Rebuilding Our Community
In January 2019, Tropical Storm Pabuk struck Samui causing severe flooding as well as structural damage to various buildings around the island. Regretfully, the canteen for the children at the Wat Santi Wanaram Child Development Centre in the Thong Krut area was not spared and a fallen tree caused severe damage to the facility rendering it completely useless.
As part of our commitment to support the community in which we operate, our team connected with the administrators to provide assistance in the rebuilding of their canteen. With financial support from the Banyan Tree Global Foundation, the project was given the green light to proceed in December 2019.
In the year to follow, the pandemic hindered our efforts to drive this project forward. Regretfully, the project was postponed indefinitely, and its pending completion was uncertain. As we awaited the next step, our team cleared the damaged structure and debris for safety concerns and prepared the area for future construction. The administrators admired our commitment and efforts to see this through despite the uncertainty of the times.
Once government regulations permitted the children to return to the facility, the centre was left with no choice, but to use a temporary marquee as their area for daily lunch. Our Sustainability Manager, Thepsuda Loyjiw, connected with the team once again to address their needs and to reignite the project. The local municipality approved the construction and our team commenced to break ground on the new facility in November 2021.
In December 2021, the basic structure was completed and provided the school with a viable option to replace their makeshift marquee that they had been using for more than a year.
Our associates at Banyan Tree Samui held various fundraising events throughout 2022 in order to cover the additional expenses required. Moreover, our team donated their time and energy to work collectively on construction tasks to move the project toward completion.
To put the final touches on the canteen, our associates joined together for a beautification project to improve the landscaping of the area and ensure the facility was ready for the upcoming opening ceremony.
At long last, the new canteen for the children at Wat Santi Wanaram Child Developement Centre came to completion in January 2023.
Creating shared value with the community embodies our commitment to social responsibility. Supporting long term societal prosperity is central to Banyan Tree’s ability to create value for local communities and this is achieved by empowering them through impactful initiatives such as the rebuilding of the canteen at the Wat Santi Wanaram Child Development Centre.
Through a collaborative effort of all involved and persistence to overcome various obstacles along the way, we were able to provide those in need from our community with an invaluable resource for years to come.
I am very grateful to Banyan Tree Samui and the Banyan Tree Global Foundation for their generous support to rebuild the canteen for our children. We are grateful to be able to provide them with a safe and comfortable area for lunch and activities each day. Moreover, we intend to utilize the facility for community functions including family day, parent-teacher conferences and townhall meetings. From all of us, we deeply appreciate your kindness!