Founded officially on 14 June 1988, the Chaipattana Foundation or ‘Victory of Development Foundation’ was established by His Majesty King Bhumibol as a Honorary President and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as Executive Chairperson, to be the leading royal institution to help with development initiatives for the Thai people.
Today, Princess Sirindhorn is carrying on in her father’s footsteps by working throughout the country to encourage and instigate socio-economic development projects. The Chaipattana Foundation has five core objectives focused specifically upon supporting and encouraging socio-economic development projects, carrying out projects that are beneficial to the people of Thailand and the country as a whole; all of which is conducted in a manner not aligned in any way with political affairs.
Secretary General of the Chaipattana Foundation Dr Sumet Tantivejkul highlights the connection local communities in Thailand have with the Royal Family: “People have respect and love and faith in His Majesty. The tendency of the people now is that when they face some difficulty in their life, they do not go to the government – the first person they write to is to His Majesty. We receive a lot of letters for him every day. We have had democracy for many years, but people still seek help from the Royal Family. It’s the easiest and quickest way. The government is still too slow and cannot respond immediately.”
The Chaipattana Foundation is not only involved in conventional local development projects, but carries on King Bhumibol’s passion for innovation by working to develop novel solutions to an array of challenges encountered by local communities in areas such as agriculture, sustainable use of resources and environmental improvements. As a result new techniques such as integrated farming have been introduced throughout rural Thailand, as well as a number of new projects, such as the Chaipattana Aerator which is designed to help improve water quality.
The Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development Project in Petchaburi Province is a wastewater treatment plant that relies on natural processes to breakdown and recycle wastewater, but also includes the ingenious use of natural processes to ensure that nothing goes to waste, and that value-added products are also made, such as fresh food from the onsite fish farm.
This project has made a significant improvement to the local environment, having installed a system of sustainability for both wastewater treatment, food production and the growth of natural habitats such as mangrove swamp in the surrounding areas. On top of that, the location has become one of Thailand’s most important sites for migratory birds with numerous species previously thought to have vanished now returning to the region throughout the seasons.
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