The Pakklong School was in a state of utter disrepair. It had only one building, (which was over 4 decades old and dilapidated) and there are only three classrooms to accommodate over a hundred pupils. Also, as the school caters for a variety of age groups, younger children are forced to share washing facilities with older students which means that they have difficulties reaching the taps and other facilities.

Festival Republic joined forces with Cradle to open a new school built from funds from guest list donations in the village of Pakklong. Pakklong village was badly affected by the 2004 Tsunami and Sharon has visited the area a number of times prior to the decision to build and Ola spent three months in early 2009 helping with the construction of the school. 

Now, Ola returns to Pakklong and the surrounding areas to teach English using his new language skills. See how he gets on with Thai and the new people he meets along the way.

The Return To Thailand

Read Ola's weekly blogs below:

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