“Thongma Vijitphongpan” has donated over 51 million baht from his personal funds under the name “Vijitphongpan Fund” to temples, educational institutions, hospitals, foundations, and public benefit organizations across more than 40 locations nationwide, in line with his intention to support religion, provide scholarships, and assist organizations working for society and Thailand.

Mr. Thongma Vijitphongpan, Vice Chairman and Founder of Pruksa Holding Public Company Limited stated that the Vijitphongpan Fund was initiated in 2010, stemming from his own experience of receiving a scholarship from Chulalongkorn University during his student years. That scholarship changed his life, providing him with educational opportunities that led to his graduation, employment, and the establishment of his own business. After achieving success, he wanted to share and provide opportunities for others by using his personal funds to assist various groups in the areas of religion, education, and society, as originally intended, and has continued to provide funding annually for 14 years.

“In the past, the Vijitphongpan Fund has supported a total of 105 charitable organizations with over 474 million baht. In selecting the organizations to receive funding, we have opened opportunities for all Pruksa employees to volunteer, surveying the needs of each organization, monitoring their performance, and acting as a bridge to present and offer opportunities to local agencies. This involvement allows employees to participate as givers, which will serve as a foundation for the development of their communities,” Mr. Thongma said.

This year, 40 organizations including temples, educational institutions, hospitals, foundations, and public benefit organizations across the country received funding, divided into 7 religious organizations, 17 educational institutions, and 16 social organizations.

Dr. Banchai Pongpanit, Director of the Buddhadasa Archives Foundation who has received the Vijitphongpan Fund for the 7th consecutive year, stated that the Buddhadasa Archives Foundation collects original writings of Buddhadasa and organizes activities to enhance the wisdom and tranquility of people. Additionally, it continues the work of Buddhism and serves as a center for enjoyable religious learning, fostering spiritual fitness and edutainment. The support from Mr. Thongma has greatly contributed to the religious community, especially in preserving the works of Buddhadasa and expanding efforts to care for the archives of other teachers. Successful activities have been replicated in other temples, leading to collaborative work. One significant project funded is the 'Inspiration Temple,' which has now expanded into the 'New Way Temple,' allowing us to serve the monks and temples more effectively.

“The funding received this year will be used to continue the New Way Temple project, improving the temple and conducting activities that align with the new conditions to create a serene environment. We will also organize online meditation and expand into other online activities. Additionally, we will promote women's Dharma work and support the Kilana Dharma monks, who are dedicated to helping those in distress. The Vijitphongpan Fund enables us to carry out activities continuously and expand our impact. We believe that in the future, there will be more monks ready to become teachers for those in suffering, which will greatly benefit many people,” Dr. Banchai stated.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ekalak Lumchomkae, Head of the Missing Persons Data Center for Anti-Human Trafficking at the Mirror Foundation stated that the Mirror Foundation prioritizes the issue of missing persons, which leads to many other social problems. We have received the Vijitphongpan Fund for the 9th consecutive year to carry out our mission of locating missing persons. Previously, we had only 2 staff members, which was insufficient for effective operations. The funding has allowed us to increase our staff to 8 and develop a database system for locating missing persons. Currently, the rate of locating missing persons has increased to 80%.

“We continue to prioritize our staff and the database system. The funds received from the Vijitphongpan Fund this year will be used to increase our staff to 10, enabling us to respond to reports, coordinate with various agencies, and engage in fieldwork more quickly. We will also enhance the missing persons database's efficiency, with experts assisting in developing a program to match images of homeless individuals or unidentified bodies with our existing missing persons database, improving accuracy and linking with government agencies such as the Royal Thai Police and the Institute of Forensic Science. We hope that our efforts will increase the chances of missing persons returning to their families to 85%. We thank Mr. Thongma and the Vijitphongpan Fund for supporting our mission to bring missing persons home, allowing those waiting to move forward with their lives,” Mr. Ekalak concluded.