Recently, DST Worldwide Services (Thailand)
executives, together with Judy Benn, Executive Director of AMCHAM and Vice
President of the AMCHAM Thailand Charitable Foundation, attended the official
opening of a new library at Santhong Wittaya School.
The library was donated as part of an
Adopt-A-School program. DST Worldwide Services Thailand contributed 169,501 THB
(equal to approximately $5,300 USD). A
matching contribution was given by the AMCHAM Thailand Charitable Foundation to
help build the library and purchase new books.
The event started with a welcome show from students who performed traditional Thai dancing. This was followed by an opening ceremony where John Marshall – Regional Human Resources & Training Manager Asia and Gary Wells – Systems Development Director, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In a motivational speech to the students, Marshall emphasized the importance of reading and how “Reading is the Window to the World”.
Santhong Wittaya School is located in a remote valley in Tha Wang Pha district, surrounded by mountains covered with forests. The valley lies within Nan Province in the northern part of Thailand, bordering with the Mekong River of Laos and is a natural habitat of wild elephants.
The school has approximately 200 students with classes for children ages 5-15. The growing number of new students emphasized the need for more books and additional space for their education.