Who has benefited from the fund?
Over the years the 1% Fund has assisted a large number of small, grass-roots organisations in achieving their goals and ambitions for societal, economic and ecological change. Below are just a few examples of the many projects benefiting from the 1% Fund over the years.
Over 200 Karen families and ethnic Thais in Dan Chang, Suphan Buri, have created extra income through the preservation of their weaving traditions. Likewise, a group of housewives from Surin has taken a study trip to the Central region to learn how to make nam prik (chili sauce) and make extra money.
This active encouragement and support also fosters closer ties between different rural communities, and has helped plant the seed to empower rural women.
Children are also targeted by the fund. Slum children living near Hualumphong Station had a chance to explore their imagination, through the At Home in the City programme. The children won first prize at a competition organised by the International Association for the Child’s Right to Play. Though first-time entrants, their creative model of an ideal environment made a deep impression on the judging committee.
For Raweewan Srithong, of the Project for Agroecology Development and Plant Genetic Resources Conservation, the fund has helped in many small ways to support her work with marginalised people near the border of Burma.
In 1998, the small grant enabled a group of hilltribe villagers to experiment with new spinning technology to improve the quality of their woven products. Last year, a group of nine Karen weavers learned about marketing during a study trip to the Northeast.
