{"id":58930,"date":"2026-06-26T16:12:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldvision.or.th\/does-the-role-of-a-teacher-end-or-is-it-only-beginning\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T16:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:39:59","slug":"does-the-role-of-a-teacher-end-or-is-it-only-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.or.th\/en\/news-en\/does-the-role-of-a-teacher-end-or-is-it-only-beginning\/","title":{"rendered":"When Teachers Retire\u2026 Does the Role of a \u2018Teacher\u2019 End, or Is It Only Beginning?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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One morning in a small district of Bueng Kan province, rice fields stretch quietly to the horizon. Some children are walking to school, while others are still playing in front of their homes. These scenes may seem ordinary, but for \u2018Kru Ja,\u2019 or Corporal Somboon Lokham<\/strong> they represent hope<\/strong>\u2014hope that must be continuously nurtured so it does not fade away under the constraints of life.<\/p>

Kru Ja is a volunteer with World Vision Foundation of Thailand<\/strong>, and his story is almost inseparable from the foundation\u2019s work in this area, where children <\/strong>are at the center of every transformation.<\/p>

More than a decade ago, World Vision Thailand began its work in Bueng Khong Long district with a key belief: sustainable development must start with understanding children\u2019s lives. <\/strong>Children are not merely recipients of aid\u2014they are the future of their families and communities. <\/strong>Therefore, the work goes beyond providing material support; it involves seeing children holistically, including their families, communities, and the environments in which they grow up.<\/p>

In the early stages, the foundation clearly recognized that meaningful, community-level impact could not be driven solely by outsiders. Sustainable change requires local people<\/strong>\u2014those who understand the context, can reach families, and are trusted by the community.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Kru Ja recalls that at the time, he had no intention of becoming a volunteer. He was simply invited to visit 13 schools and 13 villages in the Bueng Khong Long area to understand what kind of support or challenges existed.<\/p>

\u201cAt that point, they just asked me to see what our community needed\u2026 I never thought I would become a volunteer,\u201d <\/em>Kru Ja shared. However, that one visit opened his eyes\u2014he saw children coming to school without enough food, families with unstable incomes, and opportunities that had yet to reach those who needed them most.<\/p>

That was when Kru Ja began to understand what World Vision Thailand had already seen improving children\u2019s well-being requires addressing the entire system of their lives.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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From that day forward, the foundation\u2019s work in the area gradually expanded and deepened\u2014from basic assistance to holistic child development, including education, food and nutrition, and creating safe environments where children can grow appropriately.<\/p>

At the same time, children\u2019s families were developed alongside them\u2014through vocational training, income generation, and building awareness about child care. This reflects the foundation\u2019s belief that children thrive best when their families are strong.<\/p>

When Kru Ja retired from his teaching career, this path became even clearer. World Vision invited him to continue working with them and entrusted him with a key role as the district-level volunteer leader.<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cYes, I\u2019ve retired from teaching, but that doesn\u2019t mean I stop contributing to others,\u201d <\/em>Kru Ja said in a simple yet powerful tone.<\/p>

From being a classroom teacher, Kru Ja became someone deeply embedded in the real-life changes of children\u2014connecting the foundation\u2019s work to the community, visiting areas, listening, engaging, and ensuring that every child receives the opportunities they deserve.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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For Kru Ja, this work is not merely a duty\u2014it is about truly understanding children\u2019s lives. \u201cThis is not just about doing a job; it\u2019s about genuinely understanding their lives\u2014what they lack and how we can help.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

The results have gradually become visible\u2014not just in reports, but in the real lives of children and their families:<\/p>