Phuket now has two toy libraries where children in the area will be able to check toys out, in the same way that people borrow books from a lending library. The first opened in July last year at Wat Thephnimit, on Chao Fa East Road and the second at Hongyok Bamrung School in Mai Khao on June 1. A third is due to open soon at Wat Muang Mai School, also in the north of the island.

PCF President Pranee Sakulpipatana and Phuket Vice-Governor Tree Akaradecha with kids at the opening of the Hongyok Bamrung School toy library.

The toy libraries are the brainchild of the President of the Phuket Community Foundation (PCF), Acharn Pranee Sakulpipatana, formerly Assistant Professor at Rajabhat Phuket University.

She explained, “I saw my first toy library in Australia. It worked just like a book library. When the children brought the toys back, they would be cleaned and, if necessary repaired, ready for the next child. I thought it was a wonderful idea.”

“Toys are so important to the development of imagination and logic in children. They also help them, when playing with other kids, to develop their social skills. But in Phuket there are many families who are too poor to buy toys for their children. That’s why we felt this was something important for the island.”

The PCF, which was officially launched on August 13, 2007, also has a running project to replace faulty rear lights on motorcycles, with the aim of making riders safer at night. Two sessions have been held so far, with roughly 200 bulbs replaced, and more are planned.

While these projects are valuable to society, they are also a showcase for what the PCF believes it does best – bringing different parts of the community together to fix problems that are not being addressed by government, charities or community groups, in areas as diverse as poverty alleviation, education, public safety and health, arts and cultural heritage

Vocational College students replace motorbike rear lights.

“Technically, the PCF is a grant-making body,” says Alasdair Forbes, a board member-elect of the foundation. “We shouldn’t really be getting involved directly in managing projects ourselves. But we felt that if we didn’t do this it would take a lot longer for us to get the message across.

“To use a business analogy, we are to community groups and charities what a bank is to industry and commerce. A bank doesn’t make steel or cars, or trade in rice, but it plays a crucial role in supporting these activities with loans and with expert advice.

“People can come to us with an idea they want to get off the ground. We can help to find funding, pinpoint experts who can give advice, or call on volunteers to lend a hand.”

The toy libraries and motorbike projects showcase ways in which people can come together to make something happen. For example, for the Hongyok Bamrung School project, B210,000 was given by Niklaus Siegrist and the Phuket Direct Fund Association of Zurich to pay for toys and furniture to store them in. The furniture was designed by Apinan Torwannakasem.

Bamrung Sampaorat, Chairman of the Islamic Committee of Phuket, paid from his own pocket for the painting of the room, which was done in a single morning by sailors and marines from the USS Boxer (organised by Brad Kenny of the Patong Rotary). Dr Ong Tat Lien from Penang donated 2,100 children’s books to the project as a whole.

Crew members from the USS Boxer get to know the kids at Hongyok Bamrung School during their painting session there.

Paul Hurlow, of Hong Kong toymaker Drumwell gave 11 big boxes of toys. Additional toys came from private donors, including 60 toys donated by primary students at the British International School. The library will be run by the school itself. At the opening the Phuket International Hospital gave free health check-ups for children and put on a puppet show.

The motorbike rear light project similarly brings together different elements of society: bulbs were donated by motorbike dealers, a tent was borrowed from the Kusorndharm Foundation and chairs from a local temple. Students from the Vocational College volunteered their time to do the work. The PCF paid for reusable posters to be made, explaining why a functioning rear light is important. The total cost to the PCF was about 7,000 baht for the first session. Other sessions are, effectively, free.

The PCF, Alasdair explains, can provide a range of other services. These include acting as a conduit for funds from overseas without the need to set up a specific Thai foundation; and helping to support companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. As a registered Thai charity, the PCF can also provide something that has been lacking up to now – oversight of spending and transparency in accounting, so that donors know that the money they give is being applied in the way they expect.

The PCF is currently building a database of volunteers and experts. Alasdair suggests that anyone interested in getting involved should visit the PCF website (www.phuketcharity.org) to get a better understanding of how it all works and how they can help. There is a “Contact us” page for getting in touch direct.