Corporate volunteers renovate Baan Kang Pralom School in Kanchanaburi province

July 2013 │ Thailand

On the evening of July 19, 97 volunteers from Deutsche Bank Bangkok branch, together with Singapore colleagues, former Deutsche colleagues, and their family members, headed to Kanchanaburi, a province located in the west of Thailand, to participate in a weekend Corporate Responsibility event.

After a very early breakfast on Saturday, the group drove to Baan Kang Pralom, a very small village in the middle of the jungle, to renovate the community’s primary school. All participants were divided into groups of 4  5 who either had to attach new walls, fix and clean old tables and chairs, or paint the school interior. After receiving a brief introduction, the volunteers started work and everybody worked with enthusiasm and joy. School children were eager to support the volunteers with refreshments throughout the hot and humid day.

At noontime, members of the village community and the Deutsche kitchen team organised a very delicious local Thai lunch and afterwards the volunteers finished all smaller details, like attaching the blackboard, carrying the tables and chairs back into the school, or drawing some cartoons on the wall for the children. After finishing their tasks, the volunteers celebrated together with the community who performed classical dances. In return, the Deutsche volunteers arranged some fun activities like races and tug of war with the young students and villagers who enjoyed them very much.

In the evening all participants gathered in the resort to have a dinner together and to join the night event which cemented the friendship and a remarkable night to the amusement of all.

On Sunday morning the group drove into the jungle again to have a small ceremony with village officials who thanked Deutsche Bank for its help and efforts in renovating their school. This trip was a very good opportunity for the participants to bond together, meet former Deutsche Bank colleagues and more importantly to help the local community.