On 14 February, more than 50 stuffed toy animals were gifted to children in Phuket Town – each one handmade by an IB CAS student from British International School, Phuket (BISP).

The recipients were the children of Baan Lung Pitak, a daycare centre for children aged two to five whose parents have been jailed for petty crimes.

The Year 12 CAS students conceived the project back in January and quickly got to work making the stuffed toys. They then secured the support of Colgate Thailand, who agreed to support their project by donating a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap to every child at Baan Lung Pitak. In the hope of providing the children with more supplies, the students reached out to the BISP community to sponsor each hygiene pack for 100 Baht. An additional 17,700 Baht was raised, which was then used to purchase diapers, stationery, cleaning products, rice, and a towel for each child. 

The children of Baan Lung Pitak spend their days in a two-room schoolhouse singing songs and doing activities with their teachers. At times there are up to 50 children cared for by three adults. 

Year 12 student, Megan, said it was emotional to see the children’s response to their gifts.

“They all gave us big hugs when we entered and I could see that this little act truly made a positive impact on their day. Once we had left, we couldn’t stop thinking of other ways we could work with this group in the future.

“We would like to extend our thanks to the BISP community for supporting our project and the children of Baan Lung Pitak,” Megan said.

BISP Extended Curriculum Coordinator, David Berman, commented: “This project was 100 percent student-led and is a perfect example of a meaningful CAS project. It’s fantastic to see our BISP students putting so much time, effort and thought into their projects.”

If you are interested in sponsoring this, or any other IB CAS project, please contact [email protected].