Today (June 24, 2012) at 10.00, Mrs. Nalinee Taweesin, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairperson of the Women Empowerment Fund, together with Mr. Wongsak Sawaspanich,  Assistant to the Minister of Interior, Mr. Pollapoom Wiphatpoomprathet, Bangkok representative, Ms. Renu Tangkajiwangkul, Deputy Secretariat to the Prime Minister for the Administrative Affairs, and Ms. Khemanij Jamikorn (Pancake), a famous actress visited Sethabuth Bampen school located at Minburi district, Bangkok in order to observe the Women Empowerment Fund’s Committee election of the outer Bangkok zone. In this regard, there were a number of the Fund’s members going to the election. The Committee on Women Empowerment Fund according to Regulation of the Prime Minister’s Office on Women Empowerment Fund B.E. 2555 is composed of National Committee on Women Empowerment Fund, Provincial/Bangkok Committee on Women Empowerment Fund, Sub-district Committee on Women Empowerment Fund. Apart from Committees on Women Empowerment Fund, there also are Administrative Committee on the Fund, and Assessment Committee.

Today’s agenda was to organize a public gathering with an aim to select Provincial Committee on Women Empowerment Fund and elect Bangkok Committee on Women Empowerment Fund. Since Bangkok is a big city whose populations outnumber other provinces’, the Committee thus needs to be elected. Both Provincial and Bangkok Committees on Women Empowerment Fund take responsible for; first, managing the Fund; second, inspecting, monitoring, and distributing incomes or benefits originated from the Fund’s money or property; third, raising fund; fourth, examining proposals for the Fund’s financial support; fifth, providing the Fund’s account; sixth, surveying and preparing information of the Fund’s members and Women Organizations’ members; and etc. The Committee of Women Empowerment Fund serves two-year term.

In this opportunity, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office greeted local people, and inspected an election site. She stated that sub-district committees who had been selected in June 17 will be selected again in order to represent as a provincial Committee. This enables the Provincial Committee to constitute committees from 76 provinces. For Bangkok area, only 12 candidates were elected. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration provided 3 election areas such as Phibul Prachasawan school (Din Daeng district) for inner Bangkok zone, Sethabuth Bampen school (Minburi district) for outer Bangkok zone, and Siam university (Pasee Jarern) for Thonburi zone. There were a number of people participating in the Committee selection process. After there are Sub-district, Provincial/ Bangkok Committees, the government distributes the budget worth 100 million to each province by August.

Pancake, a famous actress stated that she had already registered as a member of Women Empowerment Fund. The actress also revealed that she accompanied the Minister today so as to observe the Fund’s election at Sethabuth Bampen school since Women Empowerment Fund serves as a channel for Thai women to access to financial sources, make their living, and helping out underprivileged women. Therefore, Pancake invited every Thai woman aged above 15 years old to register in the Women Empowerment Fund and click Like the Fund’s Facebook: www. Facebook.com/womenfund.thaigov