Tutorial Learning Center Update July, 2013

Global Development Networks Thai ministry partner, the Sustainable Development Research Foundation (SDRF) is going deeper into the lives of the Lua speaking hill tribal people of remote northern Thailand. Here are two examples: First, two years ago the SDRF launched Tutorial learning Center (TLC) with 12 students in the Baw Klua District at the Center for Sustainable development (CSD). TLCs mission is to radically transform the communitys at-risk youth with life-changing choices in academic and vocational domains. TLC strengthens the Thai educational experience by creating a communal environment in which youth are provided with opportunities to acquire English, develop computer skills, learn Bible, and participate in vocational projects. TLC is not an orphanage. The students have intact families which work together with TLC to facilitate a platform designed to provide opportunities for tomorrows leaders. Many of the youth live too far away to participate in a learning environment, so TLC bridges this gap. The SDRF invites scholarship providers to go deeper by impacting the TLC community as a whole. Why? In the Thai context relationships are communal in nature. Scholarship providers are given community updates on TLC rather than receiving individual student letters of conventional programs. We praise God that the needs of the students were met for the current academic year. As SDRF desires to make more opportunities for more youth by increasing the TLC student population to 30 in the next academic cycle, such a move will require deeper commitment on the part of scholarship providers. Second, an appropriate technology team from Drexel University recently completed their fourth visit to the CSD where TLC is also located. This year the team focused on two projects with the CSDimproving their collaborative design of an appropriate technology rice planter and the design of a local water filtering system. TLC students also have exposure from the team. One of the rooms of a newly constructed TLC multipurpose building will have a shop for manufacturing the appropriate technology tools developed by the Drexel/CSD partnership. In addition, the building will have a computer lab. Another room will be a combination library and classroom dedicated for English acquisition, appropriate technology, sustainable development, and spiritual formation. The final room will be a telecommunications room for doing distance learning courses connected to Drexel and other key educational points from around the world. We praise God for these developments. Thank you!

David Stockamp Vice-President Global Development Network

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Drexel Team with community leaders

TLCs new multi-purpose building