Donors raise B5.9m for 4-year-old girl and blind grandma

Teacher Patcharini Esatee, right, greets officials who visit the house of Toei, sitting next to her, and the grandmother who is wiping her eyes early this week. (Photo from the teacher's Facebook account)
Teacher Patcharini Esatee, right, greets officials who visit the house of Toei, sitting next to her, and the grandmother who is wiping her eyes early this week. (Photo from the teacher's Facebook account)

Donors have given a total of 5.9 million baht to support a four-year-old girl who lives alone with her blind grandmother in a shack in Buri Ram.

Patcharini Esatee, a teacher at Ban Makham Than Tawan School, said that the bank account for receiving donations has already been closed, with a total amount of 5.9 million baht. She expressed her gratitude for the kindness shown.

The teacher met the girl's grandmother, Sao Jindasri, during a meeting at the school last Friday. The 68-year-old woman arrived with the aid of a cane together with her granddaughter Sutheemon, aka Toei.

When they met, Ms Sao tearfully asked the teacher if she could advance 180 baht for her granddaughter's accident insurance, which had been arranged by the school. The grandmother said she would repay the teacher upon receiving her monthly elderly allowance.

Ms Patcharini told Ms Sao that she would pay the premium for the grandmother.

Later that day, the teacher asked to visit their home.

Upon arrival, she saw the four-year-old doing dishes and carrying out other chores to help her grandmother.

Ms Patcharini asked to record their daily life and share the video to raise funds for them.

The grandmother expressed her gratitude for the donations.

The pair's poorly constructed house is about one kilometre from the school, where Toei is a kindergartener.

Ms Sao and Toei have to rely on the monthly elderly allowance of 600 baht and the monthly disability allowance of 800 baht. Her son works in another province and does not provide regular financial support.

The grandmother said that Toei takes care of household chores such as dishwashing, laundry and cooking rice.

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Vocabulary

  • advance (noun): money paid for something not received or done yet - จ่ายล่วงหน้า, ให้ล่วงหน้า
  • allowance: an amount of money that someone receives in order to pay for the things that they need - เงินสนับสนุน, เบี้ยเลี้ยง
  • blind: unable to see - บอด
  • cane (noun): a piece of cane or a thin stick, used to help somebody to walk - ไม้เท้า
  • chores: jobs which are often boring or unpleasant but need to be done regularly - งานบ้าน
  • disability: an illness, injury or condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do - ความพิการ
  • donations (noun): money or goods that you give to an organisation, especially one that helps people - เงินหรือสิ่งของบริจาค
  • donor (noun): a person who gives money or goods to an organisation, especially one that helps people - ผู้บริจาค
  • fund: to provide money for something - ให้เงินทุน
  • gratitude: a feeling of being grateful to someone because they have given you something or have done something for you - ความรู้สึกขอบคุณ
  • insurance: an arrangement in which you regularly pay an insurance company an amount of money so that they will give you money if something you own is damaged, lost, or stolen, or if you die or are ill or injured - การประกัน
  • premium: an amount of money that you pay once or regularly for an insurance policy - เบี้ยประกัน
  • rely on: to depend on or trust - พึ่งพา  เชื่อถือ ไว้ใจ
  • shack: a very simple and small building made from pieces of wood, metal or other materials - กระท่อม
  • tearfully: crying, or feeling as if you want to cry - ร้องไห้,น้ำตาไหล, อยากร้องไห้
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