On Monday (June 3), on her 33rd birthday, she will hold a charity event at the Yaowawit School in Phang Nga to collect items and funds for the school, and to raise awareness of the great work it does to help underprivileged children in Thailand.
Kaye, a Zumba instructor in Phuket, will hold a special Zumba class for volunteers and around 50 of the school’s 112 children from 5pm to 6pm in the school hall. Accommodation is also available at the school’s lodge.
Kaye is hoping to collect unwanted items from Phuketians to take to the school, such as clothing, sports equipment such as hula hoops, skateboards, table tennis and badminton racquets, electronics such as MP3 players, games consoles and DVDs, and board games and Lego.
People who wish to donate items can contact Kaye at kaye66@gmail.com or on 086 955 6169, or alternatively drop off items during the Dragons Phuket dragonboat team quiz night at the White Hart in Rawai on Thursday at 7.30pm. (For more information on the quiz night visit tinyurl.com/quizdragons).
People can also donate money to support the school with their running costs, such as covering accommodation, food, education and tuition fees.
Kaye said that when she was living in Khao Lak in 2011 she visited many of the local charity projects in the area to see what was going on. She had plans to set up a charity tour for tourists, to raise awareness of the charities in the area, but it didn’t eventuate.
“Yaowawit really affected me as it was such an amazing place for the children to grow up in, and considering their backgrounds they were all so amazing, kind and full of life.
“I could see that it was an fantastic project that I wanted to support,” Kaye explains.
So she spoke to Sabine Kraus, Yaowawit School’s project manager, and she and Phuket photographer Adriano Trapani held an underwater photography workshop weekend at the school.
“Since I have been back in Phuket, I haven’t had much chance to go to the school or do more projects with Yaowawit, so I decided I would dedicate my birthday to this project,” she said.
“In Phuket there are many charity events going on for the great charities here but I really wanted to put Yaowawit’s cause out there.”
Founded in the wake of the 2004 tsunami, the school in Kapong Village, Phang Nga, was officially opened in 2006 by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
It was set up to help children who had lost parents and relatives in the tsunami. Over the years, the school expanded and now accepts children from poor families and those whose parents are unable to support them.
The school is now home to 112 children who live full time on the school grounds. The children are provided with board, food as well as being educated in tourism, farming, arts, sports and business skills.
Students are given the opportunity to go to university, start their own business or just be a valuable member of their community in their adult life.
The school is also a member of the Children’s World Academy Foundations Germany and Thailand.
For people in Thailand, the bank account details to donate to are:
SICOTHBK Siam Commercial Bank
Account Type: Saving Account
Account Name: Yaowawit School
Account number: 5332424938
Ref: Kaye Birthday
For those out of Thailand wishing to donate money, visit here.
For more information visit the Facebook event page, visit here.
For more information on Yaowawit School, visit here.
On Friday (May 31) Kaye will also be having joint birthday celebrations with Annabel Fox at Xana Beach Club with a special British-themed night. The event starts at 8pm.
London ice tea cocktails and classic British grub such as fish ‘n’ chips will be available, with DJ Kensho spinning the tunes. There are also prizes for the ‘best dressed British’.