About us
Baan Unrak was founded in 1990 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. They saw what I was doing with the children and trusted me. They were the one to bring the children and mother at risk. In most of the cases I did not have the heart to say no" Mothers were always asked to stay and work at Baan Unrak. Baan Unrak offered them the possibility to work and at the same time to stay with their children which was an impossibility in any other place in Thailand.
The number of children staying at the house increased day by day, and Baan Unrak grew to become a children's shelter. Today, there are about 130 children. The project is managed by Didi Devamala, local staff and by volunteers from around the world.
Baan Unrak, translated from Thai as "House of Joy", is a children's home and community development project in Sangkhlaburi,Thailand.
Our biggest project is our children's home, which provides a loving home, food, medical care and education to over 130 children from Thailand, Burma including the neighboring Mon and Karen States.
In addition to the home, Baan Unrak founded an accredited primary school in 2004 in order to provide formal education for our children.
Our women's project is aimed to address the many issues faced by needy women along the border by providing vocational training, jobs and English lessons to single mothers and women.
Our History
Love
Our Immense Good Fortune
Baan Unrak has been blessed with good fortune in too many ways to count. One especially important way is our friendship with Anna Maria Corradimi. Through her advice and generosity we have been able to build a wonderful home for our children. We will be eternally thankful to her.