IMPACT | Dhammajarinee

SOCIETAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Dhammajarinee Witthaya School creates an impact on many levels

1) Transforming Lives

Girls come to DWS from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout Thailand, including broken and troubled homes. 80% are living in poverty, 40% are orphans or abandoned, and many are at risk of physical and mental problems, including drug addiction. Through the loving environment of the boarding school, high-quality academics, proper nutrition, and stress management programs, including meditation and yoga, the girls become healthy, joyful, motivated students. There are currently over 1,000 students enrolled at DWS from kindergarten to grade 12.

2) Creating Bright Futures

Over 90% of DWS graduates attend university, most being the first in their families to do so, and many enter competitive fields such as engineering, health sciences, education, and law. This is remarkable because only 5% of children from low-income families in Thailand advance to higher education. Through employment and a better quality of life, Dhammajarinee graduates break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families.

3) Creating Change at Scale

Since its inception in 1990, more than 5,700 students have attended DWS. This has positively impacted not just these students but also the lives of their families and communities.

4) Ensuring the Impact Continues

ceb78f_502e77103f0e4bc7899a328033b52e1e_mv2-1 copy_edited.jpg

Graduates profoundly understand how the school has transformed their lives and many want to return to help give the same opportunity to others. Currently 18 DWS graduates are working as teachers and administrators. They are also being mentored to be the future leaders of the school—ensuring the impact continues.

5) Helping to End Child Marriage

In Thailand, nearly half of girls who only complete primary school (48%) are married before age 18, compared to just 5% who complete higher education. Child marriage not only affects the individual but also perpetuates intergenerational poverty and limits economic growth. DWS directly addresses this issue by providing access to 12 years of formal education, vocational training, life skills, holistic support, and university preparation. As a result, students graduate with the skills and confidence to build bright, independent futures—enabling them to escape the cycle of poverty and child marriage, lift their families out of poverty, and contribute to a more prosperous and thriving society for all.

6) Educating and Empowering Girls in STEM

DWS is focused on expanding access to STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math)—an area where girls are traditionally underrepresented. In Thailand, only 1% of girls expect to work in ICT (information and communications technology), despite growing demand for digital skills. At DWS, this gap is being actively addressed. More than 50% of graduates pursue STEM, technology, and health-related fields in higher education, helping to expand the pipeline of skilled women entering high-demand sectors. As the global economy continues to evolve, DWS graduates are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

7) Helping to End Gender Inequality in Thailand

In Thailand, boys from low-income families can receive shelter, food, and education at Buddhist temples, but there is no such opportunity for girls. DWS provides these essential services for underserved girls in Thailand.

Educating girls creates a ripple effect, lifting families and communities out of poverty.

-With every year of schooling, a girl’s income typically will increase by 20%.

-A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.

-Educated women are 50% more likely to educate their own families.

-Educated women invest 90% of their income back into their families.

-Women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.

8) Impacting Climate Change

Through completing 12 years of quality education, research has clearly shown that young girls can become a powerful climate solution. Analysis of 125 countries shows that education (particularly female education) is the single most important socioeconomic factor associated with a reduction in vulnerability to natural disasters.

9) Addressing Sustainable Development Goals

Dhammajarinee Witthaya School directly addresses 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.