NEWS AND REPORTS

As part of our ongoing mission, IV Thailand, a Japanese non-profit organization based in Thailand, is pleased to report on the recent handover of our annual scholarship donation to the Pibun Foundation.

The Pibun Foundation operates under the Department of Corrections and is dedicated to providing direct support to inmates, former inmates, and their families. Our contribution aims to create educational opportunities for the children of inmates, supporting their future prospects.

The Scholarship Handover Ceremony

For the 2025 academic year, IV Thailand has donated 40,000 THB. This fund will provide scholarships of 2,000 THB each to 20 children, covering essential educational expenses. Our members, Pau, Ito, Chan, and Iimura, had the honor of presenting the scholarship to Mr. Paitoon Mongkolhattee, Acting Head of the Inspection Department of the Department of Corrections.

Insights from the Corrections Museum Visit

Following the ceremony, we were given a guided tour of the Corrections Museum. The museum exhibition powerfully illustrates the evolution of the Thai penal system, chronicling its shift in philosophy from a place of punishment to a center for reform and preparation for social reintegration.

The museum also displays impressive art pieces created by inmates, and we learned that the Department organizes a public art exhibition of their work every year.

We were introduced to the vocational and reintegration programs offered to inmates. The museum shop sells handicrafts and other products made by inmates in prisons across Thailand. Significantly, 70% of the revenue from these sales goes directly to the inmate who created the product, while the remaining 30% is used to manage and sustain these vital support programs.

As government funding is primarily allocated for staff-related expenses, these programs depend on their own generated revenue to operate.

Adjacent to the museum, facilities such as a restaurant, café, massage shop, and barber shop are run by the Nonthaburi Central Prison, providing current and former inmates with valuable on-the-job training.

Our visit was a deeply moving experience, reinforcing our admiration for the impactful work being done by the Pibun Foundation and the Department of Corrections to provide second chances. IV Thailand remains committed to contributing to our community and supporting a society where everyone has the opportunity to build a better future.

The Foundation of International Volunteers in Thailand (IV-Thailand) is proud to announce that we have welcomed the UN-accredited NGO, Certified NPO Terra Renaissance, as a new partner in our management and operations.

On August 10, 2022, we officially appointed four staff members from Terra Renaissance to our board of directors. Moving forward, we will leverage the extensive experience that Terra Renaissance has cultivated through its work supporting victims of conflict and promoting peace in nine countries. Together, we plan to launch new educational projects and advance policy advocacy to nurture a generation of peacemakers here in Thailand.

Under this new partnership, the youth support initiatives that IV-Thailand has long championed will be continued and strengthened. As a first step, we collaborated with Terra Renaissance on November 7, 2022, to provide scholarships to children whose parents are incarcerated for drug-related offenses, distributing them through the Pibulsongkram Foundation of the Thai Department of Corrections. This program continues the vital work started many years ago by our founder, Sachiko Tominaga.

This unique collaboration, in which one Japanese NPO joins the management of an overseas foundation established by another, is a pioneering example of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: "Partnerships for the Goals".

We are confident that this new partnership will create an even greater impact for the youth and society of Thailand. We look forward to sharing our future activities with you.