Seeds of hope

“Even the flood is gone from the area but there’s nothing left for me”

Suthi Chansa, a 56 year-old woman who lives with her 10 years old grandson. Her daughter, mother of a boy is working as a daily worker in Bangkok and left her stay with her grandson just two persons in the old wooden house located along the Pa-Sak River, Phetchabun province in the north of Thailand. Suthi had her own little garden of chilly and canton that she could sell them and earned a small amount of money.

Suthi spent all of her money that she irregularly got from her daughter 1,000 Baht per month (around 35 USD) to buy the seeds of canton and fertilizers just to hope that she could earn money to pay for her grandson’s education and for the food. Unfortunately, while all the cantons were blooming and ready to harvest, the sudden flood came and destroyed all of her cantons away without any warning.

It happened in the night, I was thinking to harvest all the cantons in the morning on the day after, but that night, the two meters height flood came and destroyed everything from me. I don’t know what to do, I was like a blind persons living the dark tunnel. All the seeds of hope are gone

In September 2011, Thailand affected by the Nok-Ten monsoon that caused the heavy rain for almost a week and reached the water limit of the dam. Then the dam gate had to be opened to release the water out in Pa-Sak River so that made a big a flood attacking the communities along the river.

Suthi is one the villagers who affected by this, she lost all the agriculture’s tools, her house was almost tumbling down and all the agriculture areas were destroyed. There hadn’t been food and drinking water for family for almost 2 months. Moreover, Suthi has diabetes and has to take medicine regularly. With these extra expenses, made her being debt for 6,000 Baht (around 200 USD) since then.

In October 2011, ActionAid Thailand provided the 315 of flood relief packages to Suthi and other affected people in the Lom-Sak district, Phetchabun province which is the area that AAT has been working closely with community for the women’s rights and sustainable agriculture project and Suthi is one of villagers that AAT is working with. Even if the flood has alleviated now, but Suthi and others still need support especially with her agriculture by providing seeds, fertilizers and tools so that people can stand on their own legs and leave out of cycle of poverty.

Talking about the future of her grandson brought tears to her eyes...

I don’t know where I can find money to support my grandson’s education while I have nothing like today. I want him to have a good education so he would have a good life and stay away from the poor unlike his mother and me