Prateep Ungsongtham Hata

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Prateep Ungsongtham Hata (Thai: ประทีป อึ้งทรงธรรม ฮาตะ, born 9 August 1952) is a Thai activist noted for her work with slum dwellers in the Khlong Toey district of Bangkok, Thailand. A former Senator for Bangkok, she was awarded the 1978 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. She is Secretary General of the Duang Prateep Foundation.

[edit] Life

Prateep was born in the Klong Toey Slum in Bangkok. Prateep Ungsongtham had spent only four years at primary school but this was enough to show her that education could transform lives. As a 12-year-old worker she began to save from her meagre wages to pay for secondary education at night school.

Because most slum children could not go to a regular school, Prateep opened her own Baht a Day School at her home. She even spent much time helping children and their families to cope with the conditions of slum life.

When the slum dwellers were threatened with eviction by the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) Prateep pushed for a compromise solution, and the PAT made a new site available 1 km away.

In 1976 Prateep completed her education with a Diploma of Education from Suan Dusit Teachers College.

In 1978 Prateep received the Magsaysay Award for Public Service. She used the prize money to establish the Duang Prateep Foundation (DPF) and became Secretary General.

In 1980 she became the first Asian citizen to receive John D. Rockefeller Youth Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mankind. With the prize money she established the Foundation for Slum Child Care.

In 1987 she married the Japanese citizen Mr. Tatsuya Hata.

In 1992 she became a committee member of the Confederation for Democracy and one of the leaders of the opposition to the military dictatorship of the time.

In Thailand's first free election in the year 2000 she won a seat in the Senate. Now she is caring for the rights of the poor and discriminated people on political level.

In 2004 she received the The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child from Queen Silvia of Sweden.