There are some special grannies in this world, and Granny Noi is no exception. This precious widow may not have much, but she does what she can to try to provide a loving kinship-care family for her vulnerable grandchildren. To assist Granny Noi and her family, BSF has provided them with a vegetable stall and holistic support services to help keep the family together. Things are now looking up and her grandson is even topping the class!
Life has not been easy for Noi, a 60-year-old widow and Grandma from Chiangmai, Thailand. Noi lives with her daughter, Ning, who has three children. Ning's husband abandoned the family when her youngest son was just three months old. Ning later remarried, however her new husband has a serious health issue and so Ning spends much of her time caring for him. The responsibility of providing for the extended family then fell on Grandma Noi.
When BSF heard about Noi’s situation, her family were invited to join an 18-month family-strengthening program in Padaed, Thailand. In this program, the family received assistance with income generation, health, and education. They also received the opportunity to attend regular family fun day outings, parent/caregiver trainings, and ongoing support from a loving and caring program coordinator.
Before Noi's husband passed away, he had taken out a large loan to renovate their house. Noi carried the full responsibility to repay the loan and to provide and care for the whole extended family.
Noi’s main income came from selling vegetables at markets and in the community. Some of the vegetables she grew herself and others she bought in bulk to resell. After school, her three grandsons, Stang (16 years old), Stamp (12 years old), and Stop (10 years old), help their gran to sell the vegetables at the market near their home. However, Noi was in great need of a cart to transport the vegetables and equipment. She had become quite exhausted going back and forth between her home and the markets selling her produce without any proper transportation.
After discussion and planning, BSF provided Grandma Noi with a cart, a large portable table, and an umbrella to protect her and her family from the weather elements when they worked at the markets. The family can now transport their goods in one journey, allowing them more time to sell their vegetables. BSF also provided some start-up capital which was used to buy produce to resell. Since receiving support from BSF, Grandma Noi has now increased her average income from 200 Baht/day to 500-600 Baht/day.
Through this income generation assistance, Noi's family is becoming more financially sustainable to provide for their own needs. And this, along with some extra educational support from BSF for her grandchildren's education, has meant her grandsons are able to focus on their schooling. Noi was delighted to learn recently that her eldest grandson, Stang, who worked very hard at his studies, received the honour of achieving the highest grades in his class.
Noi expressed her gratitude and said, “Thank-you BSF for helping me and my three grandsons to become happier. I am now able to provide for the needs of my grandsons and can even pay off some of the family debt. Moreover, I can cover the educational expenses for all my grandsons. I’m so proud that my eldest grandson, Stang, has already graduated from vocational college with a 'Certificate of Honour'. Thank-you for supporting me to have more income, and especially for the helpful training sessions like 'Family Finances and Money Management', so that I can now take better care of my own family!"
BSF is a partner for project J1079 & J1102 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.