The unfortunate tsunami that struck Baan Nam Khem in 2004 left remnants of that disaster in the small fishing village in Phuket, Thailand. As Baan Nam Khem took the hardest hit of all the coastal villages, the tsunami destroyed its grounds and took away the lives of more than half its population. While this disastrous event had become a fading memory for some, the reality of rebuilding the affected communities is but one of the devastating impacts that the people of Baan Nam Khem had to cope with.
For the past four years, NTU Psychology Society and The New Light Community Development Center have collaborated on Project Arise Beyond — a project that dedicated efforts to provide relief and aid to the communities of Baan Nam Khem. The New Light Community Development Center is a non-profit organisation that provided financial assistance and social support to the villagers of Baan Nam Khem.
This year, for 10 service days from 3 – 14 June 2019, team members of Project Arise Beyond taught the Burmese children at the New Light Community Development Center, English, Mathematics, and Arts and Crafts. Being a part of Baan Nam Khem’s recovery process, the team members were also involved in the school’s improvement works, putting in hours to create a cement pavement for the school’s farm. As part of their learning to understand the importance of recycling and responsible trash disposal, team members join in a beach cleanup. The team also collected clothes prior to the trip through a clothes donation drive for the children of Baan Nam Khem.
Other than the fulfilling experience of being able to help and interact with the villagers, team members also had a meaningful cultural exchange with students from Thailand Public School.
“They have so little, but yet they are always giving, without asking for return. That’s not what we can experience back in Singapore.” Shermine Lau, Outreach Director
About NTU Psychology Society
The NTU Psychology Society aims to provide support for Psychology majors in NTU and to make their stay in NTU a more exciting one. NTU Psychology Society also strives to create an educated awareness of, and to foster a greater interest in, the field of Psychology to the masses in NTU and beyond.
