The Dulabhatorn Foundation is dedicated to improving access to education for disadvantaged special-needs children and young people in Northern Thailand. We are committed to making a positive impact on their lives by providing them with the necessary resources and support. Our team is passionate about creating a brighter future for these children and young people, and we strive to make a difference through our various educational projects and initiatives.

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Mission & Objectives

A few years ago, DBF changed its focus from general educational support for poor children to education and training of children with intellectual, developmental or physical disabilities that made it difficult for them to benefit fully from the standard Thai educational system. Children with special needs require an individualized approach adapted to their skills and limitations if they are to make use of available opportunities, helping them to become happier, more independent, self-confident and able to participate in and contribute to their communities. At the Foundation, we aim to identify and evaluate alternative approaches to help these children perform to their highest potential.

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We provide support and resources for children, their parents, caregivers and their communities to ensure an environment conducive to individual growth and long-term community capacity strengthening.

 

We are working toward a future in which:

•All children, especially those with special needs, will have access to high-quality education and/or training, beginning with the pre-school experience.  Special-needs children will be empowered –- they will understand their rights, develop their potential and become full participants in society to the greatest extent possible.

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Awareness in the community and at local, provincial and national government levels of the potential contributions of disabled individuals will increase. They will be seen as members of society able to learn, work and become full participants in the community and in society generally.

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We aim to innovate, evaluate, document and disseminate our integrated approach and supporting activities to increase intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth of special-needs children leading towards greater independence, self-confidence, contentment and happiness in their lives.

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Board of Directors

The Foundation’s Board of Directors sets the direction of the Foundation’s work. Members advise the Foundation on technical, legal, financial and fundraising activities and are responsible for approving major expenditures, reviewing progress, and monitoring finances.

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Chairman

• Marianne Doberstyn: A certified Montessori teacher, former owner/director of the Montessori School of Washington, DC. American.
   

Board Members

• Anchalee Singhanetra-Renard:  A retired professor of Geography from Chiang Mai University, specializing in migration and indigenous people in Thailand and Burma. Thai. 

• Wilawan Senaratana: Formerly Dean, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University

• Sansanee Rajchagool: Dentist, oral public health specialist, mother of an adult child with Down's Syndrome
   

Management Committee

The Executive Management Committee (EMC) forms the backbone of our on-the-ground activities: a number of prominent Chiang Mai residents and volunteers who are dedicated to identifying appropriate and deserving individuals and partner organizations and formulating proposals to submit to the Board of Directors for funding. Their integration with the Foundation administration, the community and networks of local contacts has proven extraordinarily helpful in the selection, execution and implementation of the Foundation’s activities.

 

The Committee also assists with the administrative planning of projects, and, through personal visits and correspondence, assures strict monitoring and evaluation standards for projects after they have been funded.