• Struggling for survival
• 'Washed up' fishermen turn carpenter and build their own boats
• 'Tsunami village' rises from rubble
• Inspired by Church aid, sea gypsies turn to Christ
• Foreign aid crucial
• Body ID center looks future
• Shoddy housing doesn't make a home
• Outside volunteer carves new career in housing
• Counting the costs to the environment
• Underwater tourist trails
• Turtle hatchery at risk after waves
• Where the money went
• Covered for everything but the wave
• Corporations learn that caring counts
• Starting again from scratch
• Swedish survivor gains perspective after wave 'turned my life upside-down'
• Reasons to smile
• Justice will prevail, investor believes
• Courage and resilience ease personal pain
• Help wanted
• Second chance to get it right
• Tide turns on tourist demographics in Khao Lak
• Light on the horizon
• One day at a time
• Widows and orphans left out in the cold
• Art for the heart
THE WAVE
'Washed up' fishermen turn carpenter and build their own boats
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| Small fishing boats from Ban Nam Khem in Takua Pa district gradually return to the sea. |
Phangnga - Suthee Chumphol, a fisherman from Ban Nam Khem, admits he used to be clumsy with wood and carpenter's tools. But today he owns a fishing boat that he made on his own.
It is the first fishing boat that the 26-year-old made after attending a nine-month training course, provided for those affected by the Dec 26 tsunami by the Save Andaman Group, a coalition of non-governmental organisations. It received support from private companies.
''Previously, when we wanted a boat, we simply bought or ordered one from the professionals. But the tsunami changed that. We have to do many things we never imagined we would,'' Mr Suthee said while wrapping a pink-coloured cloth around the boat's stern post. The wrap is to show respect to the boat's guardian spirit.
The boat-making project was a part of the rehabilitation activities. To facilitate the work, the community set up a cooperative, called Hua Thong Tsunami Boat Group. The group, formed one month after the disaster, now has 37 members - all fishermen.
Unlike other aid agencies, which tended to provide free donations, Save Andaman wanted its recipients to acquire new skills. The fishermen shouldered half of the boat's cost, about 75,000 baht, while the other half was paid by other companies joining the project including Dow Chemical, Toyota, Siam Cement Group, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Part of the donations came from the Norwegian government.
The fishermen's share of the cost, which will be made gradually once they can earn an income, will go to a community which will be used for other development activities.
The fishermen can take out loans from the fund to buy the necessary fishing equipment. In order to manage the fund properly and develop it into a community bank, the fishermen learned basic accountancy and audit work.
The group plans to make 50 boats this year. All are small-sized boats, measuring 10 metres in length.
The cooperative did not stop at boat building. The novice carpenters started to produce beams and other woodwork to supply a new housing project.
Maitree Chongkraichak, director of Ban Nam Khem Community Centre, said the cooperative is launching a new business - producing wood materials for house construction.
Pramon Sutivong, chairman of the board of Toyota (Thailand), praised the villagers' learning spirit. ''This is not just a typical donation project. These villagers are creating something new. For me, I feel like I'm in on the creation of a new business venture,'' said Mr Pramon, who is also president of the Thailand Chamber of Commerce, during a visit to the cooperative in November.
Mr Maitree said the community would not stop at the planned 50 boats. ''Maybe what we are looking for is not only building new boats. I would say we are trying to build new lives,'' he said.
Mr Suthee said he would hone his carpentry skills, which also provide him with a vehicle to escape his sadness.
While his wife and son survived the tsunami, Mr Suthee lost a sister and two nephews. One of the two nephews took his own life out of depression.
''Woodwork helps keep me from thinking about the tsunami tragedy,'' he said.
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