History of Karunar dormitory

Karunar dormitory also commonly known as Elpis dormitory is located in Mae Pa, section 2, Tak Province, Thailand. The dormitory was founded by Mrs. Hae Htoo in 2004. Their mission is to provide unparented and underprivileged children a safe shelter and good opportunity to study.

The dormitory is managed by Mrs. Hae Htoo. She is Karunar dormitory’s supervisor and Elpis primary school’s headmistress. She manages the dormitory with 4 male administrative staff to take care of the children in the dormitory.

There are 28 male students and 27 female students living in Karunar dormitory. Among the 55 students that stay in the dormitory, as many as 45 students come from backgrounds of being orphaned, abandoned or neglected by their parents. The dormitory students come from different ethnicities, Karen, Burmese and Karenni. 22 students attend Hsa Thoo Lei High School, 32 students attend Elpis Primary School, 2 students attend Thai schools and 1 student attends a program called Youth Connect.
 

Saw Nyan Soe, an 18-years-old student in Grade 11, have been staying in Karunar dormitory since he was 14 years old. When he was 11 years old, his father passed away and his mother sent him to monastery. Then, his mother and uncle sent him to Karunar dormitory to have a good shelter and opportunity to study. His dream is to become a teacher after he graduated from school and teach in Elpis primary school. Karunar dormitory provides him food, shelter, school transportation fee and education.

There are currently 2 dormitories; 1for male students and the other for female students. The 2 buildings were built 2 years ago on Mrs. Hae Htoo’s land by Wide Horizons students as a part of their school community project. Students sleep on the floor by using mats, blankets, mosquito nets and pillows. They usually sleep at 10:00 PM and wake up at 06:00AM in the morning. The dormitory is also where they spend their time in studying, playing and resting.

Mae Tao Clinic supports the dormitory by providing dry food such as rice, oil and fish cane monthly. Every week, they also receive vegetable through the support of Life Impact. They owned land and they do not need to pay for the rent. Currently, Life Impact pay electricity bill. Student’s transportation fee is given by individual donors. They do not have any other source of income.

Since Karunar’s dormitory was established, they have provide many of unparented children with good shelter, food and opportunity for studying to get education and to build a better life in their future.

An estimated of over 20 unparented children from Karunar dormitory have completed their education in Elpis primary school. After they finished primary education from Elpis primary school, they continued to Hsa Thoo Lei High School. 8 of these students have completed high school and attended teacher trainings and the Youth Connect Program. After completing their training, 2 students have returned to the Karunar dormitory to work as a volunteer to take care of the students. They are also teaching in Elpis primary school.