About Us
Baan Unrak – "The Home of Joy" – is a Children's Home and community development project in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand.
Our Children's Home provides a loving home, food, medical care and education to over 130 children from Thailand and Burma, including the neighboring Mon and Karen States.
Supporting projects include our Women’s Project, Baan Unrak Weaving and Sewing Center, the Restaurant & Café and our Organic Garden & Farm.
Neo-Humanism is our guiding principle. It is an ecological and holistic philosophy. It is the spirit of love and kindness.
Our Philosophy
To teach love, one must embody it.
To embody love, one must see all as divine.
To see all as divine, one must practice methods
of contemplation and inner reflection.
Only then will one embody the true spirit of
universal outlook in their thoughts and actions.
Our Story
Baan Unrak was founded in 1990 by Donata Dolci, Didi. She came to Sangkhlaburi to manage an agricultural project, but the situation she found changed her plans, and her life, completely.
An abandoned woman approached Didi, asking for help to take care of her child. Both the mother and the baby were suffering from severe malnutrition and other sicknesses.
“Many villagers in the area lived in harsh conditions.
They saw what I was doing with the child and trusted me.
They were the ones to bring the children and mothers at risk to me.
In most cases, I did not have the heart to say no."
The number of children staying at the house increased over the years. Today, Baan Unrak is a loving home for over 130 children. The project is managed by Didi and local staff, with the help of volunteers from around the world.
Our Town: Sadness Behind The Beauty
Sangkhlaburi looks to be an idyllic little town beside a beautiful lake.
Yet in this natural heaven, there is so much suffering and hardship. There is a community without a country.
This area is home for many refugees who fled the war in Burma/Myanmar. Leaving family and community behind has destroyed their support networks and exasperated the challenges of finding themselves in a foreign country and culture.
Burmese immigrants are restricted to live in a small region near the border where they encounter discrimination and lack of jobs. Access to medical treatment and public education is minimal as immigrants face great barriers to receiving social services without legal papers. They are "stateless".
Due to the stress, families break down and the children find themselves alone.
Annual Reports: