STEPS IMPACT REPORT 2022

Impact-report-22-English-version_Page_01

Thailand

Poverty, stigma and discrimination intersect to create barriers for people with disabilities to gain equal access to education.
A lack of education prevents access to decent work, which, coupled with weak enforcement of laws, poorly designed policies and widespread discrimination, creates a multitude of barriers for people with disabilities to enter into the workforce.

For example, the Persons with Disabilities Quality of Life Promotion Act BE 2550 requires companies and organisations to hire one person with a disability for every 100 people, however 98.2% of companies opt to instead pay the fine, resulting in 2 billion baht per year being paid to the fund.

Employers in our network consist of multinationals, large corporations, SME’s, and sole traders all of whom share that they want to hire inclusively, but they don’t know how.

The distinct lack of support available for all stakeholders leaves behind an untapped talent pool.

Of the total 856,844 just 36.25% are in some form of employment, with the majority of those (53.69%) working in agriculture, and freelance labour-intensive work (23.49%). These numbers reveal a deeply unequal society which prevents the full enjoyment of rights for people with disabilities. Women with disabilities face even greater exclusion from meaningful participation in both social and family settings, as well as greater risk of violence than men.

COVID-19 has greatly exacerbated these entrenched inequalities, as people with disabilities are the first to become unemployed during an economic crisis and are not sufficiently covered by social protection systems.

Whilst our focus today is Thailand, our strategic vision for 2023-2026 is to be a leader in the region.

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Destination Mekong organized the DESTINATION MEKONG FOOD & AGRO-TOURISM EXPERT GROUP WEBINAR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Great discussion with amazing panellists on Destination Mekong Food & Agro-Tourism Expert Group webinar today (September 21, 2021) on the theme “An Appetite for Travel – The Crucial Role of Food Tourism in the Recovery of The Tourism Industry” organised by Destination Mekong and moderated by Vincent Vichit-Vadakan, the chair of Food & Agro-Tourism group.
 
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Centara backs startup competition

Centara Hotels & Resorts and True Digital Park, Southeast Asia’s largest startup and tech entrepreneur campus, join hands to deliver a competition and incubator programme. 

The ‘Centrara Startup Sandbox’ competition and a three-month incubator programme support startups and entrepreneurs with co-working space, facilities, mentorship and funding.

The Startup Sandbox project, held in collaboration with True Digital Park, will see teams compete for a chance to join the three-month programme, during which executives from Centara will provide regular consultation sessions and be the judge for the teams’ final pitch.

“The world of hospitality is always evolving, and we are proud to be a part of this competition to encourage fresh ideas which will drive innovation in our industry. We are delighted to partner with True Digital Park to support promising startup businesses in Thailand and to mentor the next generation of innovative thinkers,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts chief executive officer Thirayuth Chirathivat.

“True Digital Park continue to build a complete ecosystem for startup and tech entrepreneurs to support the digital transformation and is proud to partner with Centara Hotels and Resorts. This startup sandbox program will strengthen our commitment to nurture tech talents and further accelerate innovative solutions,”  commented True Digital Park general manager Dr Tarit Nimmanwudipong.

Competing teams for the ‘Centara Startup Sandbox’ have to deal with a challenge: “How might we help clients experience their preferred destination or any hospitality offering while still providing them with more exclusive and memorable services”.

The winning team will receive THB100,000 and free use of co-working space at True Digital Park for six months. The first and second runners-up will each receive free use of co-working space at True Digital Park for three months.

Winning teams will also receive hotel vouchers from Centara.

1st Prize: Centara Reserve Samui, two nights in Deluxe Ocean room with breakfast for two persons, value THB23,775 per prize times three prizes per team

2nd Prize: Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, two nights in Deluxe room with breakfast for two persons, value  THB12,947 per prize times three prizes per team

3rd Prize: COSI Pattaya Wong Amat Beach, two nights in COSI Plus room with daily credit for two persons value THB3,295 per prize times three prizes per team

Teams with at least three members of any nationality 18 years old and above who have a business idea for the hotel and hospitality industry can apply now until 6 September 2021 at truedigitalpark.typeform.com.

For more information, visit https://www.truedigitalpark.com/en/startup-support/centara-startup-sandbox

Source: TTR Weekly

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With demand for ZOOM, Microsoft Teams and other video calling apps on the rise, Avani has expanded into digital services to offer event planners such solutions as online attendee management, interactive polling, rental of live streaming equipment and services of a dedicated on-site technical team.

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FOOD FOR FIGHTERS! #MAKEGOODWASTE PROGRAM

Since the Government imposed a third round of dine-in bans “ lockdown “ with less than 24 hours notice for a period of 30 days, not only left restaurateurs in financial hardship but also, with food inventory that would now go to waste. Motivated by posts made by a number of Chefs and restaurant owners expressing their desperate concerns for the inventory that they would now have to lose or waste, Bangkok Foodies team looked to the Food For Fighters organisation to help for this pressing issue. Bangkok Foodies, in cooperation with Food for Fighters, then came up with the the #MakeGoodWaste Program.

So, how does it work? Bangkok Foodies will begin their support by spreading the word of this project and source/select the restaurant who would like to participate in cooking charity meal boxes and provide those meals for the Food for Fighters Organisation. An organisation which has been responsible for sourcing funding and using those funds to commission chefs, restaurants, cooks and volunteers to cook and  provide over 200,000 meals to those in communities suffering from the COVID-10 outbreak in Thailand. Besides Bangkok communities, they provide meals to Thailand’s field hospitals, medical centers and prisons affected by COVID-19. The positive result is, participating chefs and restaurants may be able to recover some of the costs they would have normally wasted and contribute to feeding and helping these communities in desperate need, at the same time!

How does it work:

Once a restaurant participant is confirmed with the Bangkok Foodies team, they will pass the participant’s information onto the Food For Fighters team, who will coordinate and schedule the 100 meal boxes’ date and shipping times for delivery. The food should be cooked at the participant’s restaurant or whichever kitchen is convenient, on the same day, prior to the delivery. Don’t forget to take photos of your efforts so we can help to share! The Food For Fighters team, with the funding they have raised by donors, will support with a small budget per food box (1 single serve per box) to be determined once contacting the Bangkok Foodies team as it would depend on the budget available at that time.

The Chef or restaurant will cook 100 boxes of a meal of their choice, something affordable, easy and casual to eat, such as rice and chicken or a simple sandwich or pasta. However, the chef and restaurant participants are more than welcome to add their personal tastes and touch to their meals, as it will represent their brand. Participants are free to apply branded stickers or stamps on boxes or paper bags. See here for some of the dishes some of Bangkok celebrity chefs have made for inspiration.

Read the full article at https://www.bangkokfoodies.com/be-part-of-the-makegoodwaste-program-with-food-for-fighters-x-bangkok-foodies/?fbclid=IwAR3WwoHzKp-0sDt-7KRNHwHwtnaTOC3Oc_T8hD5thuBFYX5WgDDFsYNCNRM

Klean Kanteen runs the “Replace Single-Use Plastic” campaign to support and give back to the Thailand Recovery Fund in support of healthcare professionals combating with COVID-19

Replace single-use plastic! Grab yourself one of Klean Kanteen’s vacuum insulated TKWide bottles and give back to Thailand Recovery Fund in support of healthcare professionals combating COVID-19.

Thailand Recovery Fund is a reserve fund for quick response against any unfortunate disasters or other social emergency issues.

The fund will continuously be raised to always be well-prepared to respond quickly to any emergency situations such as flooding, wildfire, or possible recurrence of Covid-19.
 
As a result, your donation to the Thailand Recovery Fund creates quick responses to several issues in the society. We believe that an effective help comes from an immediate response to the issues.
 
 

Thailand approves Phuket ‘sandbox’ plan to allow vaccinated tourists in without quarantine

The Phuket “sandbox”,  Thailand’s  bold attempt to reset its tourism industry by opening the island to vaccinated foreign visitors without quarantine was approved on Tuesday, offering hope to battered businesses and a potential shot in the arm to the travel bubble concept across Asia.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri confirmed the cabinet had officially given the scheme its blessing.

But Chinese tourists – who made up over a quarter of Thailand’s 40 million visitors in 2019 – are not expected to return to the Andaman Sea island in substantial numbers for several months yet, as Beijing keeps in place safeguards to prevent the virus seeping back from overseas.

That suggests a slow restart, which will give Phuket time to rebuild its decimated tourism industry – from out of work tour guides and boat owners, to derelict restaurants and bars – and welcome back the first visitors to uncluttered beaches and resorts on what was the world’s most visited tourist island before the pandemic, according to TripAdvisor.

“The morale and motivation of the [Phuket] people has been lost … the sandbox offers hope and people are very excited,” said Ravi Chandran, managing director of Laguna Resorts and Hotels.

 

“The bookings are coming from the UAE, UK, Germany, America, Taiwan, and the Scandinavian countries. Anything from international tourism in July would be a bonus. We’re optimistic.”