On December 26 2004 a tsunami hit south-east Asia.

Caused by an undersea earthquake involving the Burma and Sunda Plates, located below the Indian Ocean, the tsunami raced across the Indian Ocean to Thailand.

In Thailand thousands were killed and millions left without food, shelter or fresh water. Bermuda High School for Girls saw this as an opportunity to exercise the Round Square IDEALS, and give some BHS students travelling opportunities.

BHS has taken on this Service Project because after the tsunami hit Thailand in 2004 BHS contacted its sister school in Thailand.

This school was on the island of Koh Phi Phi. BHS went to the island to help the school where it then discovered a sea gypsy village.

Seeing how the tsunami had affected these sea gypsies BHS decided to build a school and community centre for them.

Koh Phi Phi is the home of Sea Gypsies. Like their ancestors, the local people of Koh Phi Phi make their living by fishing and from tourists who flock to Koh Phi Phi to experience the magnificence of their environment and their culture.

It is unknown where the sea gypsies on Koh Phi Phi came from, mainly because they have a nomadic culture and began without permanent ties, habitants or writing tools. It is said that the sea gypsies could have descended from Malaysian colonies that avoided the Muslim invasion of Burma.

Another theory is that the local people of Koh Phi Phi are descendants of the original Indian race — the Vedas.

Last year 12 BHS students went visited Koh Phi Phi. Some of those students were Caitlyn Westhaver, Brittany Ray, and Ashley Heslop.

This year more students will be going in June if there are enough people. Currently there are not enough people for the school to do the trip and complete their goals on the island.

Last year BHS dug the foundations for the community centre, where they moved 50 tonnes of soil.

The students also helped catalogue books in the library of the school they had built.

In Thailand they plan to put in place water tanks so that water can be collected off the roof. This is important because the island of Koh Phi Phi has no fresh water source and so drinking water is limited.

This construction will allow the residents of Koh Phi Phi to collect water from their roofs, just as Bermuda does.

Bermuda High School for Girls is a Round Square School. This means that BHS follows the Round Square IDEALS. The Round Square IDEALS are: Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service.

The Thailand Service Project corresponds with those goals by providing a service for the sea gypsy community, showing BHS students other countries and communities, and democratically following the ways and traditions of the sea gypsy people.

The BHS Thailand trip is also entirely environmentally friendly.

"It fits into all of them actually," trip organiser Frances Cook says.

This Service Project will benefit the sea gypsy community on Koh Phi Phi by allowing them to get fresh water and food, and also allowing them to get an education.

The community centre that BHS is planning to build will allow adult sea gypsies, and anyone else, to be trained in certain skill that they can use to trade and get jobs on the island.

UPDATE

Over $200 in dollar coins were spread around the BHS car park to mark World Water Day on 22 March.

The money raised will go to purchase cement for the water tanks at the school that BHS and Regent's School have helped build.

IB1 student Chantel Barnshaw will be going on an exchange to Regent's School in April; she will take a cheque with her and present it on our behalf. We hope to raise more money for the project after Easter.