New trustee

joins our team

The SET trustees

have appointed

Canadian Martyn

Bayne to our

management

committee. The

committee is now

made up of five

Thai and four non-Thai members.

Martyn, 65, has been a SET supporter since

2007. After he took early retirement seven

years ago he moved to Thailand and - by

coincidence - to SET’s home city of Nakhon

Sawan, where his Thai wife was born. Before

retiring, he was a consultant engineer.

Martyn said: “I’ve followed SET’s progress for

many years and have always been a great

admirer of its work. In the past few years I’ve

been involved to a small extent in SET’s

activities, sometimes joining scholarship

presentations as a guest, but it’s an honor to

be invited to join the committee. I look

forward to taking a more active role and hope

I can contribute to the foundation’s work”.

Two new trustees for SET-UK – page 15

SET News Keeping you up-to-date with our activities The SET Foundation August 2019

More fun days for orphans

This year we’re giving the children at

Saengsawan Orphanage as many good

times as we can. So far they’ve had a fun-

filled event at the orphanage, as well as a

day out to swim at a local water park. That’s

probably their favorite activity, so we hope

to take them again later in the year.

Moving forward We’re now well into our strategy to make SET more

relevant to Thailand’s modern workforce needs by

awarding more scholarships to vocational students and

fewer to those at university.

At the end of the 2018 academic year we withdrew

completely from one university, but our scholarship

program there has been taken over entirely by another

Thai foundation. This year we are also not offering any

new scholarships at two other universities, though the

remaining scholarships are guaranteed to their natural

end. We’re replacing those two universities with two new

vocational scholarship centers. One was opened in the

second semester of the 2018 academic year and the other

opened in the first semester of this year. Within 18

months, both new centers should be at their full quotas of

100 scholarships each. Scholarship news – page 8

Figures in the magazine are in Thai Baht (Bt). Exchange rates for major currencies are shown on the back page.

2

It’s not good for me, but I don’t have

much choice

“For seven years, since I was 11-years-old, I’ve

been helping my parents sell flower garlands at

a busy traffic junction in Nakhon Sawan.

“I work for two hours every morning and evening.

Each time the traffic lights change, I run across the

road to the next one with red lights, then try and

sell garlands to drivers waiting there. I usually wear

a face-mask but I still breathe a lot of exhaust

fumes. My hair and clothes always stink.

“The fumes are dangerous

for me because I have an

illness called Thalassemia.

It’s an inherited blood

disorder which causes

anemia. Sometimes it

leaves me very tired and

weak and I have to take

medication every day. That

costs 700 Bt each month.

Breathing poisonous traffic fumes every day is

obviously not good for me, but I must work to

help support my family.

“My parents are from a very poor background and

had hardly any education at all, so they aren’t

qualified for anything except the lowest-paid

unskilled work. But they are both clever with their

hands, so they make flower garlands.

“Our garlands cost 20 Bt and 30 Bt. We can make

about 400 Bt a day but only about 250 Bt is profit

because my parents have to buy the flowers and

materials to make the garlands. They make them

at night and they don’t get much sleep.

“My parents work hard to earn money, not just to

support the family from day-to-day, but because

they must pay for my medication and also so I can

study for a proper job. We know that’s the only

way we will ever get out of our situation, but they

have a lot of expenses to keep me at technical

college. I have a younger brother in his first year at

high school, so my parents have to support his

education costs as well. We live in one rented

room, but despite our low income and difficult life,

I think we are a happy family.

“I’m in my second year of a three-year course

studying Electrical Power. That’s not the same as

being an ordinary house electrician. I hope my

qualification will help me get a good-paying job

with the government electrical authority, working

on the main power lines. I enjoy my studies and

my grades are above average.

“My SET scholarship is 5,000 Bt each semester.

That’s taken a lot of pressure off my parents and

this year my little brother will start helping to sell

garlands, so I think I can stop. I will find another

part-time evening job, maybe in a restaurant,

because I still need to help myself and my family.

“I want to thank everybody at SET for the support

you are giving me. I think my life and my health

will be much better now”. Sitthikit, scholarship 7513

Student letters and interviews Some of the youngsters you currently support

All letters are written by the students. Most are written in

Thai and then translated by SET staff. Letters are tidied

up but we leave the content as original as possible.

‘Letters’ are often personal student interviews.

“I have a blood

disease which

leaves me

very weak but

I must work to

help my family

survive”

3

A lucky chance meeting

When our assistant director – Naret - was about

to drive into his housing estate one evening, he

noticed a teenage girl selling food from a street

stall. She was wearing the uniform of a local

university where we have a scholarship program.

Naret stopped to buy food and got chatting to the

girl. He asked whether she was a SET scholarship

student. She wasn’t, but it turned out that she

deserved to be.

Piyatida, 19, is in her second year of studying Thai.

In her first year she applied for a scholarship but

her application was rejected because - although

poor - her family was just about able to make ends

meet. That year, SET was able to offer only 39 new

scholarships at the university and more than 300

students applied. The 39 successful students were

all assessed as being more in need than Piyatida.

But that was last year.

Piyatida told Naret: “Soon after my application was

rejected, my situation changed a lot. My parents

separated and left me and my younger brother

and sister with my granny. I don’t know where my

father went but my mother got a job as a maid in

Bangkok. She earned 9,000 Bt a month then and

was sending 3,000 Bt a month to us. Granny has a

small pension and we were just about able to

cope, but it was always a struggle”.

Granny’s house rent is 3,500 Bt a month and the

three children need 50 Bt each for their daily

expenses, so even with the mother’s help, at the

end of the month there was little or nothing left.

Piyatida

said: “In

August last

year, my

mother became sick and now only works part-

time. She still manages to send 1,000 Bt a month

home to help us, but it isn’t enough. Granny was

determined that we three children should continue

our education. She’s 75 but full of energy, so she

decided to open a food stall to make money.”

Granny sets up her stall at 2pm and prepares and

cooks fried chicken, sausages and grilled pork balls

on a stick; a cheap and favorite Thai fast food.

Piyatida said: “My classes finish at 3pm, so I can go

straight to the stall to help with the evening rush.

We work until 8pm. Granny chose a good spot, at

the entrance to the housing estate. We have a lot

of customers, but the food is cheap and we don’t

make much profit. It was soon obvious that we

could never earn enough to support the four of us.

I had started thinking about dropping out of my

studies and getting a full-time job, so I could

support my brother

and sister at

school.”

That won’t be

necessary - we’ve

since awarded

Piyatida an

emergency

scholarship. She

said: “I am very

relieved. With SET’s

support, I think

we’re going to be

okay now.”

Piyatida, scholarship

8145

“I applied for a scholarship

but I was rejected”

4

All our scholarship students are special to us but

sometimes one comes along that we just know

is going to become very special indeed. We

have high hopes that 13-year-old Thanawat

(‘Top’) is just such a student.

Top has our landmark scholarship number 8,000. It

guarantees to take him not only through six years

of high school but also on to whatever education

level he can achieve. How far he wants to study is

up to him, but SET will be with him all the way.

Our special landmark scholarships are awarded not

just because a student is from a disadvantaged

background, nor simply because of high study

grades. They are also awarded based on the

student’s attitude, sense of self-worth and of

confidence in what can be achieved with the right

personal effort. Top ticks all the boxes.

Top hasn’t exactly been abandoned by his parents,

but he rarely sees them. Their financial situation

meant they had to move to another far-away

province nearly three years ago to work as farm

laborers. They earn between 2,000 Bt – 4,000 Bt

per month depending on the season, but they

send a small amount of money to Top when they

can. They return to Nakhon Sawan only a few

times each year on national holidays.

The parents left Top and his older brother in what

is little more than a dilapidated one-room slum

house. The brother worked a casual job at night to

help support Top and was able to give him 60 Bt

each day for bus fares, food and his other daily

expenses, but that didn’t take into account new

uniform, extra-curricular activities and other

education-related expenses. The brother couldn’t

give Top more because he was also trying to save

money for himself so he could attend university.

We’ve since taken care of that with a scholarship

but his university is far from Nakhon Sawan and he

can return home only at weekends and during

holidays. Top spends most of his time alone in

what is an unhealthy and unpleasant environment.

He says he is often scared at night. (Continued)

“My future

used to be

uncertain -

but not

anymore”

Mr Sievert Larsson is SET’s president and also its

major sponsor. Earlier this year he was in Nakhon

Sawan for a scholarship presentation ceremony,

accompanied by committee members of his own

non-Thai philanthropic foundation. They wanted to

visit a SET student’s home, so with a school welfare

officer we took them to meet Top. Most 13-year-olds

would have been intimidated by having a group of

important foreigners dropping in, but not Top.

Speaking through a translator, he confidently

explained his present situation and his dreams for his

future. Our guests were very impressed and thought

he was an ideal recipient of a SET scholarship.

Student letters and interviews A future SET star student?

5

(Continued) Top told us: “I try my best at

school because I know education is

the main factor which will affect my

future. But there didn’t seem to be

much hope for me. I know my parents

won’t be able to help me study further

after high school and with just a

school certificate my future would be

very uncertain. I don’t want an

ordinary job when I leave school

because I know I can do better than

that. I want a proper career.

“Many students at my school applied

for the scholarship and some are from

similar backgrounds to me. Some are

from even poorer families than mine. I

think I was successful because in their

interviews most of my classmates

couldn’t explain what they wanted to

achieve in the future. They didn’t really

have a dream or vision. Most just said

they wanted to be government

employees, teachers or police officers,

but I think that’s because they come

from poor families without regular

income, so they’re mostly looking for

financial security in their future. I have

more definite ideas. I want a career

which is useful, interesting and which I

really enjoy doing. I think if I enjoy it, I

will also be successful.

“I’m only 13, but at the moment I want

to be an engineer. That’s a broad

subject and I haven’t decided yet what

type of engineer I want to be, but I

have time to develop my ideas.

Whatever I finally decide I know SET

will always be there to help me. I know

how lucky I am to have that support. I

used to be uncertain and nervous

about my future, but not anymore. I

know I have SET to help me for at least

ten years, so I am very confident”.

I don’t care what other people think

“Some people look down on me because I am so poor. I try not

to care what they think. All I want is a chance to study.

“I’m 14 and I study at one of the inner-city schools in Nakhon

Sawan. There are many people in my family; my mother,

stepfather, two grandparents, two younger brothers and

myself. Although I have a big family, only my stepfather can

work fulltime. He does any laboring job he can find. My mother

must take care of my grandparents all day. My grandfather is

blind and paralyzed and can’t do anything for himself. He has

to have adult diapers and they are expensive. My grandmother

is also sick and needs regular

medicine, so a lot of my parents’

money is used just to take care of

my grandparents.

“Besides my stepfather’s uncertain

income, we have a small piece of

land where we grow basil. When we

sell it we have extra money but

some years there is a flood or

drought, then we have nothing.

“To ease my family money problems, I have a weekend job

washing dishes in a restaurant, but I can’t earn much.

“Every day, my teachers give me old paper, plastic bottles and

other garbage to sell for recycling. That is very kind of them,

but sometimes it makes me shy that I have to rely on other

people’s generosity. But in a way, I think being from a poor

background will be good for me in the future. I know what it’s

like to be poor, so I think I will have sympathy and be kind to

other people in the same situation.

Phakamas, scholarship 7176

Please help us support more needy youngsters

Just in SET’s home city of Nakhon Sawan, there are many

thousands of youngsters at high school, vocational college

and university who need financial support in their studies.

Those featured in the magazine are not unusual; they are

typical of the students we already support. We need to

help more but we can’t do it without your support. Please

see the back page for ways to donate. Thank you.

6

From novice monk to film maker

We’ve been following Teppachai Buntham’s

progress since he was a 13-year-old novice at

Kiriwong Monastic School, 13 years ago.

When Teppachai first became a novice, Kiriwong

didn’t have a single computer for the students’

use. Most novices finished their high school

studies almost computer-illiterate.

Soon after Teppachai joined the school, a

company in Bangkok presented SET with ten old

but still good computers which they had replaced

with new models. SET fitted-out an IT room and

arranged for a university student to teach the most

basic computer programs. We later supplied 20

new computers for the room and we’ve kept it up-

to-date ever since.

Teppachai told us: “The first time I sat at a

computer keyboard, I knew this was for me. I

especially enjoyed working with creative programs

and was soon able to design simple websites, use

PowerPoint, Photoshop and that sort of thing. I

loved it and decided very early on that computers

would play a big part in my future.

“After my six years at Kiriwong I had a SET

scholarship to study for a degree in Computer

Science. I come from a very poor family so after I

disrobed I was allowed to live at Kiriwong free, in

return for some help to the school. I was happy to

do that because Kiriwong had been such an

important part of my

life. After I graduated

in 2015, I continued to

teach and still lived in

the monastery.

“I then had to take a

year out when I was

drafted into the air

force. Because of my

computer skills I

mostly worked in the

base office, doing

administrative work.

“After I left the air

force, a friend and I started a business of our own,

using his equipment and my skills. We make

videos for special occasions, such as weddings,

ordinations, funerals and company meetings.

That’s proved quite successful but eventually we

would like to try to make a proper movie or

documentary. We mostly work at weekends, so I

can still teach at Kiriwong on school days. The

novices I teach are exactly as I was when I was a

kid, so I want to help them as much as I can.

“Considering my background, I think my life is

turning out well. I enjoy both the video business

and the teaching, but any success I have now or in

the future is mostly due to the opportunities SET

gave me. I am grateful and will never forget that”.

Teppachai, scholarship 4115

Our former students They succeed because of your support

7

Looking for danger – that’s my job

Outside every Thai construction site can be

seen huge signs proclaiming ‘Safety First’.

In practice, the advice is often ignored, but

not by former SET student Jariya.

Her scholarship supported her through

four years of study for a degree in Health

and Safety. She graduated in 2014. There’s

a shortage of qualified safety officers in

Thailand so Jariya was able to get a job

almost immediately. She works for a major

engineering and construction company

which specializes in building high-rise

condos, supermarkets and shopping malls.

Jariya told us: “There are plenty of laws

about health and safety in the workplace

but they’re

not always

followed

carefully. My

company

takes the

safety of its

workers very

seriously and

so do I. All

construction

sites can be

dangerous, especially the large ones where

there are many workers, heavy machinery

and materials on site. It’s my job to ensure

we are following the law - such as making

sure hard hats and protective clothing are

always worn - but also to spot any other

potential dangers and stop them before

they become accidents.

“On a construction site, small accidents are

inevitable but without care some could be

very serious. I am proud to be in a position

to help ensure they don’t happen. It’s a

good and worthwhile job but I wouldn’t

have it if I hadn’t been able to study for my

degree. I am grateful to SET for its support.

So far, so good

“I only graduated from

university in 2015, but

my life since then has

worked out very well.

“I studied for a degree

in English. Most

students who study

English want to be

teachers, but I didn’t. I

wanted to use the

language in my career,

preferably working for

an international

company. That’s exactly

how things have worked out for me, but I’ve been lucky.

“Although I had my SET scholarship, I still needed to earn

money to cover other study expenses. I found a part-time

job in the northern regional office of an international

beauty, health and nutrition consultancy. The company

head office is in Malaysia but it has branches worldwide.

Over a period of four years, while I was still studying, I

learned about the company’s many products and also

trained to be a health coach. When I graduated from

university the company offered me a full-time job. I liked

the work very much, though at first my English degree

wasn’t very useful because the regional branch didn’t have

many non-Thai customers.

“Head office later heard about my

English-speaking skills and not

only promoted me to assistant

regional manager but also sent

me to visit our office in

Melbourne. Australia is a major

market for the company. That was

a great time for me because it

was my first trip outside Thailand.

“I’m 27-years-old now. I’m not

married yet but there’s plenty of

time for that. I’m having a good

life, but things could have been

very different for me without my

scholarship. Thanks to all the SET

supporters for their help.

Lertchai. scholarship 3671

Lertchai In Melbourne

8

Eighth vocational program opened

Thailand needs more skilled workers. We’re

helping to train them.

In June we opened yet another vocational

scholarship program, specifically for youngsters

studying for those skills which are in the

greatest demand in Thailand. It is our eighth

vocational scholarship program.

The new program is at Chai Nat Vocational

College, 62 km from our Nakhon Sawan base. SET

trustees made assessment visits to several

potential new centers last year and agreed that

Chai Nat would most meet our expectations.

We opened the program in the first semester this

year with 30 scholarships. Over the next 18

months we hope that can gradually be increased

to our usual full college quota of 100, though that

depends on income. We will then be awarding

scholarships to a total of 800 vocational students.

One of the volunteers at Chai Nat helping us with

student assessment is English teacher Sangna. He

was a SET student 20 years ago with scholarship

number 337. He comes from the same sort of

disadvantaged background as those youngsters

we want to support at the college. He is very

sympathetic to their financial problems, which are

similar to those he faced when he was himself a

struggling university student.

Meanwhile, our seventh vocational program -

opened last year - is developing as planned. We

started the program at Tak Fa College with 30

scholarships but this year we’ve increased the

number to 70. We hope the college will reach its

full quota of 100 scholarships next year.

Scholarships and student welfare Giving them the opportunities they need

We help younger kids too

Our earliest point of entry into the Thai

education system for scholarships is the

first year of high school. If we have the

money, we also try to help needy

primary school children with one-off

welfare grants. For many years, we’ve

received an annual donation to give

grants of 2,000 Bt to 25 children at an

inner-city primary school. The money

helps them buy school shoes, pay for bus

fares, extra-curricular activities and other

education-related costs. Pictured, our

new trustee Martyn Bayne presenting a

grant in June.

All our vocational scholarship students are majoring in

practical subjects which should lead to worthwhile and

secure future employment.

9

Reaching out to

rural youngsters

Most of our 1,400 long-term

scholarships are awarded at

12 main centers, but we also

reach out to youngsters

studying elsewhere - often

in remote rural areas.

For many years we have

supported youngsters from a

rural community in Uttaradit

Province, about 520 km from

our Nakhon Sawan base.

There only 38 students

currently in the program but

they study at eight vocational

colleges or universities; some

are in the province but others

are scattered far-away.

Twice each year, during the

school holidays, they gather in

one of the village homes to

receive their scholarship

money on the same day from

our trustees or staff. Unlike

the mass presentations at our

main centers, scholarship day

for the Uttaradit students is

an informal and relaxed

occasion. There’s plenty of

time for us to chat with them,

to check grades, to mentor

and to resolve any problems

they may have.

Pictured above: SET assistant

director Naret and project

coordinator Sorasing with the

Uttaradit village students.

Naret and Sorasing are

themselves originally from

similar rural backgrounds to

the Uttaradit students.

The saddest stories . . .

When we‘re interviewing applicants for scholarships, some of the

saddest stories we hear are from children in our Nakhon Sawan

Inner-City Scholarship Program.

The children are all from very disadvantaged backgrounds, often with

parents who are under-educated and can work only as low-paid casual

laborers, or are unemployed. Most of the children are from one-parent

families or live with grandparents or other guardians. Some have been

abandoned and have no idea where their parents live.

There are more than 8,000 children at the eight municipal schools and

this year a ninth school will open. To help meet the need, from this year

we’ve increased the total scholarship quota at the schools from 250 to

300. Each student receives 3,000 Bt per semester; it’s not a lot, but even

that is a big help considering the extreme financial difficulties many of

them face on a daily basis.

Our scholarships take the children through three or six years of high

school. After three years of junior school, they can apply for a higher

value SET scholarship to attend one of three city vocational colleges,

where we award a constant 300 scholarships. The students study at

college for three or five years, depending on the course level. Over the

years, hundreds of youngsters from the Inner-City Program have gone

on to college and gained useful trades or skills. Alternatively, after

finishing six years of high school, they can apply for a SET university

scholarship, though few do. They often come under great financial

pressure to leave school as soon as possible to find work and to

contribute to the family income.

10

Teddy bears’ picnic

It doesn’t take much to put a smile on the face

of a child at Saengsawan. A simple towel will do

it, especially if it can be turned into a soft and

cuddly teddy bear.

The 80 children all have their own large bath

towels but they need replacing sometimes. SET

usually supplies them but earlier this year we

added small face towels as well. Not only that, we

had a handicraft teacher show the children how -

with a few simple folds, some ribbons and some

stick-on eyes - the towels could be turned into

teddy bears. The kids loved it! Their first attempts

were rather sad, but with gentle guidance from the

teacher even the youngest children were soon

making perfect teddies. They spent an hour or so

happily playing, before having a special dinner

presented by visiting SET supporters.

Joining SET trustees at the orphanage were some

special guests, including David Johnston and

partner Sue. David was SET’s first UK donor, way

back in 1994. He now lives in Australia but is still

just as passionate about our work, 25 years later.

Also at the teddy bears’ picnic were Charlotte

McArthur and husband Stuart. Charlotte’s family

have been SET supporters since 1995 and

Charlotte is a trustee of SET-UK. This year Stuart

has also joined the management committee. Both

couples were coincidentally in Thailand at the

same time and had travelled from the UK and

Australia specifically to visit SET. They spent three

nights in Nakhon Sawan, meeting our trustees and

staff and visiting some of our projects.

Saengsawan Orphanage Giving the orphans some happy times

Left: David, Sue, Charlotte and Stuart presented a

special dinner to the Saengsawan children.

11

Best way to cool off

With Thailand’s hot season

temperatures sometimes in excess of

400F (1040

C), a few hours splashing

about in a pool are exactly what’s

needed to cool off.

A visit to a local water park is the

Saengsawan children’s favorite activity

and our April visit coincided with one

of the hottest days of the year. The

kids had a great time playing in the

very clean water, with plenty of slides

and other amusements. The pool is

huge but is divided into marked areas,

suitable for various size children. There

are lifeguards at each section to

ensure the little ones don’t stray into

the deeper water.

We’re lucky; the pool is the only one in

Nakhon Sawan that we can take the

kids to, but it’s just 5 km from the

orphanage. The pool usually opens at

1pm and quickly gets packed with

hundreds of children, especially in the

school summer holiday, but the

management opened it just for us at

10am, so we were able to keep a close

watch on our 60 children. After a few

hours splashing about, we gave them a pizza lunch, which is

another occasional special treat for them.

A day-out at the water park sounds like a simple and

inexpensive event, but it takes a lot of organization. For every

six children, there must be one adult carer; ten carers for a

party of 60. The children also need to be fully insured, both for

the short bus journey to and from the park, as well as while

they are there. Our visits to the pool are organized by SET

trustees Dalad and Pleonpit, who have their own team of

experienced volunteers to take care of everything involved.

12

Every year we send the Kiriwong novices on a

one-day trek in Mae Wong National Park in

Nakhon Sawan Province.

The park covers 894 km2 and includes some of

Thailand’s highest mountains, as well as one of its

tallest waterfalls. It makes an ideal venue for the

boys’ outing; an escape from the hustle and bustle

of their busy city monastery and a chance to

embrace the great outdoors, if only for a day.

There are many popular trekking paths in the park

but for the novices’ visit a park ranger guides them

along lesser-known routes, describing the trees,

plants, animals and insects they see on the way.

On such paths, the boys are more likely to spot

some of the park’s shyer inhabitants, including

elephants, black bears, monkeys, jackals, gibbons,

gaur and tapirs. There are even tigers in the forest,

though there are believed to be fewer than a

dozen left and they are rarely seen. The park is also

home to an estimated 450 species of birds,

including hornbills and kingfishers.

Although the novices’ trek takes place during the

cool season, they walk for many kilometers in their

robes through some rugged and hilly terrain. It’s

hot work, but there is a beautiful and very

secluded stream at the end of their trek, with many

inviting pools. Novices are not really allowed to

swim but if there are no lay-people around,

Kiriwong’s monk-headmaster turns a blind-eye

while the boys have a dip in the crystal clear, very

cold water. It’s a great day-out for the boys. They

get some much-needed exercise and fresh air as

well as a greater understanding of the natural

environment. SET sponsors the outing with a

grant of 10,000 Bt, mostly to hire coaches for the

journey. We think it’s money well spent.

Embracing the great outdoors

Novices find something

interesting to photograph

on a river bank

Kiriwong Novice School Making young lives better

13

My life is better

When we visited Kiriwong with our

guests from the UK and Australia, the

novices greeted us by chanting –

Buddhist style - the words from a

pop song: ‘Best Friend’, by Jason

Mraz. It was very touching for us all:

And I know my life is better because

you’re part of it.

I know without you by my side I would

be different.

Thank you for all your trust.

Thank you for not giving up.

Thank you for holding my hand.

I’ve always known where you stand.

Yes, I feel my life is better.

Thank you for choosing us.

Thank you for all you’re about.

Thank you for lifting me up.

Thank you for keeping me grounded

and being here now.

My life is better because you’re part

of it.

I know without you by my side I would

be different.

Yes, I feel my life is better, so is the

world we’re living in.

On retreat: Although Kiriwong teaches a secular curriculum,

it’s a monastic school and the novice students have to learn all

aspects of the Buddha’s teaching, including meditation

techniques. Every year, SET part-sponsors a week-long

meditation retreat for the novices at a rural monastery. They

spend many hours each day in meditation but also follow their

daily routine of walking on dawn alms-round (binderbaht).

People in the local community are always pleased to host the

novices and are very generous in offering food to them each

morning. SET’s sponsorship of the retreat is 20,000 Bt.

14

A new generation of

teachers

For decades, the Thai education

system has relied primarily on rote-

learning. Teachers often read from

a text book or write on the board

while the students copy into their

exercise books and memorize the

lesson. That’s changing now.

Thousands of teachers have recently

retired or are due to retire in the

next few years. They’re gradually

being replaced with a new

generation of young, enthusiastic,

newly-qualified educators with

modern and very different teaching

methods and approaches. In a small

way, SET is doing its bit to help

towards the very necessary change.

The majority of our current 1,400

long-term scholarships are for

vocational students, but we still

award scholarships to more than 200

university students. Most go to those

studying to be teachers. They’re

training in Early Childhood

Education, in general knowledge for

primary-age children and in

specialized subjects for high school

students. Many have also gained

Master degrees and are teaching

their specialized subjects at

universities. Over the years, we‘ve

supported more than 1,000

youngsters in teacher-training and at

the end of the 2018 academic year,

another 55 qualified with teaching

degrees.

Our scholarship value for a teaching

degree is 100,000 Bt, payable at

10,000 Bt per semester.

Above, former SET student Chaleompon. Now 38, he finished

his Bachelor degree in Chemistry in 2009. Because of his very

high grades, he was then awarded a Master degree scholarship

by the Education Ministry, which also guaranteed him an

immediate senior teaching position. He has since written a book

about Chemistry which is used in all Thai high schools. He is also

a member of a committee which advises the Education Ministry

about the Science curriculum for schools.

Below, more of our new generation of teachers.

Making a difference in the classroom

15

New faces on our UK team

With long-term continuity in mind, we’ve made

many changes over the past two years to the

way SET operates and is managed in Thailand.

We’ve employed a fulltime assistant director,

simplified our administration and accounting

systems and reduced program costs by changing

the focus of our scholarships from universities to

vocational colleges. We’ve also recently appointed

a fourth non-Thai trustee, bringing our

management committee to nine members.

SET has supporters all over the world. Although

the bulk of our annual income is received in US$,

the majority of our donors are in the UK.

Some UK supporters have been donors from the

very beginning, 25 years ago. Their loyalty and

generosity is largely due to the enthusiasm and

great work of the trustees of our UK sister charity;

the Students’ Education Trust. Known informally as

SET-UK, the charity accumulates and contributes

anything between 15% and 20% of our annual

income, even with the appalling post-Brexit £/Bt

exchange rate. SET-UK’s own long-term continuity

therefore greatly affects that of SET in Thailand.

SET-UK has always had just three trustees; Joanna

Herbert-Stepney, Janet Sparks and Charlotte

McArthur. With continuity in mind, the trustees

have this year added two new members to its

committee: James Brodie and Stuart McArthur.

Both are very welcome additions to the UK team.

James was a Project

Trust volunteer

teacher in Thailand

about 20 years ago.

He became very

interested in SET’s

work and after his

return to the UK he

became a regular

donor, as did

members of his

family. James is a

teacher and last

year ran a marathon

for SET-UK, raising

around 55,000 Bt.

We are delighted

that he will now be

even more closely

involved.

Stuart is Charlotte

McArthur’s

husband. He is a

veterinary surgeon.

Charlotte, Stuart and their family have been

donors since 1995. The couple occasionally visit

Nakhon Sawan, including a three-day trip earlier

this year. Stuart created SET-UK’s website a few

years ago and already assists with managing the

SET-UK PayPal account. Like James, he is a great

addition to the UK team.

Every £ you give makes a

difference to a needy youngster

Despite the poor post-Brexit exchange rate,

donations to SET-UK remain of vital importance

to our work. Every £ makes a difference,

enabling us to help many more youngsters

We’ve always been proud of our low operating

costs, but SET-UK’s costs are even lower than

ours. According to their 2018 audit, admin

amounted to only 1.52% of total expenditure.

That was for bank charges and the cost of the

audit, with all other administration costs covered

by the trustees themselves.

The really good news is that donations from UK

tax-payers are increased by 25%, through the

Gift Aid scheme. Donors don’t even need to

bother with making a claim for the Gift Aid –

that’s done by SET-UK. Please see the back page

for ways to give via SET-UK.

Planning for long-term continuity

James

Stuart

16

All SET’s nine trustees put in a huge amount of

time and effort to manage the foundation, but

some also have their own social development

projects in which SET has no involvement.

Their personal projects include working with other

charities to provide clean drinking water systems in

remote communities, supplying library books to

rural schools, arranging international student

exchanges and working with disabled youngsters.

Trustee Dr Phisarn Khrusang, 39, was himself a SET

student 20 years ago. As well as his work with SET,

his other special interest concerns the problems of

ethnic hill-tribe people living in remote border

communities in Thailand’s far north. Many are

refugees from Myanmar and do not have Thai

citizenship, though some families have lived in

Thailand for generations. Some hill-tribe people

live in very primitive conditions, often without easy

access to education or good health-care.

Phisarn is head of the Political Science Department

of a university. His curriculum is not just about

political ideologies but also their relationship to

social issues and how they affect them. His

department also teaches political and social ethics,

public policy, social responsibility and local

government administration.

Every year, Phisarn takes a group of 25 of his first-

year students to stay for a few days in a very

remote Karen hill-tribe village in a far northern

province. Although most people in the community

do not have Thai citizenship, they are allowed to

remain in the country but are usually not able to

leave the province in

search of work. They have

few opportunities to

improve their present or

future living conditions.

The idea of Phisarn’s project is not to try to teach

the hill-tribe people anything, but rather to listen

and learn from them. He says: “Most of my

students are city-born. Few are from wealthy

backgrounds but many are from financially secure

families. They have little idea of the difficulties that

others in Thai society face on a daily basis. That’s

not just the hill-tribe people. Many thousands of

poor farmers throughout the country also live a

hand-to-mouth existence, with few opportunities

to improve their situation. I want my (Continued)

“We don’t go

to teach - we

go to learn”

Understanding how others live

Above, Phisarn in the Karen home where he stays during his

visits. The lady with him is wearing traditional Karen costume

but she is in fact Phisarn’s wife. She shares his passionate

interest in the problems of the hill-tribe communities.

17

(Continued) young students to

develop a greater and more

personal understanding of the

problems faced by such

disadvantaged groups and

how government policies may

exacerbate those problems or

– alternatively – can help

resolve them”.

During

the visits,

Phisarn

and his

students

live with

Karen

families

and follow their way of life

each day. The often primitive

conditions can be difficult for

some students to cope with.

Phisarn says: “My students

can hardly believe that people

in Thailand still live like that in

the 21st century, in a relatively

advanced nation like our own.

They can be very affected and

sometimes even disturbed by

what they learn, but I believe

these visits greatly increase

their understanding of social

issues and how they could be

resolved. It also makes the

students more compassionate

to the plight of disadvantaged

people. It’s part of my job to

teach them that”.

The project is funded entirely

by Phisarn and his students.

At their own expense they

also take supplies to the

communities, especially

health-related essentials.

Dalai Lama sculpture

helps our students

The rough model for a

planned bronze sculpture

of the Dalai Lama has been

sold by the artist to help

support our students.

American artist and sculptor

Paul Goldstein has been a

generous SET supporter

since 2001, often donating

the proceeds of his art sales.

Paul has quite a reputation

for his work, which often

has a SE Asian or spiritual theme. Much of his work is cast in bronze: a

lengthy process of creating an original rough design, then making a

mold and a wax casting. The wax is then melted away and the bronze

casted. The rough bronze is then welded, ground, sandblasted and has

a patina applied.

Paul was working on the rough design for a new sculpture called

‘Young Dalai Lama’ when it caught a collector’s eye. Made from any

materials to hand in Paul’s studio, the model had a natural ‘organic’

look which seemed perfect for the subject. The collector quickly

snapped it up. We don’t know what the 30-cm-tall model sold for, but

Paul generously donated US$500 to SET from the sale. Thanks, Paul!

Freebies!

SET director Peter has a few

give-away copies of his

meditation manual ‘One Step at

a Time’, written when he was a

monk. The book was published

in 1997 but is still relevant, being

based entirely on the Buddha’s

original teaching. The book is

especially useful for absolute

beginners in Buddhist meditation

techniques. If you would like a

free copy, please email Peter at

SET_Thai@hotmail.com with your

postal address.

“The visits

can be very

disturbing

for my

students”

18

You can make the difference for a needy youngster

Donating directly from any country

SET in Thailand can accept donations by credit card or international

bank transfer. To donate by credit card, please visit our

main website, shown in the ‘Contact us’ column.

International transfers can be made to The SET Foundation, account

104-2-65347-7, Kasikorn Bank, Kosi Rd Branch, Amphur Muang, Nakhon

Sawan 60000, Thailand. Please be sure to give your bank the full SWIFT

code: KASITHBK for onward transmission to 04-104.

Donating from the UK and Europe

Our UK sister charity The Students’ Education Trust has

its own website and PayPal account. It can accept

donations in Sterling or Euro by credit card, cheque, bank transfer,

standing order, Charities Aid Foundation vouchers and Payroll Giving.

As a great bonus, donations from UK tax-payers can be increased by

25% through the Gift Aid program. To donate, please visit the Students’

Education Trust website, shown in the ‘Contact us’ column.

You could also try selling your unwanted goods for us on

ebay. Follow the link below and enter Students’ Education

Trust in the charity search box:

www.ebay.co.uk/egw/ebay-for-charity/charity-search?ps=10

Donating from the USA

Friends of SET-USA can accept donations by cheque or bank transfer.

Donors can also set-up standing orders to make regular gifts.

For security reasons, ‘one-off’ or regular electronic donations from the

USA can be established by contacting Michael Brooks at Friends of SET-

USA or Peter Robinson at SET’s Thailand office (see contact panel).

Cheques should be made payable to Friends of SET-USA and sent to

Michael Brooks, PO Box 396 Wheatland, Oklahoma 73097.

Credit card donations by US supporters can be made on

our main website. See the ‘Contact us’ column. Credit card

donations come directly to SET in Thailand, not to Friends of SET-USA.

Donating from within Thailand

Donations by credit card can be made on our website.

You can transfer a donation directly to our bank account:

The SET Foundation, account 104-2-65347-7, Kasikorn Bank, Kosi Rd

Branch, Amphur Muang, Nakhon Sawan 60000. Donations by cheque

payable to The SET Foundation can be sent to PO Box 19, Amphur

Muang, Nakhon Sawan 60000. Please do not send cash.

Donations from Thai tax-payers are tax-deductible. Please

ask us for a tax receipt and let us know your tax id number

and postal address when you make your donation. Thanks.

CONTACT US

SET in Thailand

Contact: The SET Foundation, PO

Box 19, A. Muang, Nakhon Sawan

60000, Thailand.

Email: SET_THAI@hotmail.com

Phone (Inter): + 66 87204 8018

Phone (Thailand): 087204 8018

Web site:

www.thaistudentcharity.org

Bank account: The SET Foundation,

account 104-2-65347-7, Kasikorn

Bank, Kosi Rd Branch, A. Muang,

Nakhon Sawan 60000, Thailand.

(SWIFT code: KASITHBK for onward

transmission to 04-104).

The Students’ Education Trust Registered UK charity 1090708

Contact: Joanna Herbert-Stepney,

Old Village Stores, Dippenhall

Street, Crondall, Farnham, Surrey

GU10 5NZ, UK.

Phone: 01252 850 253

Email: SET.UK@btinternet.com

Web site:

www.thaistudentcharity.org.uk

Friends of SET-USA

Contact: Michael Brooks, Friends of

SET-USA, PO Box 396 Wheatland,

Oklahoma 73097, USA.

Email: mike.valairat@gmail.com

Exchange rates

The magazine shows figures in Thai

Baht (Bt). Exchange rates at the

time of printing were:

£1 = 39 Bt. US$1 = 31 Bt.

€1 = 35 Bt. AUD1 = 22 Bt.

SGD1 = 23 Bt. CAD1 = 22 Bt.

However you make a donation, a

receipt and letter of thanks will be

sent to you.

Thank you for your support of

our needy youngsters.