Water for Life at Wiang Khamfa !

It is now rainy season in Thailand. So many places facing flood, stating from the northern part then goes to the central parts of the country. At the same time many villages facing drought and lack of water. What a contrast circumstance !

 The Sustainable Community Foundation(SCF.) team and I got contacts from some villages for working together on water. After a number of site racces and discussions, we prioritize the project and then we agreed to start an emergency one. 

It is a new village entitled "Wing Khamfa Village", located  to the East of Chiang Rai city. The population composed of nine ethnic groups relocated from many places 12 years ago. Villagers here earn their livings by being construction labors in town, in rubber plantations, and making embroideries for selling.

Unfortunately, there is no water supply in the village. They rely on rain water, but some of them cannot afford water tanks. They are so called "vulnerable households" of single mothers, elderly, sick elderly, disable couples and disable child in the family.

We hope to work on water tanks for them within this rainy season. However, fund raising is a big challenge for the team. How to make this project happened while not yet enough fund. We will try our best to make it possible, and if more helping hands, we believe  it is coming true.

                             

   Here are the existing water containers of the vulnerable households

Let's be a part of supporting rain water tanks to these vulnerable households. Our helping hand can make positive changes and prove "water for life" 

"Faith" and "Humanity"

People globally are now in the midst of COVID  19. My  country and my local community also dealing with it.

Besides the support of our government through many policies and measurements, the civil society organizations also work out actively. In this challenge, each of us must  take good care of personal hygiene and  keep healthy  so we can help the othes. The measurements of personal hygiene, stay home, social distancing, home quarantine, local quarantine and state quarantine  enforced quite well so the numbers of positive confirmed cases are reducing.

What impressed me was the supporting to each other both at local and national level. It was amazing to see people voluntary go out and provide support to the vulnerable ones start from our front-line officers, unemployed, stateless, homeless and marginal ones.

 Many temples and people share and donate whatever they can to the people of all races, religions, and social status;

Some provide food in front of their homes, shops.
Some produce cloth masks and face shield to give to the others.
Food exchanging happnening in many places; farmers in the North and Nort-East send rice and other farm products to the Soth and the fishermen  in the South send dried fishes  back to them.
Some local communities, people put their farm products at the centre to share and exchange with the others.
Some people give their own saving to villagers by walking around and  visit each household.
Some business owners change their factory to be produce surgical, clothe mask to provide to all. Many invention  also were done to make it easier to cope up with the virus. And.... they give for free of charge !
Even the lock down policy affected to our economic, money is not much power during this crisis. People help each other by heart every where.

I personally trust that "Faith" and "Humanity" are behind these kindness and blessing events.

Together, we all shall pass the challenge well !

A sharing from Chiang Rai

My foundation, Sustainable Community Foundation (SCF)  internship by Hong Kong Baptist  University during May-June 2019.

The two interns Anchan and Krajeab (their Thai names) worked closedly together side by side with the team. We did have a very great time learning and sharing with them along the journey.

The VDO is from a project at a Mien village named Baan Mae Mong Yao.

A journey to learn about contentment !

A memorable journey with friends to a small Karen village of  18 household and some 90 people. A very little corner of the world hiden in a hillside.

Not many people come here as the transportation is very challenge. It took almost four hours
driving along a dusty, small and winding road  up and down the hills, passing two streams where bridges were broken.

Most of their houses made of bamboos.  People keep themselves in the houses after going to the rice farm as the very cold and windy weather. Most of them do not  have winter jackets. The girls usually get married after they finish the primary school. We saw a few young  mothers of 12-13 years old at the village. The young boys go to work in town after finish primary school. They will come back to the village to help parents during the times of growing and harvesting highland rice.

People  rotate their farm land  for seven years  around the hills. So the forests here still fertile. We hear the calls of gibbons every moring.

Our main task here is to install solar cells to generate 12 voltage electric light for each household. After having dark nights for some 90 years, they can have light  in their homes and we belief this could help their livings easier. We also provide hot milo with cookies and lunch for the kids and villagers.

 All of us were suffered with the very cold and windy weather.We usually sit around the campfires at nights and early mornings while some kids and villagers bring firewood and join us.

It was very peaceful being with them under limited resources. Nobody mentioned about the hardship but we keep smiling and helping each other.

Siliently I sit and look at  the kids, villagers and the team.... my heart feel something... the contentment.

hot milo and cookies for all

school kids 

the village look from a school building

water from the hill for drinking and utilization

local life style

firewood 

for lunch together

light for life

sandles just somthing to wear... !

rotation farming for every seven years

a school building

a villager learn how to install light for the village road

under the same moon 

a kid bring firewood to the campfire

“Building Shower Rooms for female Students of Baan Huia Ya School”

A small school of Baan Huia Ya located in a small village of Karen people, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The school provides kindergarten to middle school education for children from six villages.. Fifty five students included 30 boys and 25 girls whose hometown is far from school stay at the school’s dormitory Due to limited funding, the shower rooms for the girls are not safe and hygienic.

We got a call for help from the school director in December 2017. After surveys, and discussions, we agreed to build comfortable and safe shower rooms for female students who stay at the school dormitory.

The shower place for female students in December 2017

Working together for new shower rooms during July- November 2018

The shower rooms completed  by the power of working together. A small and simple work could have a great impact to the society, we believe.

Lum Nam Wittaya

Water is very important for living. However too much , too less and lack of water always be a problem. 

There was a big flood at Luam Nam Wittaya School in Mae La Noi District, Maehongson Province, Thailand on 26 September 2017. It was the only flood withing 36 years. The flood destroyed fish ponds, veggies beds, water tanks and frightened the four female  teachers, and 40 school kids.  The school chicken were also frighten and they stooped produce eggs for school lunch program.  

Visiting to the school twice  to survey the area, discuss and consult with village leaders, and teachers. A  project and activities were planned and agreed for this urgent need of marginal people included 40 school kids, four teachers, and 200 villagers  in the Karen village cluster named Mae La Mong Tai.

We will work together at the school to fix up the hill water system which included building two check dams, install water collectors, stream crossing, building water tanks, fix up fish ponds, install well for veggies bed. 

Hopefully.... the project will help fix up the problems both for short term and long term for the school and the village of 200 villagers.  motivate the teachers, school kids,local leaders and villagers to work for themselves, cooperate and learn more.  

Before the Flood

After the flood 

Teachers and school kids tried to fix  hill water system after the flood

The First Visit

The second visit

We got a support from a kind lady of a beverage  company supported this project. Working at the school will be during 11-14 May 2018. We have to complete the project before the rain and the school term which is 16 May 2018. 

Would like to be a part of our journey ? Kind;y contact me, there are more vulnerable schools and villages to work together in the lists which seem to be longer and longer. 

Creating a positive change together  for a sustainable development !