2004-2005 Northern Thailand Projects

At the September 2004 Zone Institute in Chattanooga, TN, the 24 District Governors of Zones 29 and 30 decided to continue their work begun the year before in southeast Asia, working in cooperation with Heifer International/Thailand. Two Rotary Foundation Matching Grant projects were designed, one  (MG 56502) to help three villages in northern Thailand and the other (MG 56503) to benefit three student hostels in the same region. These projects together totaled over $75,000 in total size. Funding came from the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North, Thailand, District 3360, the 24 Districts of Rotary Zones 29 & 30, and The Rotary Foundation. The projects purchased items that meshed together into a system of "Integrated Agriculture" by utilizing the training and expertise of the Heifer International/Thailand staff.  Items purchased with MG 56502 for the 3 villages (became 8 villages by project end): 6 water buffalo, 4 cows, 400 meat chickens, 370 layer chickens, 200 ducks, 305 rabbits, 242 feeder pigs, 48 breeding pigs, 65,000 fish fingerlings, 12,577 mushroom "starts", 13,577 kg of animal feed, 4,200 kg of vegetable seed, 23,650 fruit tree saplings, 3 safe water filtration units, and 150 units of fish ponds and kitchen gardens. Items purchased with MG 56503 for the student hostels: 30 sows, 6 boars & 100 fattening pigs, 100,000 fish fingerlings, 3 bio-gas generating units, 700 layer chickens and 200 meat chickens, 500 frogs, 3 safe water filtration units, 200 kg of seasonal vegetable seeds and assorted agricultural items such as 100 watering cans, 100 gardening knives and 200 digging tools. The bio-gas generators take the waste products from the pigs and collect methane, which can be used for cooking. The final end product is a high quality fertilizer for the crops.

Some of the fruit tree saplings planted on the hillside of the villages.

Above is a student hostel in this area. Our projects benefited three such student hostels, providing an assortment of animals and vegetable seeds, along with the training to learn how to manage the animals and tend the crops for sustainable growth and production. This will provide priceless training for these young students, beyond what they are learning from their official studies. Also, the food costs for the hostel will be reduced while the quality of food increases substantially. A water filtration and storage system will also be installed nearby each hostel, providing clean water for the students, animals, and irrigation.

A few fish fingerlings are released into their new home.

One of the water buffalo at work.

Some of the feeder pigs.

More pigs

FISH ! ! !

The vegetable seed is producing great results.

A water filtration unit is being built.

Rotarians visit one of the project sites.