YouBridge Blog

The last 2 days were inspiring to say the least. We met several changemakers and got the opportunity to get to know them and to spend some quality time.

First up: meeting with Orawan Ketkaew, an English teacher at the Rajabat University in Surin. Orawan is woman who has been a changemaker for years in her own country. Besides her work at the university, she dedicates her spare time to help students that cannot afford to pay for higher education through the foundation she set up herself with some other like minded people.

You might wonder why she does this, so did we. Orawan explained us her motivation:

I want to help students realize that they can dream and change their future. If they get a good education, they will help the next generation of youngsters to build a brighter future. I want to be a part of sparking the next changemaker generation, that is what makes me happy!

After our talk with Orawan, she introduced us to her nephew Ang who she raises because his parents work and live in Bangkok. A 15 year old boy that just started his first year at university. His dream? To become an expert in electronics. Besides that, he is passionate about music and is learning to play the guitar. We found ourselves baffled by his dreams and motivation to do something with his life. As a surprise, we decided to reward him with a YouBridge laptop. Seeing the look on his face when Kande handed him the laptop was priceless and was the immediate proof that we made the right decision. He told us he would use the laptop as an education tool for his electronics courses but also to get better at playing the guitar.

It is only our third day in Surin, Thailand and yet we met another 2 changemakers. What strikes us most, is that people here not only want to make a change in their own lives but also make a difference in the lives of the next generation of youngsters. An admirable way of thinking that we found inspirational and hopefully you will too.

More stories tomorrow, so keep tuned in!

Sawadigaaa!

The YouBridge Team – Barbara, Elise, Pieter & Kande

Fully packed and ready to start our adventure, we left for what promised to be a great adventure. First destination: Bangkok, Thailand. After an 11 hour flight, we continued by car to Prasat, in North East Thailand. Just to give you an idea of the weather conditions here; it was already 28° at 7 am…hot hot hot!

Once arrived, we were welcomed by Gino from Fund Isaan and his colleague, May, our YouBridge ambassador. They enthusiastically told us everything about the projects they set up here and got us all excited about the projects we would visit the next days. After a delicious, traditional Thai lunch, we got on the road to visit the first project: Saikeaw high school.

We met Pi Nok, one of the English teachers who educates the 500 students at the school. For some years now, she has been teaching the students of  Saikeaw English and with the help Fund Isaan provided by installing a IT class, she manages to give the students a proper English education.

Fund Isaan supplied the school with about 20 computers that students can use to search for information, do their homework and benefit from the educational tools present on the computer.

Pi Nok told us that “students now are motivated to learn English so that they can go to college after finishing high school. Instead of going to work in a factory in Bangkok, they become inspired to go to college so that they can become a teacher themselves”. 

No need to say that our visit to Saikeaw high school and the words of Pi Nok inspired us and that we are looking forward to meet other potential YouBridge changemakers here in Thailand.

Time to round this blogpost up and enjoy a bit more of the fantastic environment!

The YouBridge Team – Barbara, Elise, Kande & Pieter