Send Somsak to University

Our foundation is looking for scholarship sponsors for one of our most talented students. 

Somsak is 18 years old and is currently studying in his final year at high school in Pai, Thailand. He has been always excellent at school, with a GPA of 3.60. Somsak currently lives with his father, older brother, and sister in a single rented room. His father works at a resort in Pai, earning the minimum wage, and Somsak works as a waiter in a restaurant after school to try to cover the living costs of his family. 

Somsak's mother left when he was two years old. She first went to work in Bangkok and sent money to support the family for two years, after which they never heard from her again. Somsak's father married again and Somsak thought of his new wife as his mother. However, his stepmother sadly passed away suddenly three years ago. After this tragedy the family has struggled to make ends meet. His parents had tried very hard to support all their children through school, and with them both working and saving all they could, they were able to support Somsak's older siblings into higher eduction. When his mother died, Kwah Dao helped his older brother, Suk, with expenses for his final year of university. Somsak previously told Kwah Dao staff that he and his father often didn't have enough to eat, as there was not enough money. In the past Kwah Dao has assisted Somsak with small grants to help with school costs. Somsak has also tried to support himself by working in the evenings, but this left him little time for studying and has affected his grades. His father has not only borrowed money from his relatives for his children's education expenses, but he has also borrowed from a local moneylender, using their motocycles as a guarantee. He cannot take on any more debt, and although he wants to try to help support Somsak through university, he is uncertain how much he will be able to give him. He hopes that Somsak will always be a good person in society. 

Somsak has been attending English classes at Kwah Dao's After School Program for over five years, and has been an excellent student. He is very smart and obviously enjoys learning. He has an amazing ability to pick up new concepts and remember everything that he has learnt, and has been one of the most dedicated attendees of his group, often requesting extra classes when we have enough volunteers to run them. He is very kind and helpful young man and gets on well with Kwah Dao staff. For the last six motnhs he has also been helping out by cutting the grass at the Kwah Dao Center. He is really into sports especially football, and loves Real Madrid: Christiano Ronaldo is his favourite player, and has come up in many of our English classes. 

Somsak strongly believes that he and his family will have a better future through education, and that if he graduates he will have the opportunity to get a good job and earn enough money to help support his father. He is hoping to study English at Mae Jo University near Chiang Mai, Thailand. He says that he really enjoys studying English and has a natural ability for it. He is very interested in Western things, and thinks that English will bring many professional opportunities in the future as it is widely used within Thailand in many sectors. Somsak says that if he is lucky enough to go to university, he will study hard and grab the opportunity to change his life and future. If Kwah Dao are not able to offer him a scholarship Somsak will be unable to attend university. He will stay in Pai and find a job, most likely as a waiter or guesthouse worker, to help with his family's expenses

.For a financial breakdown click here