A Thai proverb says, “Children are the future of a nation. If the children are intelligent, the country will prosper.”
This Saturday, January 13, is Children's Day (Wan Dek) in Thailand. Children can attend all kinds of activities for free on this day to get acquainted with the grown-up world, amusement parks and zoos. A holiday for children!
Not for every child in Thailand
It will not be a holiday for all children in Thailand. Take, for example, Kampanart “Parn” Tipparat, a 10-year-old boy from Songkhla province. It will be an ordinary day for him and his father, who live together in a tuk-tuk, because father has no money to rent accommodation.
Santiparb Ramasutra of The Nation wrote a plea for this boy who, like many other Thai children, deserves a better life. This is the story.
The family
The mother left the family when Parn was 3 years old, leaving father Rungroj, 62 years old, alone with their only child. Rungroj offers a tuk-tuk service in the center of Hat Yai, but he only earns 100-300 Baht per day. The proceeds must be used to pay Parn's daily expenses and also education costs. That leaves them no choice but to use the tuktuk as a refuge.
Daily life
Daily life for the Tipparats begins with waking up early, as the son helps monks from Mahattamangkalaram temple on their morning round to receive food. After the round, the monks share their food with the boy and sometimes give him money. When the boy goes to school, his father drives the vehicle around looking for passengers.
Father Rungroj then collects Kampanart from school in the afternoon and then makes another round later in the evening to find potential passengers. They earn extra money from Wednesday to Sunday when there is a night market and vendors hire it to transport their goods. But the work ends late at night, which means that Kampanart has little time to do his homework and does not get enough rest.
Father Rongroj
“My son and I have been sheltering in my rented tuk-tuk for about four months as I can't afford to rent a room. I can earn about 300 Baht per day driving the tuk tuk, but I have to pay 120 Baht to rent it. Sometimes I have to spend all the remaining money to fix the vehicle”.
He further said that he was sorry that his son had to live in the tuk-tuk and had no opportunity to play like other children. “Sometimes my son is disappointed because I don't have money to buy new clothes or toys. However, I will make every effort to continue his studies”.
It is his greatest wish to now have a real roof over their heads.
Son Kampanart
The boy said that living in a tuk-tuk is not easy, but he accepts it as a fact. “I wish I could become a police officer. What I want for National Children's Day is a bicycle and a Superman costume. I will study hard so that I can take care of my father”.
Donation
I realize that not every poor Thai child can be supported, but if you – like me – feel a bit concerned about this father and son, you can – like me – transfer a (small) amount to Rungroj's bank account . His bank account at Krung Thai Bank is 9300348094. You can also call him on 080 902 6285.
Donate and give Children's Day 2018 extra shine!.
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30335937
Gringo what is a good amount to deposit to those people. You speak of a small sum, but the standards in Belgium and Thailand are of course different. Do you also have an idea how exactly I transfer to a Thai number from here
The report mentioned an amount of 100 or 200 Baht, I transferred 500 Baht.
If I would like to transfer such an amount from the Netherlands, there will be bank costs on both sides, which are probably higher than the 500 Baht.
I would therefore recommend that only people who live or stay in Thailand make a donation.
I am passing by in March and visiting friends in Chiang Mai. I'll leave some pennies there with the question to make about 🙂
Michael, that costs a lot of money in bank charges, don't do it.
I have an account and I will do it for you
Jan
Yes, very sad.
Last week there were people who claimed on this blog that there are no poor people in Thailand anymore and that everything has become so expensive.
The reality is often different.
I hope the best for this father and son.
Yes, very sad.
I just made a donation.
I'm quite curious how much this action has raised for these people and whether this is enough to get them back on their way.
very natural but this is NOT a tuktuk but a Songtheaw and therefore slightly larger.
I am now in the Philippines and many gentlemen would be very happy to live so “comfortably” there…
here you will find MUCH WORSE conditions, but that does not alter the fact that these are also degrading conditions ...
Today I had my flat rear tire of my moped repaired here in a “Vulkanising Shop”.
how those people live there with their whole family in that hovel defies all imagination!
unfortunately I can't send a picture of it here so you can judge for yourself...
That's not a tuktuk but a sangteaw , (minibus)
120 baht per day x30 is 3600 baht per month, to rent, for that price you rent a nice house.
And 300 days to do transport for a whole day, those men earn 30 baht per ride, that's 10 rides…. I also have my doubts.
Everything seems exaggerated here.
Jan
If you know how to rent a Songteaw for 120 Bath pd, I would like to have the address where that is possible. Thank you very much in advance.
There are still an awful lot of poor people here in Thailand.
I have been living here for 5 years now and I also help poor people around me.
Sometimes I pay an electricity bill, I give a satellite antenna, I have something repaired on a motorbike or I give a simple mobile gift.
And I like doing it and I like it when people are helped, they are not capital gifts because I can't afford to miss them either, but it gives me a good feeling.
Well, every time I spend a few hundred baht on the bums on the street in Pattaya, when I'm on vacation.
I remember that it was recommended here on thailandblog that it was better to give a bottle of drink, because there are usually gangs behind those vagrants.
Maybe I'll do that next year, although it's easier to get a 100 bath out of my wallet.
What I mean to say is that I hope to alleviate the suffering I encounter on my holiday, in my own way as a “rich farang”, even if it is a drop in the ocean.
Tell me where I can charter a Tuk-Tuk or Songtaew for 600 Baht per day + fuel.
This is very sad and the Government should come up with plans to prevent this.
Child must be able to live in a house with his father. Such cases should be helped by the government.
Poverty is of all times and all countries. I have traveled a lot around the world and know that there are harrowing conditions, especially with children. There is also a lot of suffering and poverty in Thailand. As long as the governments are not there for this target group, it will never be anything and these conditions will continue to exist. There is plenty of money in the world and with the right approach and distribution, this kind of situation does not have to exist. That you let your heart speak is to be applauded. I also do this every year and with a group of market people we visit orphanages or other occasions several times a year, where the need is great and people are partly dependent on donations from whomever this may be. Play activities are also done with those children. The pleasure that radiates from those faces is priceless.
If this man only has 5000 baht a month left, he better find another job or move to a better place. The father of our former Foster Parents girl had his own (fourth hand) minibus and had a turnover of 18000 baht. Then only insurance and petrol went off.
This is in Kohn Kaen. In any case, he could easily pay 6000 baht for his house and the university for his daughter. So a better location would make a big difference
From the Bangkok Post of December 21, 2017: Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said there are 5 million Thais who earn less than 30.000 a year. That is 2500 baht per month, about 80 baht per day. I think the problem with this gentleman is that he does not live with family and does not grow his own food like many do. Look, you don't have much with 80 baht a day, but then there is food and shelter. Many live with family (in the broadest sense of the word) and you can always stay with a family member.