rails recently for all the bedrooms. Now the girls and staff can have a good night’s sleep with the curtains closed.