Ananda Shyama Children's Garden, Southern Thailand

The project is located on 8 acres of land in the lush rainforest area of the Patho District, Chumpon Province of Southern Thailand. This project was started in 1990 as an organic garden where eco-seminars and environmental children's programs were held. In 1994 the garden became home for disadvantaged children. 18 children ranging in age from 4 to 16 years old live here at present in an integrated community where they also attend school in the non-formal education programme. The project has an organic orchard, rice field, and vegetable garden in which the children also work and contribute to food production.

The project has been very successful in developing a living community in nature, where the children learn to help themselves, and care for themselves. They have developed many necessary self-help skills and developed mentally and socially. There is a continuous effort to integrate the children into the local community through activities with local schools, environmental clubs and social functions of the village. Through this project they are trying to develop an integrated ecosystem, which can serve as a model for other communities.

This project was started by the Neo Humanist Foundation of Ananda Marga, a non-religious, non-political, non-profit making organization. It aims to work toward the creation of a healthy human society where everyone will be able to meet their basic physical needs and develop all aspects of their personality as well as a universalistic outlook or feeling of concern for the welfare of others and love and respect for the natural world. All of their project managers are yogic nuns. What this means is that they are committed to their lifestyle, which includes personal practices of meditation and yoga, as well as teaching it to anyone who shows interest. They do not impose their practices on others unless you show interest to know about it or learn meditation yourself.