They have lived in the same place in Mae Hong Son, Thailand for 31 years without land, electricity or legal status They have lived in the same place in Mae Hong Son, Thailand for 31 years without land, electricity or legal status. Currently they rent a generator which provides 2 hours of very limited power a day. There are no solar lights, no candles. In summer they have severe water shortages. Th
ere is a school there with about 40 children, it has dirt floors, no windows, no electricity, woven grass walls. The teachers receive a salary of 2000 baht US$60 per month. It is a hot climate yet they have no fans for sleeping, no lights to study by. Many in the village struggle to even have rice to eat and often go hungry. She was born in the camp and educated at the nearby refugee camp. She speaks 4 languages and is obviously intelligent. She would like to pursue higher education but feels she has to find work to support her family. She once missed an educational opportunity because her family was unable to raise the 300 baht (US$9) fee for the year long course. We visited the village 2 times in 2 days, the road is rough. It is situated close to a refugee camp and apparently there are other villages past that point but we were not permitted to go further. We brought some snacks to give to the children at school. A cheap 20 cent snack is a rare treat for them, maybe enjoyed once or twice a month. The next day we carried 45kg of rice to the village, no easy feat riding a scooter on that road. We asked to speak with the village leaders who speak english and they explain the desperate need for electricity for water tanks and a pump. The Thai government has not helped as they are not Thai citizens. One day we were there though they brought in a row of wildly incongruous looking recycling bins... I could help but question the usefulness of the gift. The thought of these people out there in the jungle, in the dark and silence of the jungle night sweltering all night in the tropic heat is profoundly shocking when so many live in comfort. The aim of this charity is to solicit donations towards the following aims.
1 Sufficient water tanks to provide for the long dry summers
2 A good quality solar pump to feed those tanks, and pipe to fit
3 Solar street lighting and a solar light for each of the 20 huts
4 A generator of their own
5 This may be too expensive but to work with the Thai government to get electricity from the grid out there.
