In recent months the team went to Mae To and Mae Jiao villages. We also visited 2 villages in Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai where we had the opportunity to meet, talk, encourage and give away food packages to 70 families. Most of those families are Lahu people and one of the villages does not have access to electricity. The team also went out to help the community by providing food and supply bags to feed almost 100 Lahu hilltribe people in Huai Wai and Mae Na Noi communities, and another 80 families in Pai, Mae Hong Son province, where electricity is also inaccessible.
Some of these places are very remote and only accesible by truck. During this rainy season the route can even be impassible when it rains. It did rain during one of our trips but thankfully we did not get stuck. Despite the danger and difficulty, we love passing on hope and encouragement in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Everywhere we go, we've given clothing gifts to many kids in the community. We were glad to see the smile of happiness when we did games and activities with them. Thank you for helping us meet this need during Covid!
Our team recently visited a few different villages to distribute food and supplies. These areas were on strict lockdown, not allowed to meet in groups, or organize any public activities. The mental impact of the lockdown has made people feel sad and discouraged. They only recently opened up these villages again for outsiders to visit. With official approval from local government leaders, we were able to coordinate public events.
Our first event in the region of Hot was called "Share to Change" in English. Rather than simply dropping off food, we wanted to have activities that would bring joy to so many people who have been struggling mentally in lockdown. In addition to 80 food and supply packages, we had music, games, and word of encouragement that we knew the local people would enjoy. In Doi Saket we visited an orphange that celebrates Christmas and put on an "Amazing Christmas" program with many activities for the kids who had missed the social interaction from visitors so much. We also donated 100 food and supply packages to the orphanage.
Life in rural areas can often be challenging with less economic opportunities negatively impacting family health. This is amplified when lockdowns cause people to lose their ability to socialize and fully participate in life together. We hope that our visit provided encoruagement and perseverance to continue forward in life.
We have continued to distribute food and supplies to families in Northern Thailand who have been negatively effected by losing jobs due to Covid. One of our recent distributions was to a construction worker camp in Chiang Mai where 60 families were on strict lockdown and not allowed to work. We also distributed to migrant worker camps in two other locations, providing 45 and 15 sets respectively. Most recently this month we created specific food packages for 130 people in the Hot area of Chiang Mai. This was an area where most things were closed for 6 months and is just now slowly opening up. The community was very thankful for the food assistance.
Even though Thailand has been facing it's worst Covid wave of sickness since the beginning of the pandemic, we have still had the opportunity to go out and help our tribal brothers and sisters in a safe manner. I say brothers and sisters because even if we are not related by blood, we are still family and take care of one another. We recently went to Doi Saket District to deliver about 40 food packages for the elderly, the poor, and bedridden. We spent time with each person or family to encourage them through this difficult time. In years past, many families would be able to survive by living off the land, but in this day and age, many families depend on jobs outside their village for some or all of their income for food. We heard of one family in this situation deep in the jungle. The husband had to be far away for work and the mother was at home taking care of their 4 children. We had to hike 2 kilometers through the jungle to reach her but she was so grateful for the food and supplies. We also recently visited Ban Pang Daeng School to provide lunch and gave school supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste kits to 120 students. Thank you for helping us meet real needs of these families during the Covid pandemic.
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