Citylife Garden Fair Supported Charity: The SWAN Foundation

 |  October 29, 2018
Location of planned play area.

The SWAN Foundation is a Thai registered not-for-profit based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, officially established in 2011. Prior to registration, the education activities were operated under the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN), an organisation developed along the Thai-Shan border in 1999. The Foundation has made education accessible for thousands of displaced children in Chiang Mai Province, providing children with their basic right to education.

Funding from Citylife will support the development of a playground at one of our SWAN supported nursery schools, located at the Koung Jor temporary camp in Piang Luang village of Wiang Haeng district with 120 students from the ages of 2 to 5 years old. Currently, the children have access to few donated toys but are lacking any outdoor infrastructure to develop their gross motor skills. For instance, climbing activities can increase a child’s awareness of their own body parts and teach problem solving skills while a swinging playset can enhance a child’s coordination and balance. Many of these children have difficult upbringings with family members affected by HIV, parents working long days and living in impoverished conditions. At the SWAN Foundation, we believe it is important for children to enjoy their childhoods and despite their situation, to still be a kid.