Where a little is a lot

Seven-year-old actor Archiravich “Plawan” Dejparrod is counting out one- and five-baht coins. “Five, ten, fifteen.” He digs another one out from under the sofa and another in the laundry basket. The grand total is Bt25. He’s not planning on buying candy – this is for other kids.
Nong Plawan is plugging a United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) campaign called “Power of the Little”. The aim is to raise money for the estimated 2.5 million Thai kids whose families are stuck below the poverty line.
The child actor stars in a 30-second appeal airing on various media, urging everyone to come up with some coins of their own. Even Bt25 would suffice. “Today’s ‘power of the little’ is their future’s great opportunity,” he declares.
Plawan got the job mainly because he’s so young, says Paula Pearce, head of private-sector fundraising for Unicef Thailand. “We want to show that little people and little donations can make a big difference,” she says. “The campaign is all about helping children, so who better to ask for that help than a small child?”
Those 2.5 million Thai kids lack adequate nutrition, education and childcare services. Unicef wants to provide these things but needs the public’s help.
“Unicef Thailand works in education, child protection, social policy and HIV/Aids prevention,” says Pearce. “Underpinning this is the aim to provide all children with equal opportunities and lift them out of poverty. The proceeds from this campaign will help us to tackle these issues and increase equality.”
Bijaya Rajbhandari, the Unicef representative for Thailand, points out that the country has made great strides socially and economically in recent decades, “but not all children have benefited equally”.
“These children living under the poverty line suffer from inadequate nutrition, education, early childcare and protection, limiting their opportunity to thrive.”
The campaign also has the eager services of Nichkhun Horvejkulhad, the Thai member of the South Korean pop band 2PM. He was at Tung Mahamek School in Bangkok’s Sathorn district on December 12, showing the press how important early childhood development is.
A three-minute video on Unicef’s website shows Nichakun playing with the kids at the school, drawing pictures, sharing snacks and taking photos together. They make handprint versions of the Thai flag that are being sold to boost the funding.
“Children are the power of our nation’s future,” Nuchakhun avers on the clip.

COUNT YOUR COINS

To make a donation, send an SMS marked “UNICEF” to 4712225 – it costs Bt25 – or go to www.PowerOfTheLittle.com.
The campaign continues right through February.