The Bring the Elephant Home team
January 2006
Part of the Bring the Elephant HOME team together with monks of the temple where the team stayed at in Sukhothai.
Teammembers:
Campaign advisor: Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert
Lek is a leading Thai elephant conservationist and has received international recognition for her work. Just recently, the 24th of November 2005, she received the ‘Hero of Asia’ award from Times magazine (last year Aung San Suu Kyu received it). She owns the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary for domesticated elephants. She also has a successful travel agency in Chiang Mai.
Campaign director: Antoinette van de Water
Antoinette (30) is living in Amsterdam, studied Economics & Marketing and Cultural Anthropology. She has twice worked as a volunteer elephant helper in Thailand; and learnt that the elephant is an animal so beloved in the hearts of all people. She met Lek more then three years ago and then decided to help her with fundraising and publicity in the Netherlands. She founded Bring the Elephant Home in the Netherlands and started from zero to raise more than 35.000 Euro (1.7 Million Baht) for the Thai elephants.
Project manager: Mr. Viritphon Chaiwong (Mr. Lee)
Mr. Lee owns an organic farm house, RC World Travel (Licence No. 11/3926) and the Fun Park in Chiang Mai. He is a marketing consultant with experience in similar projects. Mr. Lee will help to start up the project and walk the whole route, together with the team.
Elephant care: Mahouts
The team will include at least 3 experienced mahouts, known for their lifelong knowledge of elephants and gentle handling manner. The mahouts will be chosen from working for the Elephant Nature Park and by not using the hook to control the elephants. To guarantee a smooth change of mahouts, we will ask the former mahouts to join us for some days.
Cultural exchange and video footage: Hanna Jongepier
Hanna is member of the Board of Bring the Elephant HOME since the start. She helped preparing the project in many different ways. During the walk she will take care of our cultural exchange program. She worked as cultural exchange coordinator for Peace Boat Japan for three years, where she coordinated peace projects all around the world. For our project, she will contact temples for ceremonies with the elephants, arrange talks at local schools, let us join in local activities, invite guests to join the journey and learn about all about national and local festivals. Besides, she will take care of the footage we have to shoot during our journey.
Public relations and fundraising: Eric Seuren
Eric is helping Bring the Elephant HOME with fundraising and publicity for more than a year now. Now that Antoinette is in Thailand, Eric will coordinate all activities in the Netherlands.
Finance: Rob Spaargaren
Rob is member of the Board involving finance. He’s taking care of the finance report, the donor database and controlling the budget.
Writer and photographer: Liesbeth Sluiter
Liesbeth will come over to Thailand in the beginning of the project (end of November / beginning of December) and in the end (end of February). Together with Antoinette Liesbeth is in charge of writing the Bring the Elephant HOME book.
Cook / team supporter:
This role will involve cooking for the team and guests, buying food and renewals, help the mahouts in elephant care, help the manager in logistic maters and all other miscellaneous tasks.
