STEF Launches a Major Campaign to Fund Mains Electricity Supply
We are campaigning to raise £25,000 to fund the provision of essential mains electricity to the STEF Veterinary Centre at Khok Kloi.
Dr Fieke, a STEF Trustee, visited our veterinary hospital in Thailand recently. Hear what she has to say about the electricity crisis and why we desperately need your support.
Increasing hospital admissions and the continuous influx of veterinary students and vets to participate in our volunteer programme has highlighted a serious problem at the hospital – our electricity supply. We had done our best to stay “green” by installing numerous solar panels on site, but unfortunately in the rainy season there just isn’t enough power to maintain the electricity supply overnight, which is essential when we have elephants staying at the hospital.
Recently, we’ve resorted to using a back-up generator which has proved to be expensive and often unreliable, so that at times there has been no electricity to work at the hospital after dark. As the hospital expands its work and we take on more volunteers and more elephant patients, it’s clear that the only way to deal with the issue is to bring in mains electricity.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t come as standard in Thailand, and because the Veterinary Centre is separated from the main road (the nearest electricity supply) by private land, the electricity company is not obliged to supply a connection free of charge. It has, nonetheless, kindly agreed to contribute 50% of the cost, for which we are very grateful, but given that the distance between the main road and the STEF Veterinary Centre is 4km (2.5 miles), STEF still needs to pay £25,000 to secure mains electricity.
Jake Thaotad, our Trustee in Thailand, has worked tirelessly to obtain permission from all the people over whose land the new electricity cables will have to cross to reach the hospital (the cables will go underground once on veterinary centre land), so now we just need the money! Please consider helping us in our vital work to provide hospital care to sick and injured elephants.
Dr Aon, our Chief Veterinary Officer trying to work in the elephant barn at night.
