Seven Peaks and KFAM Reunite for Social Impact in 2024

The 2024 Kharma Family (KFAM) Project expedition shone a beacon of hope for remote communities nestled in the hills of Omkoi, located in rural Chiang Mai. 

Remote communities and difficult terrain in the district of Omkoi limits travel in and out of their villages, limiting children’s access to formal education. This makes the 170+ informal education centers in Omkoi vital for children in the area. Yet each informal education center in Omkoi is too small to be officially considered a school by the government, and lacks reliable infrastructure and support. 

In KFAM’s 2023-2024 project, the organization focused on helping seven Omkoi schools in the Jue Ta area, which combined supports a community of around 200 people. While some organizations had previously supported these schools and beneficiaries, the lack of funds and maintenance has left buildings and solar panels from a decade ago in a state of disrepair, and the schools without a consistent source of power. 

“There are systemic issues that make it difficult for rural villages to receive assistance,” reported Guk Srisawat, Employee Relations Manager at Seven Peaks. “And, after Covid, it’s been much harder to raise funds for these rural villages, which means they are faced with greater hardship. We were also faced with great personal challenges this year, but overcame that with the strongest resolve and unwavering commitment from the KFAM leadership.”

A decade of commitment to better education and quality of life

Guk has been involved with KFAM for about 10 years, and is one of the key drivers of Seven Peaks’ annual contributions and consistent volunteering with the organization since 2011 – as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. 

Founded by Nion Sunpawishu, KFAM operates across Thailand, focusing on providing essentials and support to children in need. This year’s expedition was also led by KFAM co-founders Heide Stollberg and our CEO Jostein Aksnes. KFAM is a charity dedicated to empowering youth in disadvantaged regions through education and community development projects. 

The collaboration includes volunteering in educational support and basic necessities distribution drives for rural communities, as well as virtual support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our continuous commitment to the cause echoes our dedication to empowerment, and our belief that every individual deserves to be seen, heard and supported – regardless of background or circumstance. 

Both Seven Peaks and KFAM are united in their commitment to fostering positive change for underprivileged children in Thailand.

A lasting impact for children in rural communities

The project began months in advance, with generous donations from organizations and individuals around Thailand.

However, KFAM’s on-ground team encountered unexpected heavy rainfall and flooding, disrupting original plans and limiting our reach.  After taking a detour through rough terrain on small vehicles, our colleagues, a team of dedicated KFAM project leaders, and members of the Thai Army Special forces finally reached the Jue Ta schools. 

“It was great to see the impact we have,” says Manoj Palkar, a .NET Back-end Developer at Seven Peaks. Manoj is a first-time KFAM volunteer, and is inspired to join again next year. “Money donated has to be spent in the right place, and since we were working at ground level, we ensured that this was done properly.”

Our team of volunteers took turns cooking, entertaining, and creating lasting memories with the children and adults of the rural villages. Despite language barriers, Manoj, Andy, and several of the non-Thai volunteers were able to connect with the children in Jue Ta through sports, games, and fun interactive activities.

Plus, with our contributions, the KFAM 2023-2024 project has been able to provide resources like:

• Improved solar cell capacity to generate enough electricity to power the schools, teacher’s dormitories, and appliances such as computers and printers used to create teaching materials
• Construction and repairs to essential buildings including a cafeteria, clean bathrooms, and housing for teachers
• Multiple donations of equipment including computers, printers, sports equipment, desks, clothing, powdered milk, and other essentials
• Additional chickens, geese, and frogs to provide the community with self-sufficient sources of protein and nutrition

Most importantly, the team’s efforts created sustainable change that makes a lasting impact on these remote communities, and provides teachers in these rural areas the support they need to continue to provide critical education. It was incredibly heartwarming to see the positive responses of the local children and teachers, and to hear of the lasting impacts KFAM’s efforts have left on these communities. 

Building connections and inspiring change

As Seven Peaks continues this tradition in the years to come, we aim to not only provide material aid, but to be catalysts for positive change. Thanks to the commitment of our colleagues, we helped KFAM strengthen the relationships between the team that extends beyond this year’s project, including with members of the special forces. 

“It was great to see the guys that were there from the previous year and share a good time,” says Andy Watts, a second-year returning volunteer. “It’s quite a privilege to be a part of this.”

Andy’s involvement has also inspired people like his wife, OIivia Watts, to get involved with the charity. As headteacher at the The British Early Years Centre (BEYC) in Bangkok, Olivia arranged donations of furniture from the kindergarten’s old campus, and is passionate about taking part in future KFAM initiatives. 

By continuing to support and get involved with KFAM’s projects, including the substantial amount of donations and contributions from our colleagues at Seven Peaks and beyond, who may not be able to physically take part in the onsite expedition itself –  together we can make a lasting impact that creates a ripple of change that resonates far beyond the hills of rural Chiang Mai.