Nu Skin Gives Grass Roots Support to Tsunami Victims

Bangkok - With massive amounts of aid coming in from all over the world to help those most severely affected by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the committee members of the Nu Skin Tsunami Fund decided that the best way to make a lasting contribution to the reconstruction efforts in southern Thailand was in a direct grass-roots level.

Following the Tsunami strike, the committee members of the Nu Skin Tsunami Fund traveled to southern Thailand to see first-hand the extent of the damage and establish the most pertinent way to help directly. While most attention has been focused on the famous resort areas of Phuket and Phang Nga, there are many much smaller communities that have been devastated by this natural disaster.

After surveying over 100 local schools that were damaged by the Tsunami, the committee decided to donate 5 million Baht to rebuild the village schools in Ban Koh Lao and Ban Hin Chang in Ranong province. The fund was raised by Nu Skin branches in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Nu Skin Enterprises, U.S.A.

"The Nu Skin Tsunami Fund under the Force For Good Foundation marks another milestone in Nu Skin's mission to create a better world for children by improving human life, continuing indigenous cultures and protecting fragile environments," explained Pakapun Leevutinun, General Manager of Nu Skin Personal Care (Thailand) Limited, "We are very proud to be able to support the local community where we operate by raising this fund from our partners in South East Asia and the USA headquarters."

Ban Koh Lao is an outlying island community of local fishermen. Every day 129 students from various small islands are collected by 5 teachers in small boats and ferried to the school on the main island. The eco-friendly school was powered by solar electricity and the students help raise their own lunches with small fish farms. Since the Tsunami washed over the island, the school is in need of new classrooms, teacher's housing, library, fresh water supply and a new school ferry.

The Nu Skin Tsunami Fund will support the rebuilding of the Ban Koh Lao village school with 2.5 million Baht to pay for construction, materials and all necessary school equipment. It is hoped that in re-building the village school, the Nu Skin Tsunami Fund can also help in rebuilding the spirits of this remote community.

The school at Ban Hin Chang is considerably larger, with 395 students, however only 118 of them receive government assistance, as the remainder are sea gypsies without Thai nationality. The school does all it can to help these non-Thai students but they still have to bring their own rice to school as there is simply not enough government funding to feed all 395 pupils.

This situation was exacerbated when part of the school building was destroyed by the Tsunami waves.

The Nu Skin Tsunami Fund will donate 2.5 million Baht to pay for the repairs and re-building of the Ban Hin Chang School as well as providing much-needed basic necessities and scholastic equipment for its students.

The General Manager of Nu Skin Personal Care (Thailand) Ltd. met with the head of the Thai Red Cross in Ranong, the principals of the two designated schools and the Governor of Ranong to sign an agreement regarding the support for these needy causes with construction to take place between March and July 2005.

"By using these funds to rebuild community schools, Nu Skin can help rebuild whole communities. In rural Thailand, the local school is more than simply an educational institute. It is a focal point for the entire local community," said Pakapun, "These small outlying areas are often overlooked by larger charitable endeavors and we believe that this is one way Nu Skin can have a lasting impact on the lives and livelihoods of those communities unfortunate to have been in the path of the tidal waves."

The Nu Skin Tsunami Fund was established under the Force for Good Foundation in January 2005 to help support Tsunami victims in Southern Thailand. The fund was raised from five Nu Skin operations in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and the headquarters of Nu Skin Enterprises, USA.