Our History

Baan Unrak was founded in 1991 when Donata Dolci, also known as Didi Devamala, managing an agricultural project in Sangkhlaburi, was given a child with nowhere else to go. An abandoned wife had approached Didi to help take care of her child.

“Many villagers in the area live by harsh conditions. Both mother and baby suffered from severe malnutrition and other sicknesses. I thought I could provide some temporary help… It was so difficult for me to say no. The villagers saw what I was doing with the children and trusted me. In many cases I did not have the heart to refuse them.”

Too much work to be left undone

A Karen peasant’s wife died, leaving behind her six children. Their father had to work and could not look after the children. Didi took in the youngest girl, who was six months old, and her four elder sisters.
The number of children staying at the house increased day by day, and Baan Unrak grew to become an orphanage. Today, there are about 130 children. The project is managed by Didi Devamalam, Didi Anuraga,
by local staff and by volunteers from around the world.

• Find out more about Our Team
• Find out more about Didi
• See a Timeline of our development