Bounce Rubber Bands is proud to announce our 2018/2019 financial year donation to Borderless Friendship WA through our corporate social responsibility program “Bounce Back”. Bounce Rubber Bands in partnership with the Rotary Club of Wyong/Tuggerah will provide essential equipment (beds, mosquito nets and wardrobes). These items will be used within new accommodation – a safe place for up to 30 young hill tribe to live while they attend vocational education or university in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The project is budgeted at over $20,000, in which Bounce Rubber Bands, in partnership with Rotary Wyong/Tuggerah were able to donate $8,090.
Borderless Friendship Foundation (BFF) and Borderless Friendship WA (BFWA) do incredible work for hill-tribe children in rural Thailand. BFF supports seven different hostels over an area of 300sq kilometres housing more than 300 children in safe accommodation. While, BFWA, a Perth based not-for-profit registered group, has been operating in the area since 2010 to support the activities of Borderless Friendship Thailand, with particular focus on sex and relationship education and the organisation of sponsorships.
In terms of the project and the Bounce Rubber Bands donation, thirty students between the ages of 17-22 will benefit considerably. After leaving Leadership Home and other hostels, they require a safe place to live where they are supported with the basic essentials. This allows them to focus on vocational education or university studies. The beds, mosquito nets and wardrobes will help this happen.
Young people who gain an education are far more likely to send their own children to school. The positive cycle of education lifts people from poverty. In the long term, hundreds of hill tribe people benefit because these young people will be the leaders of the future. Educating children enables them to educate others.
It is vital that these extremely vulnerable young people to continue to go to school. Attending school provides them with the opportunity to move from stateless to having an official identity in Thailand. This will then enable the young people to gain an education and to have the chance to obtain legitimate, fulfilling job opportunities rather than a horrific life in the drug trade or sex industry. UNICEF estimates that the number of children under the age of 16 working in the sex industry in Thailand is 60,000; many of those are hill tribe children. Because most hill tribe people do not have an ID, children can ‘disappear’ – this is a complex issue with multi-faceted solutions. BFWA is involved with community education – SAY NO to sex trafficking plus sexuality and relationship education for young people and caretakers, plus many sustainable agriculture projects.
By purchasing Bounce Rubber Bands® at your local retailer, wholesaler or reseller you are helping us provide support to these amazing projects through our corporate social responsibility initiative ‘Bounce Back’. For more information on BFF and their work head to their website or check out their Facebook page for regular updates. If you are able to support one or more of the hill tribe children directly by becoming a valued sponsor, please email info-wa@borderlessfriendship.org.
Bounce Rubber Bands® takes great pride in their products, service levels and commitment to client satisfaction. We offer industry best pricing and work with reputable distributors around Australia and internationally. If you have any questions or expressions of interest in becoming one of our reputable re-sellers, please Contact Bounce Rubber Bands® today!