Membership
Membership Purpose
WHAT IS PIWC?
Phuket International Women's Club is the oldest charity in Phuket, comprised of women of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds living in Phuket. PIWC helps women that are new to Phuket to make friends and support their adopted home by providing scholarships to local Thai students who excel academically but need financial support to stay in school.
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PIWC's Thai registered nonprofit entity is the International Women's Fund which disburses the funds raised to our students. Scholarship funds come from membership fees, private donations as well as regular fundraising events of which 100% raised goes directly to students.
Cost of Membership
HOW ARE MY PIWC DUES SPENT?
Annual dues are 1500 baht per person. All funds raised in PIWC events support our scholarships. Over 95% of the annual dues go directly to our scholarship funds as well. The remaining 5% pays for the PIWC website, email platform, and other operating costs.
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Our scholarship fund is the longest-running program of its kind in Phuket with over 1200 graduates. These students have gone on to successful careers as doctors, nurses, teachers, veterinarians, and business leaders. These students are the first graduates in their families and as such, the help of one helps the entire family.
PIWC Activities
I HAVE JOINED, NOW WHAT?
Depending on your interests, there are small groups that get together--weekly to monthly depending on the activity.
The PIWC Ladies Local Lunch is a favorite as the group visits special local restaurants that are not generally in a tour book. You immediately learn which places are a must and the best food to order. The restaurants are usually in the middle of the island, near Phuket Town, though they have gone north of the airport, east to the Gibbon Reserve, and west to a special spot near Kamala. All in search of special places to eat great local delicacies.
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Some join the PIWC Book Club, play mahjong or golf and others meet for coffee and conversation while working on their latest stitch project. The newest addition is a Gardening group that visits special private gardens and then meets over coffee to discuss what they learned.
New ideas are always welcome!
Membership Benefits
WHY JOIN PIWC?
PIWC membership benefits range from the tangible to the intangible. Our first priority is developing friendships by connecting members through a variety of activities--something for everyone.
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An unexpected benefit is meeting the students we support and watching them mature from quiet shy children to strong adults with successful careers. Our graduates help run our activities in addition to making their own annual donations. They are terrific examples to local students and will make you proud to be involved.
Membership Card
A NEW BENEFIT
One new and very tangible benefit is the PIWC Member Card. By joining as a paid member, you receive discounts from our supporters across the island. PIWC aims to support local businesses who have long supported our fundraisers with raffle and auction donations by supporting them where it counts most--as regular customers. The member card program provides opportunities for local businesses to advertise through special PIWC offers and discounts, thus closing the loop between our supporters and our members.
This is a new program for PIWC. For more information, contact president.piwc@gmail.com.
Scholarship
HOW CAN I HELP THE STUDENTS?
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There are many ways, small and large, to support PIWC scholarship students. The obvious is to participate in the fundraising events and donation drives that fund our scholarships. Simply paying your annual dues provides the foundation of our annual scholarship commitment. For a more active role with the students, attend the interviews of prospective and current students, or help to coach our top students to perform better, encouraging them to become the future leaders of Phuket. And finally, attend the annual ceremony where scholarship certificates are awarded. To be honest, this is one of the least time-consuming projects with the greatest return—seeing the smiling faces of our students, especially after they graduate. Our students stay in touch, send photos of their weddings, children, and their happiest moments which they attribute to the chance our organization gave them.
