04/08/2026
Meet Supaporn Charoenchaithawonchit (Koi), a motorcycle taxi driver in Thailand.
For 42- year-old Koi, the heat is a physical barrier that dictates how much and how efficiently she can work.
“As soon as the weather gets hot, I start getting headaches and dizziness—I just can’t keep driving. I have to rest... and some days, I can’t go out at all,” she shared.
During the record-shattering heat of April 2025, Koi hit a breaking point. Two months pregnant, she was being pushed beyond her limits. While working through the scorching Songkran festival, she began to experience severe abdominal pain and bleeding.
“The heat was unbearable... In the end, I miscarried,” she shared.
Despite the trauma, she chose not to go to a hospital, fearing the medical costs and the loss of income from a long stay.
Instead, she followed a pharmacy’s advice, used warm compresses, and returned to work after just five days of rest.
For Koi, the extreme heat is not just an environmental condition; it is a direct threat to her health, physical endurance, and that of her family.
Read more about the impacts of extreme heat on women in Thailand and how our partner HERA is developing localised, gender-responsive interventions. 👉https://www.prudentialplc.com/en/sustainability-social-impact/prudence-foundation/news-and-publications/How-Extreme-Heat-is-Reshaping-Womens-Lives-in-Thailand/
