The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club has concluded its 2021 Children’s Winter Clothing Appeal. The response from the public has exceeded our greatest expectations and wildest imagination. We recorded 10,173.2 km (6321.33 miles) distributing the generous donations made by our incredible community. We collected and delivered 9,993.13 kgs (22,031.08 lbs) of warm clothing, blankets, shoes, jackets, school supplies, and toys.
Our last destination was the Ban Posor School in Mae Sariang District of Mae Hong Son Province. President Dylan knew it was the right choice when soldiers at a military checkpoint shook their heads in disbelief when he told them he was heading there with his fully loaded truck. The school boards more than 200 students who are from out-of-the-way villages where the daily commute would be lengthy and dangerous.
This year, we have distributed donations to seventeen remote, hard-to-access locations (marked with red hearts) in eight Northern provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Tak, Nan, Phayao, Mae Hong Son, and Uttaradit. Amongst the beneficiaries are refugees, hill tribes, migrants, and local villagers - people of Lua, Palong, Lahu, Lisu, Karen, Shan, Thai, Burmese, Kayan, and Mien origin. In addition, the Burma Children Medical Fund transported donations on our behalf to newly displaced Burmese refugees in Mae Sot, Tak.
We have delivered donations to
the remote Lua village of Phou Khe in Nan Province near the Laos border;
a 300-member Palong hill tribe on Doi Ang Khang mountain in Ban No Lae, Fang District in Chiang Mai Province;
a 500-member Lahu hill tribe in Ban Huai Ya Sai, in Mae Suai District of Chiang Rai Province, on the dangerous Myanmar border;
Mae La Refugee Camp with over 50,000 ethnic Karen residents, in Tha Song Yang District of Tak Province along the Burmese border;
the Ban Huai Muang Nursery School in Mae Na Wang, Mae Ai, Chiang Mai Province;
Ban Pong Noi Kao, a Karen village of 300 residents in Mae Win, Mae Wang District, on Doi Inthanon;
a 100-member Kayan Long Neck tribe and the nearby Baan Mai Naisoi Temporary Shelter Area (a refugee camp with 8,000 ethnic Shan residents);
Ban Pang Tham Sakha Ton Phung, a Mien village of 90 families in Rom Yen, Chiang Kham District of Phayao Province;
the Thai Ban Pang Makham Pom School, in San Sali, Wiang Pa Pao District of Chiang Rai Province;
the isolated Lisu hill tribe village of Ban Doi Chang with about 120 residents, located at 1,700 meters above sea level in Pai District of Mae Hong Son Province;
recovering patients of the Burma Children Medical Fund in Mae Sot, Tak Province;
the ethnic Lahu Ban Pha Pheok village in Pang Mapha District of Mae Hong Son Province;
the waterfront Thai community of Ban Huai Ta, in the middle of the Queen Sirikit Reservoir in Tha Pla District of Uttaradit Province;
the Ban Ko Jadsan School, floating in the Ping River, in Li District of Lamphun Province;
the Ban Mae La Ma School in Sop Moei District of Mae Hong Son Province;
Northern Thailand’s hardest to access village, Ban Mo Khi in Sop Khong, Omkoi District of Chiang Mai Province; and
the Ban Posor School, boarding 200 children, in Mae Sariang District of Mae Hong Son Province.
Watch as we deliver your donations in Northern Thailand.
Dear community members, Rotarians, and friends, thank you for your generosity! We greatly appreciate your contributions. Special thanks to the Rimping Supermarket chain, Makro, the Interact Club of Chiang Mai International School, the Interact Club of Unity Concord International School, and Lanna International School for making it possible for us to place our donation boxes on their premises. Extra credit goes to Jarus Print, C. T. S. Packaging, and Pern’s Foods for their impeccable service assisting our project. We are grateful for the assistance provided by Philanthropy Connections and the Burma Children Medical Fund.
Kudos to our supportive friends, families, and fellow Rotarians - in no particular order: Nick, Clarence, Roger, Bill P, Colin, Bill T, Nicha, John, Niwatchai, and Myrna for participating in this truly community project. Dylan has earned some serious brownie points for his stamina and driving skills this year. Well done! If you still have clothes to donate, we suggest that you take them to the Free Bird Pre-Loved Charity Shop and Donation Center that aids Burmese refugees and internally displaced persons along the Myanmar border.
Our donation boxes will go out again on October 15, 2022. See you again then!
Statistics
Total volunteers: Hundreds (Community members, donors, fellow Rotarians, friends, and family)
Total hours: Over 1,000 hrs between 9 October 2021 – 21 February 2022 (President Dylan alone spent at least 780 hrs on this project)
The complete hours are hard to estimate since hundreds of people were involved in this project, designing/printing stickers, flyers, posters and donation boxes; went through their wardrobe sorting and packaging clothes; driving to drop them off at donation boxes; picking up and delivering donations, organizing campaigns in their neighbourhood or their school to promote this initiative, interpreting, translating, editing promotional videos or writing articles for the CMIRC Bulletin.
Total distance driven: 14,673.2 km (9,117.5 miles). This figure includes driving to pick up donations from our boxes. It’s is the equivalent of driving from Los Angeles to New York City and back, and then driving almost up to Portland, Oregon.
Total weight of donations: 9,993.13 kgs (22,031.08 lbs). This is the equivalent of the weight of five Toyota pickup trucks.