December 2016 GVI Phang Nga

Monthly Achievement Report

Community Development Centre Carnival

Objectives:

To provide equal opportunities to children from all backgrounds

To encourage development through structured play inside the community

This month it was carnival season here in Phang Nga with Billy, our TEFL intern organizing a fair at
the New Light Foundations Community Development Centre (CDC) for Burmese children. As part of
his leadership course Billy decided to manage our fantastic team of 20 volunteers in a morning of fun
engaging the kids in a number of activities.
Students had the choice of 5 fairground games to try their luck at: the
beanbag toss, hoopla, cup ping pong, the pairs game, and a coconut
shy- not to mention the Treasure Island which all of our students (and
even some teachers!) had a go at. The fun did not end there, as whilst
half of the carnival goers were trying to bag a treat on the games the
others were having their faces painted by two of our glorious girls who
both have a background in make-up artistry. Its faire to say their
skills did not go to waste as their stand was so popular a teacher from
the CDC jumped on board to help keep up with the demand!
It was heartening to see the CDC staff work so joyfully alongside our
volunteers; embodying all of what we set out to achieve with this
partnership by integrating the Burmese population into society. The
carnival also acted as a brilliant way to inspire the volunteers. Showing
them how each persons individual talents could be used to impact the
lives of the people we work with. A perfect incarnation of this was
produced, in the form of a mural. This meant the children and volunteers
got to leave their mark of the day both figuratively and literally, by way of
a hand print. The painting served as a great means of commemorating
the carnival and celebrating the long lasting partnership of CDC and GVI.
The New Light Foundation has been in Ban Nam Khem since April 2006 and it aims to be recognised
by the Ministry of Education as a bilingual school. Our partnership with the CDC began three years
ago. Since then, we have worked towards their goal by regularly teaching English to three classes,
four times a week. They also have a Youth Potential Development program which sets out to give
teens the all-round development needed to become a role model in the local community. Our
conservation and healthcare programs aid this cause by teaching P5 and P6 classes the importance
of caring for yourself and the environment.

Written by Billy Hepton, Community Field Staff