About the Dulabhatorn Foundation - มูลนิธิ ดุลภาทร

The Dulabhatorn Foundation (pronounced "dtoo-la-pa-torn" - มูลนิธิ ดุลภาทร - in Thai) was founded in 2007 by Brian and Marianne Doberstyn in memory of their parents Edward and Delphine Doberstyn and is a non-profit charity registered with the Royal Thai Government. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn coined the name based on three Sanskrit words which translate respectively as "justice” or “equity," "light" and "caring". Princess Sirindhorn also created the drawing used as our insignia -- two children sharing a book. Her Royal Highness opened the Foundation officially in January 2009, after two years of preparatory work.

 

The Dulabhatorn Foundation - มูลนิธิ ดุลภาทร - is located on 11 rai (about 18,000 sq. meters) in the small town of Sansai Luang, the district capital, about 15 minutes from Chiang Mai city. Our tranquil environment provides an ideal place for children, young people and their caregivers to meet, study and work together. We are not a residential facility.

We stress community leadership of our projects and we identify and support young people in need through our partnerships with local government, NGOs, schools, institutes, civic associations and other non-governmental agencies.

We believe that all children and young person’s deserve access to high-quality education, regardless of their economic, social, cultural, physical or intellectual limitations, and seek those who are currently "falling through the cracks." Through our locally driven approach, we can determine the best ways of providing support, resulting in appropriate and cost-effective planning of projects. Additionally, all administrative costs are covered by a private donor, so that 100% of private donations go directly to supporting our programs and children.

The Foundation remains small, with four full-time paid staff members, 3 teacher and 1 assistant plus occupational and physical therapists, a psychologist and a language volunteer. We also have consultants in accounting, auditing, website design and computing.