Fantastic four
Once again, Friends of Unicef joins forces to give every child a fair chance
Thailand’s entertainment sweetheart Davika Hoorne was on the road to a remote mountainous area of northern Chiang Mai — not to shoot a new film but to see how she can help right unfair wrongs.
As a newly selected Friend of Unicef, Davika was visiting a school for migrant children in the orange orchards of Fang district. “There are so many children who live in extremely difficult conditions. Here in Thailand, migrant children are an example,” Davika said after the visit. “These children deserve the same opportunities as others.”
Originally from Myanmar’s Shan State, the migrant families now live in Thailand after crossing the border for work on the orchard farms. Although education is essential for children’s intellectual and social development, and even though Thai law recognises every child’s right to an education, many migrant children are kept at home while their parents work, partly out of fear of legal authorities, but also for the discrimination these children face when they do go to school. Financial constraints are also often another major obstacle these families face.
Volunteer teachers who met with Davika told her how they beg the parents to send their children to school. But it is a constant struggle to keep them coming every day. The school that Davika visited even encourages parents to study themselves, at night after work.
Davika is one of four new Friends of Unicef now working together to promote the #FightUnfair campaign to raise public awareness of the challenges facing children who are being left behind in Thailand’s development, and to call for equal opportunities and a fair chance for every child in Thailand, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
Vanessa Race, a child and brain-development expert; Kiatisak Senamuang, former head coach of Thailand’s national football team; and Patchara Chirathivat, an actor and singer, each bring a passionate voice and unique interest to the campaign.
In Thailand, disparities and exclusion remain major challenges to the healthy development, protection and education of children. According to the Thailand Development Research Institute, more than two million Thai children are living below the poverty line.
The Friends of Unicef are celebrities from different industries who partner with Unicef to promote the rights of children and to help recruit supporters to the cause. They help focus the public’s attention on the most pressing needs confronting children. They represent positive role models for young people, using their voices and fame to advocate for children’s rights, encourage positive action and mobilise resources to address the challenges.
The #FightUnfair campaign highlights the inequities that children experience in Thailand. The Friends of Unicef speak out on the importance of investing in early-childhood development for every child, protecting them from violence, ensuring inclusive education that brings them to school and helping every adolescent remain healthy, informed and engaged.
“Too often, poverty and social exclusion deprive Thailand’s most vulnerable children of the critical nutrition, healthcare, education and protection they need,” said
Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams
Thomas Davin, Unicef representative for Thailand. “We all have a role to play in building a future in which no child is left out of Thailand’s impressive development.”
Vanessa works with Unicef to raise awareness of the challenges facing children excluded — with a focus on early-childhood development. She earlier joined sports training and competition for children with intellectual disabilities organised by Special Olympics Thailand to promote physical and mental development for those with disabilities. “Parents and society should be open-minded and embrace these children with special needs,” she added. “No child should be left behind.”
Throughout her professional work, Vanessa emphasises the importance of early-childhood development and positive parenting as the means to the foundation for young people’s brain and growth development.
Too many children, particularly those living upcountry, are not receiving quality educational opportunities, said Kiatisak, a former head coach of Thailand’s national football team.
“Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams,” he said. Kiatisak added that he is committed to working with Unicef to raise awareness of the challenges facing children and promoting access to quality education.
The actor and singer Patchara said he believes teenagers’ voices should be heard and prioritised, but he realises how easy it is to forget that adolescents still need support and attention. After visiting a vocational school in Bangkok through his role with Unicef, Patchara learned that HIV remains a problem in Thailand, particularly among sexually active teenagers.
“Education and information are crucial to support their health as well as social and behavioural development,” he said. But he heard from teenagers he had met that sex education, as taught currently in schools, fails to equip them with the skills necessary to protect themselves from risks such as HIV, infections and pregnancy, as well as gender-related problems.
“The teaching is t oo f ocused on giving information rather than encouraging students to build critical thinking, communication and negotiation skills,” Patchara explained.
“They end up getting wrong information from friends or the internet.”
The four celebrities join actor Nichkhun Horvejkul and actress Paula Taylor, Friends of Unicef since 2013, in advocating for equal opportunity for every child in Thailand, including the poor, migrants, ethnic minorities and the disabled, who are lagging behind in health, education and overall development.