Monday, 9 March 2015

Mam's house



Mongkhon is our dear staff member with a heart as wide as the ocean - he gives literally everything that he has away, filled with compassion for anyone in need and hardly ever thinking about himself. Anyone that has met Mongkhon can testify to his kind heart. He is always looking for a way to help someone in need with what little he has himself.

Mongkhon has a very dear sister whose name is Mam. Mam is in her 50's and lives in the family house that was built, rather poorly, many years ago. Mam is often not well and lives alone in the house, cooking and selling food to make just enough to get by on her own.

Mam's house was built as many are in the slums without proper foundations. It has a wooden floor and is built over an area of water, which causes serious flooding in the rainy season from water seeping through the floor.

The greatest concern that we have for Mam right now is that the floor of her house has begun to sink. The sinking floor is causing the wall to pull away from the roof, which could fall in on Mam at any time. If the house is still standing in June, when the monsoon season begins she will practically be living in water.
The wooden floor through which the water seeps


Mam looking at the floor that has sunk and pulled away from the wall

The growing gap between the wall and the roof

Now to most people reading this story, evacuating Mam from the house that could collapse at any moment seems like the simplest solution. However, Mam does not want to leave the house and she is the last family member living in the house that holds the house certificate (an essential document in Thailand) for the whole family

Mongkhon wants to help his sister to strengthen the structure of the house, lift the floor and add some pillars to help the house to be more stable. He wants to repair the ceiling and do what little he can to make the house a safer place for his sister, who doesn't want to move out of the house that she has lived much of her life in.

He estimates that it will cost around US$1000 to do the bare minimum in fixing the house. If you have met Mongkhon while serving with us and been touched by his huge heart for others, would you consider giving in some way towards something that is so close to his heart?

If you would like to make a donation towards this project, please contact us and we will let you know how it can be done.