In 1991, volunteers started a day care centre in a remote hill tribe village. The centre started with one local teacher and 22 children. As the education projects grew, the founders realised that people living in the remote areas  faced many challenges including the scarcity of clean drinking water, poor hygiene, low income and debt.
 
After many years working with the villagers, the volunteers realised that their activities needed structure and legalisation. In 2009 they registered their work as an official foundation with the Ministry of Interior and the Rain Tree Foundation was initiated.  The organisation is still grassroots focused but now has more structures and systems in place that can support the organisation’s growth. The Raintree Foundation runs programmes in the following areas:
 
Education; The Raintree Foundation runs a children’s home, orphanage, day care centre and school for poor children. The aim is to ensure that the children have a good education, as normal as possible a childhood and a safe environment. The organisation supports over 200 children in an average year.
 
Water; Raintree Foundation organises the building and monitoring of water filters to ensure that people in remote places have access to clean and safe drinking water (about 600 units in total, servicing 5,000 people).  The charity is also building special water pumps that do not require gasoline or electricity, but are powered by water and gravity.
 
Community Development; Coffee Co-op, tribal Handicraft, trainings, seminars, etc.
 
Practical help to people in need; Donation of eye glasses, clothes, toys, buffaloes, emergency aid, medical bills, etc.
 
Please see their website for more information: http://www.raintree-foundation.org