Kids’ Ark Foundation
Kids Ark Foundation has been working in the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand since 2000. Originally assisting children who had lost their parents to HIV and were in need of support to stay in school.Rather than start an orphanage, Kids Ark Foundation chose to help them stay in their familiar village and see that their school expenses were met so they were not a burden to their caregiver (usually a poor and ill-equipped grandparent).
By ensuring that school expenses were met, these orphan children also deterred from entering the drug or sex trade. Kids Ark Foundation’s continued support to the children is contingent upon their school attendance, so completing school is given a priority.
Kids Ark Foundation projects include:
• “Godparent” program that provides individual assistance for needy students
• Micro-economic projects so that caregivers can earn an income
• Day care center so care-givers have the necessary free time to work
• School dormitories making education more accessible to children from remote areas
• Traveling health education instructors providing villages with vital information about HIV prevention, hygiene and other health matters
• Health clinic in a remote village;
• ‘House of Hope’ after-school program providing extra tutoring, nutritious cooked meals and extracurricular learning for the poorest children.
Through the programs of Kids Ark, hope is extended, lives are changed for the better, and education is made a new priority for the many children being reached by Kids Ark Foundation each day.
More information can be found at their website at: www.kidsarkfoundation.org