 When they were examining the social effects of the 1997 financial crisis, World Bank staff realized that certain groups were "slipping through the cracks." Neglect of AIDS patients and the elderly, increased family violence because of reduced income, and deficiencies in food and health care all pointed to a deteriorating quality of life for already poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Working with the Thai government, the Bank in mid-1999 created a new window of support under the existing Social Investment Fund (SIF), labeled Menu 5, to meet the urgent needs of those hardest hit by the crisis. The Social Fund marked the first time the Thai government has channeled significant sums of money to networks of community organizations capable of efficiently managing and administering smaller sub-projects at the community level. These organizations, which were already actively working with the poor, are working closely and directly with the poor.
Updated: July 2002
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