May 9, 2000
Hung out to dry Relocated from their ancestral home in a forest reserve, the villagers of Banraiteentoke are struggling to get by in the barren foothills where they now live Aphaluck Bhatiasevi and Onnucha Hutasingh Pholphat Thongkham will be moving to Prathom 1 when his school reconvenes this month. The seven-year-old boy dreams of becoming a policeman when he grows up. He seems to be a caring boy, with a perpetual grin on his face, but his teachers say he is aggressive. For Kalaya and her mother, a good education is a far-fetched dream. Pictures by AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK and SUDDAN POOSANT His father Virote wants him to study as much as he can, but is doubtful whether his son's dreams will be fulfilled, given the way they are living. His wife ran away when Pholphat was barely two years old. Because he is a single parent and has a problem with his left leg, 39-year-old Virote can't dedicate himself to the manual work he used to do on construction sites before the economic crisis in 1997. "Now being lame or not is the same for many of us here," said Mr Virote, explaining that most residents of Banraiteentoke village in Tambon Songkhon in Fak Tha district of Uttaradit are unemployed anyway. Lamchen Khansawasdi quit her studies after graduating Prathom 6, in order to help her parents earn a living by working in construction sites in a number of areas, including Bangkok. She is now 19 and has a son who is 20 months old. "I really wish I could have continued my studies," she said, a bit shyly. After graduating, Mrs Lamchen joined a Mathayom school in the district, but after a short while, decided not to continue her studies. Seven-year-old Pholphat wants to be a policeman, but poverty is his biggest obstacle. "It costs us money to travel to the school and to eat food there. My parents could not afford to give me 20- 30-baht allowance every day," she said in her local accent. Many of her peers did not continue their studies either. Construction work was famous among the villagers at that time. It is still one of the main sources of income for the residents of Banraiteentoke who have no other means of earning a living. Mrs Lamchen's husband is also unemployed, and they do not have enough money for their baby's milk. The villagers have heard a lot about self sufficiency-growing their own food-but even this is not possible for them. "We have water problems here, we can't even grow vegetables or fruits. This tree has been here since I first moved here, but it has given no fruit," said Mr Virote, pointing to his barren papaya tree. On April 4, 1996, the villagers were asked to move down from their forest home to the rocky, arid foothills where they now live. The land they left behind-a forest reserve area at Ban Huay Sai and Ban Mai Phai Wan, about eight kilometres up the hill from their current village-had been the home of their ancestors for generations. "Forget about water to grow vegetables or fruits. We don't even have sufficient water for daily use here," said Thanet Phuttha, principal of Banraiteentoke School. The government built a water pipe system for the village a few years ago, but none of the residents use it because they have had bitter experiences, he said. "Many of them have had to pay for running meters, even though only air came out of their taps, instead of water," said Mr Thanet. The villagers can't dig for underground water, either, because the soil is too dry. Now, the district office sends a water tanker to the village once a month, and from the truck, each household fills at least two earthenware jars, in order to have sufficient water for drinking, cooking and washing clothes. Somthet Sonsing, 32, said the women in the village sit around and gossip when they have nothing to do. Her eight-year-old daughter, Vanna, loves watching television, but her mother can't purchase one of her own. "She often goes to the neighbour's house to watch TV. I know they don't like it and I tell her not to go. We would like to buy our own TV set, but it is difficult now even to pay for it in instalment," said Mrs Somthet. Most of the villagers purchase television sets and refrigerators on instalment plans that have an interest rate of above 10 percent, she said. Mrs Somthet said she managed to save some money from doing construction work-typically two to four months at a time. She said she would use the money to send her 13-year-old son to Huay Luek School in town-about half an hour away by car-for further education These days, many villagers try to find jobs on farms in neighbouring districts and provinces, said Mr Virote, Pholphat's father. They are paid just 80 to 100 baht a day, but Mr Virote said it is better than not having any income at all. To feed his son, Mr Virote sometimes has to approach monks in a neighbouring temple to ask for food. "I don't mind it if I don't have anything to eat, but I can't take it when my son has an empty stomach," said the young father. When asked whether his neighbours help him with food sometimes, Mr Virote said, "All of us are equally in a difficult situation. I don't think anybody here can help us because they also have to feed themselves."The villagers seem to be isolated from the outside world. The nearest health centre-the smallest unit in the nation's public health system-is about five kilometres from the village. To reach it, the villagers have to hire a pick-up truck, even in emergencies. There are about 80 families living in Banraiteentoke, most of them in houses made of bamboo. Many of the villagers are uneducated, and most of the teenagers have only completed Prathom 6. Mr Thanet says they have a lot of difficulty getting the students do their homework, because most of their parents are not really concerned about it. "We have three teachers taking care of 44 students in the school," he said, adding that the school actually has 65 students, but those in Prathom 5 and 6 have to study in Huay Luek School due to Banraiteentoke School's limited space and resources. Mr Thanet said even though most of the students' families cannot cover their basic expenses, the school managed to obtain a budget for free lunches from the government for only 10 students. But that did not stop the school from preparing food for all 44 students. "With 75 baht a day, we cook sufficient food for all 44 students in our school, thanks to the support of the villagers who help us with cooking," he said, adding that lunch costs the school almost two baht per student per day. Saengduan Boonkham, 10, says she enjoys the food at school more than at home, where she has to cook for herself. Her parents have separated. Saengduan usually lives with her father, but when he goes to Huay Luek town to look for work, she stays with her mother and her new family. Saengduan was a good student, but her results fell after her parents separated about two years ago, said Mr Thanet. "She is a serious girl and doesn't like to talk much. She's barely ever seen smiling," he said. Saengduan says she has not yet thought of what she wants to become when she grows up, but loves to study English. She hopes to study at least up to Mathayom 3, and says she is fortunate to be able to go to school, which provides her with books and food even though she does not have any money. If given the chance to ask for a gift for the new term, Saengduan says she wants a school uniform. Twelve-year-old Kalaya Singdam will be going to Prathom 5 this month. Despite being enrolled in Banraiteentoke School until Prathom 6, she will have to travel to Huay Luek school to continue her education. Her father Chalerm is currently suffering from mental health problems and her mother Nanthira fears her education will be interrupted if she does not receive sufficient financial support. Mr Chalerm used to get 60 baht a day as a construction worker, but has been jobless since he had an accident at the construction site he was working at in Samut Prakan a few years ago. Following the accident he has not been able to see properly, and he became a nervous wreck. Kalaya is given an allowance of five baht a day. She does not know whether this will be sufficient for the new school year or how much she will need, because she has never been to town. In fact, she hasn't left the village since her family moved down from the hills. Saengduan has been to Sirikit Dam, a few kilometres from the village, on a tour organised by the school. She said she really liked it and wished she could go out more often. Mr Thanet says he wants the students to be more exposed to the outside world. "But financial limitations make it difficult to arrange for even basic educational materials like stationery, tables, chairs and even electricity and fans," he said. "We Care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. Apart from supporting these causes, you can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We Care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to: . For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare/. Info for donations: Name of organisation: Banraiteentoke School. Contact person: Mr Thanet Phuttha, school principal. Address: Banraiteentoke School, Banraiteentoke Village, Tambon Songkhon, Fak Tha District, Uttaradit Province. The school has no phone or fax machine. If you want to help the pupils there, please send a cheque payable to the Post Publishing Public Company Limited. Address it to Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110. Her telephone number is 240-3700 ext 3224-5. Please state that the cheque is for Banraiteentoke School.		Daily Main Entrance Page Local News Business Outlook Weekly IT news Horizons Travel NiteOwl (Trink) Real.Time Motoring Student Weekly Entertainment & Lifestyle What's on Dining out Recipe of the week Movies Music Book Review Beauty Fitness Nutrition NEW! 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