New Foundation in Phuket to provide grants for the most vulnerable communities

Living Waters Phuket was launched this week, the first fully established legal structure to provide grants to projects investing in sustainable community solutions across Phuket and the surrounding islands.

A united Foundation

This one-of-a-kind and brand-new Foundation, launched as Living Waters Phuket this week, is working to combine the efforts of registered charities, foundations, private companies and government organisations. The new Foundation aims to provide strategic and credible aid by issuing financial grants to projects around essential relief areas, including solutions to sustainable food security, education, renewable energy and environmental issues.

The Foundation marks its official Phuket launch on November 1, 2021 with the announcement of an unparalleled financial grant for a ‘sizeable’ collaborative food donation program. The initiative consists of over 8,700 ‘Super Life Packs’ to help families in need; working together with the Phuket Red Cross, Phuket Has Been Good To Us and several government departments.

Where it all began

Shaun Stenning, CEO and founder of 5 Star Marine, and his team have been diligently running their ‘Life Bags’ food donation program for over 20 months in Phuket. Their dedication towards the most vulnerable communities across Phuket and the surrounding islands has been an essential effort, and has seen a staggering effort from their staff and volunteers, and non-stop weekly funding, sourcing, packing and delivery efforts.

They continued this relief aid throughout the Covid pandemic, and carried on despite many imposed ‘restrictions’ stopping volunteers packing;. During this time 5 Star Marine and Sutai Muay Thai solely took over packing efforts to keep the deliveries going, including targeting some of the most remote and hardest to reach areas. They also looked after Phuket’s islands utilising the fleet of 5 Star Marine speedboats.

“Phuket has needed a well thought out Foundation for a long time, and I am excited to see many more positive initiatives get the opportunity to come to fruition in the future. I founded Living Waters Phuket to carry forward the work 5 Star Marine completed during the Pandemic, providing Life Bags to over 360,000 families.”

“Now Living Waters Phuket can continue on and provide sustainable solutions to food security, education and environmental issues.”

A natural extension

Living Waters Phuket was born as a natural extension to the past 20 months’ worth of relief efforts. Shaun believed it was an obvious strategic evolution of the work they’d been doing around the island. So now they’ve funded this first-of-its-kind Foundation in Phuket to provide a longer-term, sustainable and ongoing means to continue relief via funds for projects where the community needs the help most.

First-of-a-kind grant collaboration

Living Waters Phuket, together with 5 Star Marine, has granted a financial aid package for over 88,700 ‘Super Life Packs’, which contain enough staple food items to feed a family of 4 people for a whole week. This effort will include 44 tonnes of rice, along with noodles, tinned fish, and nearly 9,000 litres of cooking oil and sauces.

This financially funded project marks the largest single food bag donation to date, and the execution will be a collaborative effort between Living Waters Phuket, 5 Star Marine, the Phuket Red Cross, Phuket Has Been Good To Us and various government departments.

Sustainable support

The foundation has already been involved in supporting a sustainable farming and food production education program for the Kathu Wittaya School. This long-term initiative is designed around teaching nearly 1,000 children about producing food, with all food grown being donated to a local orphanage. This also aims to give these children the skills to be self-sufficient and take this knowledge back to their communities in the hope of a better future.

Grants are currently being awarded to community groups: Not-for-profit organisations and individuals who want to bridge a gap by finding solutions to sustainable food security, education, renewable energy and environmental issues.

The independent board of advisors at Living Waters Phuket will review each grant application objectively, fairly and impartially.

More information on Living Waters Phuket…

Shaun Stenning
TELEPHONE: +66 (0)937206221
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/livingwatersphuket
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/livingwatersphuket/
YOUTUBE: youtube.com/channel/UC1UUvFHaT1BGZ6FQUxvE3Ow
TWITTER: twitter.com/livingwaters_th