A Small Opportunity, A Lasting Change -A Grandmother Who Never Gave Up
- Loukmeeh
- 5h
- 3 min read
How Opportunity Transformed Both Income and the Heart of One Family
In a small house tucked away in Choeng Doi, Thailand, seven lives depend largely on one woman. Her name is Grandmother Ladda.
She lives with her disabled husband, her adult son with a disability, and her daughter-in-law with three children. In this household, she is the main pillar—the one everyone relies on. The responsibility is heavy, yet she has never complained.
Every morning, after sending her grandchildren to school, Grandmother Ladda walks along the roads collecting recyclable items to sell. The income is small, but it is enough to put food on the table, one day at a time. Some days her body is exhausted. Some days she can barely keep going. But she always gets back up—because people are waiting for her at home. Her grandchildren are her greatest source of strength. Even when there is no money for new clothes or school supplies, she does everything she can to keep them in school.
Hidden Strength, Waiting for an Opportunity
Grandmother Ladda is not without skills. She knows how to raise frogs, grow mushrooms, and manage small livelihoods. What she lacked was not effort—but opportunity and a proper starting point.
There were moments when hope felt far away. Yet giving up was never an option. She still had seven lives to care for and a future to protect. Then one day, she learned about the Building Strong Families (BSF) Program and was invited to join.
When Hope Found Its Way Back
After joining the program and receiving guidance, something began to change. Based on her interests and the space around her home, BSF supported her with livelihood resources—frog farming with feed and over 500 mushroom growing blocks.
This allowed her to start a small business right at home, without leaving her family behind.
Four to Five Months That Changed Everything
Four to five months later, the impact became clear.
From relying only on collecting recyclables, the family now earns income from harvesting mushrooms almost every day—about 3–4 kilograms daily. Frog farming has also become an important additional income source. There is more food on the table. Life is more stable. There is more joy in the home. What changed was not only income—but the confidence of a hardworking grandmother, finally able to move forward using the potential she always had.
More Than Financial Change
For the first time in a long while, Grandmother Ladda knows she is not alone. “I record my household income and expenses every single day,” she shared. Through training sessions, she has gained new knowledge—not only about saving and managing money, but also about positive parenting, child protection, and communication skills. She now hugs her grandchildren more, tells them she loves them more, and speaks words of encouragement more often.
With tears in her eyes, Grandmother Ladda said: “Since joining the program, I’ve received so many good things—support for my grandchildren’s education, opportunities to take them on trips, and most importantly, help to start a livelihood, so I can continue walking forward on my own. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Grandmother Ladda’s story is a living testimony of what happens when opportunity is placed into the hands of someone who refuses to give up. Thank you for partnering with us to help transform families like Grandam Ladda’s—and many more as we press on toward our vision of 500 families empowered by 2030.
BSF is a partner for project J1079 with Australian NGO, Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993). Donations to BSF through Global Development Group are tax deductible in Australia, NZ, and the USA.
Building Strong Families Foundation or มูลนิธิสร้างครอบครัวเข้มแข็ง is a registered foundation in Thailand (ชม770), approved by the Ministry of Interior.
