Page 27 - Social Enterprise A New Business Paradigm for Thailand

• Promoting road safety education in schools, or supporting social enterprises that

operate driving schools to expand their services to include public awareness and
training for youth and general road users
• Engaging communities to identify and map local accident risk zones, allowing residents
to play an active role in improving road safety
• Involving students in mapping risk points in and around their schools, building on
previously mentioned project models

6) Build the capacity of Buddhist temples and monks to support community development

and health
Temples and monks should be empowered to play a more effective role in community
health and development. This includes training monks to provide traditional Thai
medicine, as well as lead efforts in reducing drug use, smoking, and alcohol consumption
within their local communities.

7) Use Thai Health Academy and social enterprises to upgrade the skills of village health
volunteers (Aor Sor Mor)
ThaiHealth may consider working through Thai Health Academy and social or mission-

driven enterprises to improve the skills of village health volunteers (Aor Sor Mor). Many
of these volunteers are elderly and lack digital literacy. To address this, a new network of
younger, tech-savvy individuals should be developed to assist with digital health
technology and cybersecurity in local communities.

However, it is not necessary for ThaiHealth to push every social initiative to become a fully
self-sustaining business. A social enterprise that can sustain 50% of its operations within
the first five years, and 70% by year ten, may be considered successful. Special support
should also be prioritized for social enterprises operating in vulnerable or underserved

markets.

3. Designing a Research and Development Plan for Technology and Innovation to Support
Social Enterprises (Social Enterprise R&D Plan) National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)

Thailand currently allocates substantial public funding to support scientific and technological
advancement, with the aim of becoming a knowledge-based economy. Various government
agencies provide grants to researchers, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, and startups to
foster innovation, including social innovation.

However, to date, no organization has specifically prioritized support for the development of
social enterprises in a systematic and dedicated manner.

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