OUR HISTORY
ABOUT US
Since 2000
Kids Ark was founded in 2000 by Allan and Rita Holm Gustafsson. The idea was born out of their time spent as volunteers at Viengping Children’s Home, a government orphanage in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
There they witnessed the plight of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, reduced to poverty and vulnerable to exploitation. Drawing on their joint experience—Rita as a nurse who had worked with the HIV/AIDS service organization Noaks Ark, and Allan as a retired economist—they created Kids Ark Foundation.
They began a Child Sponsorship Program with 53 children from the orphanage. Their objective was to arrange for these children to live with extended family while attending school. Providing children with an opportunity to live with relatives in familiar surroundings instead of in an institution is the hallmark of Kids Ark Foundation.
Over time, Kids Ark broadened the scope of its efforts by establishing House of Hope after-school programs and daycare centers to promote early childhood education. Presently, the foundation operates three Houses of Hope and one daycare center. In combination with child sponsorships, the foundation serves almost 300 children.
OUR TEAM
Suthee Chivaphongse
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Kids Ark – 2017
Suthee Chivaphongse is a qualified Certified Chartered Accountant from the UK and a member of the Thai Institute of Directors. He lived and worked in the UK for over 10 years before returning home to Thailand.
Daorueang Tanoy Maew (Annie)
OFFICE & FINANCIAL MANGER
Kids Ark – 2004
Annie manages the scholarship program and is responsible for the financial and administrative management of Kids Ark Foundation. She worked as a primary school teacher before joining Kids Ark in 2004.
Supaporn Maschakam (Ying)
TEACHER
Sansai House of Hope – 2007
Ying is the assistant leader of the Sansai House of Hope. A high-school graduate, she obtained a diploma as a nurse assistant while working at the House of Hope, thanks to a Kids Ark education allowance for staff. She joined the programme in 2007.
Benjaporn Phunsup (Ben)
TEACHER
Sansai House of Hope – 2022
Ben was a staff at 7-Eleven before joining the Sansai House of Hope. She Stopped work when she had her son and began working with the House of Hope Sansai in August 2022. She loves to be with children.
Khajorn Baisukan
COOK & HOUSE MOTHER
Sansai House of Hope – 2010
Khajorn Baisukan is the cook at the Sansai House of Hope. Her food is much appreciated by all the children! She has two daughters and a grandson and she comes from Sansai Chiang Mai. She began working at House of Hope in 2010.
Deannapa Chaiworng (Tik)
LEADER
Mae Ai House of Hope – 2015
Tik is a former teacher assistant at an elementary government school and lives in Mea-I district Chiang Mai with her two children. She joined Mae Ai House of Hope in November 2015.
Nitanya Jantawaree (Mint)
ASSISTANT LEADER/COOK
Mae Ai House of Hope – 2019
Mint is the cook at the Mae Ai House of Hope. She is a high-school graduate and cooked at a restaurant before joining Kids Ark’s in 2019. She lives with her son in Mea-I district, Chiang Mai.
Patcharee Surinta
LEADER
Kids Ark Daycare Center
Patcharee Surinta leads the Daycare Center at Banhoymonngnai village and has more than 18 years experience working with children. She has worked as a teacher assistant in the Kids Ark-supported school Banhoymongnai school and as a teacher at daycare centers in villages throughout Mae Ai district. In her free time, she is studying Home Economics in Child and Family Development at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.
Achara Jatae
ASSISTANT LEADER
Kids Ark Daycare Center – 2016
Achara Jatae joined Kids Ark Foundation in 2016. She is an assistant at the Daycare Center assistant and a member of the project called Developing Opportunities for Families in Need, which focuses on women in Baan Hoy Muang Nai village. She graduated from junior high school and is now studying in high school. Achara is very happy to be working with Kids Ark to help the children in her village.
Sew Boonla (Seew)
LEADER & TEACHER
Robin’s House of Hope – 2021
Sew Boonla (Seew) is the leader of Robins House of Hope. She has 2 children; a boy and a girl. She likes helping the villagers so they will have a better quality of life. She and her husband help with various projects. She received an Award for her work for the rights of women and children in the Mae Ai district. She is also a board member and leader of the women’s group in the village. She joined Kids Ark in 2021. She now studies at the University at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya in ChiangMai.
Mork Layoi (Nam)
ASSISTANT
Robin’s House of Hope – 2021
Nam graduated Secondary 3 before she began working with Robins House of Hope. She works in the village and in the rice field. She assists the leader with teaching the children and also helps to cook. She joined the program in 2021.
A Jorngjang
COOK
Robin’s House of Hope – 2021
A graduated Primary 6. She has a daughter who is in Primary 3. Before she began working with Robins House of Hope, she worked in the village and the rice field. She joined the program in 2021.
ADVISORY BOARD
Ms. Rita Holm Gustafsson
FOUNDER & ADVISORY BOARD
Kids Ark – 2000
In her native Sweden, Rita Holm Gustafsson is a registered nurse and nurse educator. She has worked in various fields. Rita spent 25 years teaching about HIV/AIDS policy. She also worked several years in managing positions at NoaksArk Foundation, a service organization for people living with HIV and their relatives. She has worked at a Red Cross center for migrants, refugees and people living with disability. Together with her late husband, Allan Gustafsson, she founded Kids Ark Foundation, Thailand.
Mr. Thomas Westheimer
ADVISORY BOARD
Kids Ark – 2008
Thomas Westheimer has been a volunteer with Kids Ark since 2008 and a board member since 2015. He helped to start a Kids Ark USA charity in the US and is a former US (Iran 1970-72) and Canadian (1973-76) Peace Corps volunteer. He ran a computer company for 20 years in the United States. He and his wife lived in Thailand from 1973 – 1983 and still see it as their second home. He also volunteers with The Foundation to Encourage the Potential of Disabled Persons and has been a Rotary member for over 24 years.
Mr. Rick Holofcener
ADVISORY BOARD
Kids Ark – 2021
Rick and the Lillian Holofcener Charitable Foundation has been involved with Kids Ark as a major donor for many years providing support for the Sansai House of Hope. Rick who has been living in Chiang Mai, Thailand since 2005 joined the advisory board in 2021 shortly after his father Lester Cohen passed away replacing Lester’s seat on the Advisory Board. Rick is a serial entrepreneur, but he is mostly retired now. He spends his time as a volunteer for Kids Ark Foundation and pursuing his interests in travel, sports, investments, and coffee shops.
Ms. Jennifer Raley
ADVISORY BOARD
Kids Ark – 2021
Jennifer Raley lives in Winter Haven, Florida. She has a background in Real Estate and owns and manages rental properties in Florida. Jennifer was introduced to Kids Ark by Willem Peppler (deceased), a longtime friend of Rita and Allan Gustafsson. Jennifer is passionate about Kids Ark Foundation: its mission, the individuals it serves, and those whose skills and energy make it happen.
Mr. Allan Gustafsson
FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER
Joint founder of Kids Ark, Allan Gustafsson (1929-2009) started his career in the Swedish Institute of Business Activity, after which he worked as an international executive for the Swedish pulp and paper industry for over 30 years. He subsequently volunteered for the Swedish Red Cross for several years. Allan held an MA from the University of Uppsala. He was the Economic Director of Kids Ark Foundation.
OUR BOARD
Mr. Suthee Chivaphongse
MANAGING DIRECTOR & TREASURER
Kids Ark – 2017
Suthee Chivaphongse is a qualified Certified Chartered Accountant from the UK and a member of the Thai Institute of Directors. He lived and worked in the UK for over 10 years before returning home to Thailand. His role as a senior management in the global manufacturing and oil & gas industry provides him opportunities to travel to many countries around the world. Traveling abroad allows him to see the differences in the culture, standard of living and education between Thailand and those countries. With the aim to close these gaps, he, therefore, decided to join Kids Arks in 2017 as a volunteer.
Ms. Chinarat Nakhasathien
CHAIRPERSON
Kids Ark Board – 2005
Ms. Chinarat Nakhasathien, Fon, was elected as Chairperson of the Board of Kids Ark Foundation in 2013. Born in Bangkok she holds a BA degree in Hotel and Tourism Management from Bangkok University and worked in the hotel business in Thailand and the Cayman Islands for six years. She holds a Master of Counseling Psychology. Fon has been a member of the Kids Ark Board since 2005.
Dr. Philip John Parry
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board – 2004
Dr. Parry is a UK and Thai-registered chiropractor working in hospitals in Bangkok and Chiang Mai for the past 20 years. He has an MSc in Chiropractic Pediatrics, a diploma in Child Development Psychology and is currently completing a PhD. Philip has been a board member since 2004.
Ms. Supajee Nilubol
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board – 2007
Khun Supajee Nilubol is the Honorary Consul of Sweden in the North of Thailand. She serves as the advisor to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Legislature’s Commissioner for Energy. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. She studied finance at Harvard University’s School of Business in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and engineering at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. She has been a board member since 2007.
Ms. Weena Thanachaisakul
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board – 2007
WeenaThanachaisakul (Goi), is Head of the Department of Art Education at Chiangmai University, Thailand. She holds a Masters degree in Education (Arts Education ) from Chulalongkom University, Bangkok, and a Bachelor degree in Art Education from Khonkaen University, Thailand. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in curriculum and instructional education at KhonKaen University. She is a widely traveled guest lecturer, and a winner of the 2005 Award, Book Festival for Young People, from The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand, Non-fiction category.
Mrs. Pronsarun Multi
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board – 2012
Mrs. Pornsarun Multi graduated with a master’s degree in Educational Administration. She used to serve as the director of Ban Hauy Poo School under the Office of Basic Education, Ministry of Education and worked with Kids Ark Foundation since 2012. Kids Ark Foundation has helped to promote and develop the quality of education of Ban Hauy Poo School so students have a better quality of life. She is now a pensioner.
Mr. Viroj Lerdrash
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board
Mr. Viroj Lerdrash is a graduate of the Executive Master of Business Administration Program of the National Institute of Development Administration and presently the Managing Director and CEO of Unitrade House Ware Co., Ltd. He has also worked as the Key Account Manager with Hansa Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and was formerly President NL Stationery & Export Co., Ltd
Ms. Marisa Punnakitti
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board
Marisa is a certified professional in Program Management. She has over 6 years of consultancy and professional experiences across Australia, China, Germany and Southeast Asia. With a background in business consulting, she has worked extensively in a diverse range of business strategy, transformation and program management. Marisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of Mannheim in Germany and Mahidol University International College.
She has a global interest with a local lens. When not advising corporations, you can find Marisa busy doing voluntary work and traveling around. She has a long association with non-profit organizations and humanitarian work. Prior to joining Kid Ark Foundation Board of Directors, she served as an Amnesty International Human Rights Activist, was nominated as AIESEC Vice President of External Relations, was elected as MUIC Alumni Association Board Member and volunteered with UN Women to arrange the biggest fundraising event – Gala Dinner. The previous gala benefit raised funds to support the critical work of UN Women in stopping oppression and violence towards women. She is most passionate about Gender Equality, Women Rights, Education and Economic Growth.
Mrs. Kanya Somboon
MEMBER
Kids Ark Board
Mrs. Kanya Somboon (PhD.) has been the Director of Ban WanaLuang School and Director of the Pangmaphapittayasan School, both in Mae Hong Son Province. In 2021, Dr. Somboon became Director of the Hong Son Suksa School in the city of Mae Hong Son. She serves on the Board of Directors of Child-Friendly Schools, a UNICEF initiative. Dr. Somboon works with the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation on management and leadership challenges for their multicultural, multi-religious projects in different countries around the world. She is chairman of the Secondary School Administrator Association of Mae Hong Son, Thailand. She received the Great Teacher Award in 2015 and the Doing Good for Society and Educational Development Award in 2019.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
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Address: 52/20 Singharat Road, Sriphum,
Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
Phone: 053-416077, +66 53-416077
Email: contact@kidsarkfoundation.org
