In 2001, children from the Baan Unrak Children's Home were struggling within the local school system: classrooms held up to 50 students, corporal punishment was widespread, and many Baan Unrak children, who could not yet speak Thai and had no legal status, faced exclusion and discrimination. Some stopped attending school altogether.
In response, Baan Unrak opened its own small school with just three students from the Home. Word spread quickly, and by the time the school was officially registered in 2005, it welcomed 167 students, not just from Baan Unrak, but from other children's homes, local Thai families, and refugee and migrant families from Myanmar. Now known as Tonrak Ananda Marga School, it combines the required Thai academic curriculum with a Neohumanist approach centred on emotional well-being, self-knowledge, and service to others, and today teaches children from kindergarten through junior high (ages 3–15).
This project funds the education of the 73 Baan Unrak children currently enrolled, covering school fees, daily lunch, stationery and learning materials, and participation in field trips and experiential learning, while Baan Unrak's own house parents and staff provide the emotional and social support these children can't get from family. The project deliberately does not cover teacher salaries, keeping its full focus on removing financial barriers for students themselves.
