Despite the havoc of Thailand’s worst flood in 50 years, Books for Thailand Foundation’s distribution inched up to 12,020 volumes in 2011 (for 2010: 11,844 volumes), though the number of receiving institutions dropped to 112 from 129 in 2010 as teachers focused on saving their schools and homes.

The Foundation observed UNESCO’s International Literacy Day (September 5), inviting clients chosen to show the diverse markets served by the Foundation. That day, 2,005 volumes were given to 13 institutions, including 3 secondary schools in Surin province, in Thailand’s arid and very poor northeast. The Surin teachers were overjoyed to see our books – they’d been expecting second-hand volumes and in small quantities -- not new, up-to-date titles in such large quantities.

All three Surin teachers came on travel grants which the ALF very generously gives to those needing it to come select books that best meet their readers’ needs. Each grant covers basic transportation, room and board from the client’s school to Bangkok and back. Each teacher selected 130 books.

Virtually no school the Foundation serves can afford to buy books such as those that the Foundation gives out, because each volume costs about a week’s income at minimum wage levels.

As the floods began, Books for Thailand gave books for children to read at a temporary day care center established by McThai (McDonald’s local representative) for evacuees.

At press time, the Foundation was coordinating with ALF, The Asia Foundation, The Nation Group, and the American Chamber of Commerce to help rebuild the libraries of flood-damaged schools.

More about their program: www.asiafoundation.org/program/overview/books-for-asia-in-thailand

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