Capital: Bangkok
Area: 514,000 km²
Population: 65.4 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Siamese, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Cambodians
Official language(s): Thai
Religion(s): Buddhism, Muslims, Christians
Currency: 1 baht = 100 satang
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
Whilst on a state visit to Austria in 1968, Queen Sirikit of Thailand visited SOS Children's Village Wienerwald in Hinterbrühl near Vienna and was immediately deeply impressed by Hermann Gmeiner's idea of giving orphaned and abandoned children the security of a family. After her return to Thailand, the SOS Children's Village Association of Thailand was founded in 1971 and became a member of SOS-Kinderdorf International. Construction work started on SOS Children's Village Bangpoo, near the capital Bangkok in 1972, and in 1974 the first SOS families were able to move in. The plot of land for this SOS Children's Village had been provided by the first president of the Thai SOS Children's Village Association, Mrs. Thanpuying Somsri Charoenrajapark. There is an SOS Kindergarten attached, which is also open to children from the neighbourhood.
Since then, more SOS Children's Villages have been built in Hatyai and Phuket, in the south and Nongkhai, in the north of the country. The first SOS Youth Facility went into operation in 1981. Here, the youths who have outgrown the SOS Children's Villages are helped towards being able to live on their own and assisted in finding jobs.
At present there are five SOS Children's Villages in Thailand, three SOS Youth Facilities and five SOS Kindergartens.
Website of SOS Children's Villages Thailand
(available in Thai and English)