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Site Visit: FEDRA (The Foundation for Education and Developmentof Rural Areas)
Wat Pa Darabhirom, Mae Rim, Chjaingmai 
Thanks to my good luck of meeting Ajaan Mark Ritchie when I was in Thailand last January, I learned about the work of FEDRA. Ajaaan Mark arragned for me to have a translator to accompany me to the FEDRA office for a day visit. While there, I met the director of FEDRA, had a tour of the Girls' school that is supported by FEDRA and began to consider ways that Warren Wilson students could join with FEDRA in some sort of solidarity or sevice project, perhaps in the girls' school, accompanied by a four day home stay in tone of the nearby villages. As we returned this year, we accomplished some of those girls. WE learned about the basic principles and structure of FEDRA, but most importantly, their offices arranged for us to be the guests within a village about 1 hour north of Mae Rim, Ba Muang Ka, near the famous temple with the cosmic Buddha footprints. While we did not see directly the work and influence of FEDRA in the village, or at least were not aware of it, mostly because of the language barrier, FEDRA gave us something equally, if not more, important: the opportunity to share the lives of rural indigenous Thai people, the Lawa, and to learn first hand what it means to live a life that is tied primarily to the cycle of food production and consumption. To learn more about this village stay, click on the journal entry and photos from our home stay. Below you will find the basic information about the FEDRA project based on research into FEDRA by two American women scholars, FEDRAS own promotional literature, and some photos from my last experience at the Girls' school. Function and Structure of the Foundation:The Foundation for Education and Development of Rural Areas ia a private foundation founded by Phra Dhammadilok (Chun Kusalo) in 1974. (He is now known as Phra Maha Pusapot Warapong and is the abbot of Wat Chedi Luang in Chiangmai). The main target of the foundation is to guide the people in rural areas towards a better standard of living teaching the necessary skills so that they may become self-reliant. Phra Dhammadilok hoped to address the growing problem of "brain drain" in northern Thailand as young people left their villages and moved to the villages in search of a better life. "Phra Dhammadilok understood that rural people could not become interested in internalizing Buddhist ethics of they were hungry or suffering, as the Buddha taught that lack basic necessities is a hindrance to spiritual enlightenment (Darlington, 1992; Payutto, 1992). Phra Dhammadilok designed the rules of FEDRA so that "only those people who possess the ideal Buddhist qualities of dedication, morality, thrift, and compassion and compatability can be members of the foundation's co-operatives (Darlington, 1990; Vanpen, 1988). He does not believe that sustainable development is just about economics but is about a certain kind of morality that Buddhist ethics supports. Members of FEDRA are to set an example of these kinds of ethics for other communities. Furthermore, Phra Dhammadilok can be seen to exemplify other Buddhist virtues in his social agenda by his emphasis on greed and its elimination. He espouses thrift and frugality, believing that the good life does not derive from material wealth but rather with personal satisfaction of a job well done. He is noted as often saying, "Contentedness makes one a millionaire in a beggar's hut; Greed makes one a beggar in a millionaire's house." (Phra Thepkavi, 1988, 17) Drawing from the Buddha's teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path, Phra Dhammadilok emphasizes Right action. The uniqueness of a Buddhist approach to development is summarized as he says, "The human spirit and the economy must be developed at the same time. One without the other is useless." (Darlington) His emphasis on community development and cooperation also hails from his Buddhist understanding of the nature of the interconnectedness of all reality and the karmic law of cause and effect. Mutual support and activities towards balance and harmony produce harmonious and balanced results. The communal ethic of generosity and interdependence solidifies community unity and makes long term self sufficiency possible, according to the thinking of Thai Buddhist philosophers of social engagement such as Prawes and Buddhadhasa Bhikkhu. It would be a mistake, according to those who know FEDRA well, however, to say that people are attracted to the FEDRA projects because of these Buddhist ideals. It is, more likely, a blend of pragmatism and idealism as they need the help and it is appealing to be able to be associated with a monk who is held in such high esteem. FEDRA appears, however, to be limited, as are many NGO's in Thailand, by a Board composed of elites who do not wish to be considered radical, for being radical is akin to communism, and therefore illegal. Despite its drawbacks, probably no more prevalent than in any other NGO in Thailand, FEDRA continues to make a marked contribution to the social and economic landscape of Northern Thailand as it is informed by Buddhist principles. A story of FEDRA's beginnings:According to local legend, the project was begun when a wealthy man became fatally eill and decided to save the buffalo from slaughter by donating it to Phra Dhammadilok in 2521. When the man's health improved, people began to believe that donating a buffalo could improve the donor's life. Though Phra Dhammadilok does not endorse this kind of merit making, he used it to meet the needs of his people by developing one of the early FEDRA projects, the Cow and Buffalo Bank. This is an excellent example of how the abbot used a Buddhist principle to solve a social problem in rural Thailand. According to Susan Darlington (2000) Phra Dhammadilok does not wish to challenge the government controlled sangha. Instead he makes a unique interpretation of the Buddhist teachings on generosity in ways that benefit rural people without making waves in the upper echelons of Buddhist polity and the Thai government.
FEDRA describes itself in its promotional literature in the following ways: 1. Development of skills for production of agricultural products and handmade products such as pots, etc. 2. Development of knowledge and skills in the following sectors: -Business -Union and cooperative forming -Economy -Administration -Health Care and sanitation -Education -And others 3. Leadership training program in order to restructure his or her region. 4. Preservation of the desirable cultural traits of a particular region. 5. Reinforcement of morality and other values 6. Development of logical thinking for better decision making 7. Development of self responsibility in each individual in the region (not involving in politics). Goal:The Foundation for Education and Development of Rural Areas strives to bring to the society a better standard of living, higher education and last but not least preservation of the environment. This can only happen through educating people, guiding them through the necessary changes. Principles:
1. To promote agriculture. There will be an established guideline for the people to follow in forming several organizations for better management of their agricultural products such as farmer's union, mutual funds, regional financial institute, agricultural training school, training in production of home-made products, etc.
The"Lan Na Society of Monks" is thus set up in order to enable monks to contribute to the society through the Buddha's teachings. 4. To develop local areas. The people of the region will be educated to become more aware of their cultures, families, and environment which will result in higher standard of occupation of the particular region under the idea "not to be deluded by both the old and the new." This means we seek to reach a balance between traditional knowledge and new technology to create a better life for ourselves. (At the present people from rural areas tend to move to Bangkok to find jobs which results in lack of development in their own region.) FUNCTIONS OF THE ORGANIATION:The Foundation for Education and Development of Rural Areas is divided into three units:
1. The Agricultural Development unit (Kasetpattana Unit)
The first two do all the field work in the target regions. The agricultural Development unit will be responsible for teaching people better ways of producing agricultural products. The Women's training unit will concentrate on teaching housewives and daughters in using their free time more effectively by teaching them necessary skills in producing home-made products. And the last, the head Office will monitor the progress of the first two and provide all the necessary supports. 1. The Agricultural Development unit (Unit for Agricultural Development) This organization works in the rural areas of Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Mae Hongson. This is mostly done through the local leaders in cooperation with the staff. The Sustainable Agriculture Program was began as the "Soybean Planting Society" but became a cooperative in 2535. In 2538, we FEDRA requested to register this program as a government-recognized cooperative for tax purposes. The cooperative is licenses n. 032638. The basic objectives of the cooperative are as follows:
-To teach farmers how to rely on themselves in the present and the future. 
Products from our cooperative members are available for purchase at Wat Pa Daraphirom. Wat Chedi Luang, Imboon Store, and at our Friday Farmer's market at the Mae Sa BangJak Petrol Station in Chiangmai-Fang road. 2. The women's Training Unit (mattanaree Unie) This one consists mostly of women who have all the skills in producing simple items. Its function is to transfer the knowledge to other women and thus boost their family income other than from agricultural sales. With these skills women can earn a second income without having to leave their homes. 
The following are the four subdivisions of the Women's training unit:
1. Training sector 3. The Head Office The Head Office manages the progress of the other two for better results. Activities of Agricultural Development Unit: 1. Sustainable Agrculture Promotion -Multi crop agriculture -Forestry agriculture -Composted farm manure -Herbal insecticide experiments 2. Agricultural Education center -Experiment on self reliant agriculture -Products to support conservation agriculture -Technical skills of development work -Propogation of experimental results 3. Establishment of Agriculture Development Co-operatives -Full-circuited Co-operatives -Administration skill development and co-op staff training -Procurement of raw materials -Management of products 4. Organizational Development Work -Efficiency and knowledge development for group members -Management of funds of groups -Constant follow up of group's activities 5. Monks' Development Groups -Support of an individual member's activity -Panels for knowledge enhancement -News letters for members Activities of the Mettanaree Unit 1. Training Section -Two five month training sessions on garment production at the center -Short term vocational training as proposed annually by group members -Occasional training session of specific skills at the center and elsewhere 2. Mettanaree Handicraft Center -Management of handicraft production according to the MHC policy and finance -Monthly meeting of MHC management to consider progress problems and solutions -Training sessions on MHC work for the 17 group members -Annual conference of MHC members 3. Follow up and MHC Section for Group Development -support of the administration and management of the 17 groups' funds (savings production, deposits in the MHC) -Vocational training for members -Providing knowledge on women's role, Mettanaree roles and other necessary subjects 4. Handicraft Section: Ceramics and Artificial flowers -Training programs on ceramics and -Articifical flowers during summer session -Production of goods for sale -Production on order The craft co-op currently sells custom and basic traditional style cotton clothing, custom and traditional crochet, ceramic goods, dolls, and other special order items. Thee products are available at the co-operative store at Wat Pa Darphirom, Wat Chedi Luang, and the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. FEDRA also offers an Alternative Educational School for Rural Thai Girls. This project is funded in great part by the generosity of a wealthy female Thai doctor who is interested in giving Thai girls an opportunity to learn vocational skills for self-sufficiency. The project strives to encourage the kind of lifestyle that FEDRA encourages in all of its sustainable development programs. The center was opened in 2542. It is a free boarding school for students aged 10-13 who come from disadvantaged villages or families. These girls are ones who are at risk of not being able to continue their education beyond the primary level. Subjects taught at the school include the following: -Sustainable agriculture -Sewing -Arts and Handicrafts -Restaurant cooking -Math -English -Buddhist studies -Health and Sanitation -Physical Education 
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