May 11, 2005

Phuket Tsunami Recovery Fund
Dusit Laguna Resort
Chergn Talay
Phuket, Thailand

Attention: Andrew Trigg

To Phuket Tsunami Recovery Fund:

We at the Tsunami Volunteer Center in Khao Lak, Thailand are pleased to partner with you as we endeavour to aid the rebuilding efforts post-tsunami here in southern Thailand.
Thank you for your contributions of a rented pick-up truck, tools, educational materials and office supplies, given over the last two months. Your support has made a significant difference to our projects and also to the volunteers that work internally within the office.

We are very grateful for Phuket Tsunami Recovery Fund’s commitment to raise donations for the construction, education, environmental restoration, and community building projects our volunteers are engaged in. The office supplies, filing cabinets, fans and CD player have been of immense value.
The center had functioned at that time without such supplies and even the smallest of items such as subject dividers and staplers were like gold-dust. The cement mixer, tools and the truck are currently in use at Tap
Tawaan village aiding in our construction project building 40 permanent homes. You can see these donations in action in our recently acquired photos (attached).

Construction is a major component, and our projects include:

• Building a boat yard in Cape Pakarang that will serve as a central location for building and repairing boats, as well as storing donated boat materials for local fishermen
• Building 40 permanent houses for a community of Morgan people (also known as Sea Gypsies) in Tap Tawaan under the direction of the local foreman and alongside villagers
• Aiding the Mercy Foundation at every stage of the construction process to construct 50 permanent houses for the village of Bang Sak
• Restoring the building and grounds of Khor Khao Island’s Buddhist temple - the cultural and community center for island dwellers - under the direction of the head monk
• Partnering with the Tsunami Fisherman’s Relief Fund to build a large boat building shed in the village of Nam Kem with the goal of rebuilding 150 fishing boats damaged or destroyed in the tsunami
• Providing local schools and homes with hundreds of pieces of furniture through an onsite furniture shop
• Creating alternative income sources for residents in local temporary camps by setting up furniture building workshops, providing tools, training, materials, and designs

The Center volunteers are also developing exciting educational programs for children in
areas affected by the tsunami such as:

• Designing playground equipment for local schools and temporary camps
• Teaching English in schools and preparing a series of three-day summer English language camps for local children
• Organizing afternoon and evening activities for children and adults in temporary camps including sports, art, music, and social events which provide a much needed focus for the residents
• Creating a ‘Tsunami Classroom’ in 10 local schools in which the students can communicate their stories and experiences related to the tsunami through art.

We also look toward the restoration of the natural environment along the southern coast of Thailand. Our cleanup efforts include an eye toward preserving the environment for future generations to enjoy and to welcome tourism upon which many residents are dependent for their livelihoods. Our projects in this area are:

• Restoring area beaches to their former beauty by collecting rubbish and recycling all useable materials
• Assessing and restoring reefs and other marine environments damaged by the tsunami together with local dive centers

While communities work to rebuild the economic infrastructure of the affected areas, the Tsunami Volunteer Center is partnering with local people on small-scale incomegenerating projects. The emphasis is on sharing concepts and skills that will provide the basis for independent ventures in the future. These projects include:

• Working with 10 villages to create and sell handmade products locally at our Tsunami Survivor Craft Shop, returning 100% of the profit to the villages
• Providing small loans to community members to start or restart small businesses through our micro-entrepreneur project

We hope to remain in contact with you to inform you of our successes, our ongoing projects, and the new developments. Thank you for your support to aid in the rebuilding of Thai communities in the aftermath of the devastation caused by the tsunami.

Thank you,

Mr Sombat Boonngamanong
Director, Tsunami Volunteer Center