A Light Rekindled – Sarah’s Story of Hope
Sharin‘s grandma Som’s gaze followed us and we entered her ramshackled home by the river in Fah Mai.
These were eyes that had seen much over 80 years’ of struggles to survive despite natural disasters, pain and brokeness in her family. But the spunky grandma still much life left to live… inspite of her fractured leg as a result of an earlier fall.
Grandma Som
Though wheelchair bound Som had not given up hope in life and her grand daughter Sharin. Together with her husband she gestured animatedly that her living room was once a pig pen and her husband used to eke out a living providing rickshaw rides before the days of grab.
Every year during the floods her family would have to move out and when the waters subsided they would move back. Once the villagers found a cobra that entered the homes after the flood. We killed it.
Fearlessly Som runs a mini coffee shop for those who wanted a chat. There are bills that she still had to pay- electricity and food.
Though she didn‘t have savings her pride and joy was her preschooler granddaughter who wants to be a doctor to heal her grandma. Conversational English and education is a good start. ‘I hope for a better future for my children‘s children with education, lifeskills and a loving community.’
Like Som, Wing the 70 year old community leader of Fah Mai and Sri Ping Muang had seen much suffering. He runs a credit union where only 1 baht of interest per 100 baht of loan charged would go to struggling families. The elderly haven‘t given up on helping the community.
`We want to see progress and development here’
Salvation Army Afterschool Care programme for Sharin and friends in the slums by the river