I've not come here to do the usual six-month roundup of damage reconstruction.
Instead, I've come to check out some unique stories of individuals,
both Thai and foreigners, giving their time, energy, and funding
to make a difference in people's lives - one on one. Grassroots
efforts don't get any better than these and many other unsung stories.
We need our boats back
One of the most remarkable efforts is that of Ken
and Julie Seibt of Canmore, Alberta, Canada. They were travelling
with their children on a unique academic-year travelling 'classroom'
all over Asia, when the tsunami caught them in Railay Bay, Krabi
province. Unlike many tourists who immediately left the area after
the tragedy, Ken and Julie extended their stay and began to look
around for ways to help.
 With
approximately 240 fishermen's boats destroyed in the area, and their
source of livelihood with it, replacing boats was obviously a big
priority. The Seibts immediately began to contact their local community
in Canmore to coordinate setting up the Build a Boat Relief Fund.
Julie remarked, "Ken is busy racing around
the area on long tail boats and motorcycles, wheeling and dealing
on the repair and purchase of boats." Sounds fun and even easy,
no? Not by a long shot. Challenges of determining who is most in
need, illegal wood trade issues, and endless hours of communicating
were formidable obstacles to overcome.
To date, the Build a Boat Fund has received $90,000
CAD (almost three million baht) in donations, resulting in 45 boats
back in the water (at approx. 60,000 baht average per new boat),
the construction of one house, and a complete tool set for a carpenter.
And then there's the start-up of two new bakeries with the help
of a Chiang Mai businesswoman.
'I have skills to share, it's the right
thing to do'
Anybody in Chiang Mai who's worth their sweet tooth
knows about Bake & Bite bakeries. Farang pastries extraordinaire.
The founder and owner, Gai Pawittranon, wanted to make a contribution
to rebuilding tsunami losses by teaching baking skills. She talked
with Chiang Mai locals from Operation Blessing who put her in touch
with the Seibts. Gai already knew of one man on Phi Phi Don who
would be a good candidate for her training, and Ken and Julie found
another family on Kho Jam who also needed new skills to start again.
 With
Gai committed to training, and the Seibts funding bakery equipment,
this was all it took to get Gai on the plane. After a quick shopping
spree in Phuket to buy baking supplies, it was on to Phi Phi Don
to begin training Bao, his wife Baa, and Somchai and his wife Lee.
Before the tsunami, Bao owned thirteen bungalows
on Phi Phi Don. An outgoing man, all-around nice, Bao had made many
foreign friends in the good times when the bungalows still stood.
Now, those friends, along with volunteers from Hi Phi Phi, helped
him build anew - not bungalows this time but a new eatery, the Garden
Home Restaurant. Somchai and Lee will start their new bakery/restaurant
from scratch on Kho Jam with construction funded by the Seibts Build
a Boat Fund.
With all five in the kitchen in the Garden Home
Restaurant on Phi Phi, sworn to secrecy about the recipes, Gai did
a whirlwind 3-day seminar on how to concoct Bake & Bite style
food. "Once we put the Roasted Chicken Sandwich on the menu
for the first time that day, over ten servings sold. We all got
so excited," said Gai, "I could tell by looking at their
faces that everyone was very happy." Ditto for the many foreign
volunteers who just happen to be working right next to the Garden
Home and eat there regularly. What a pleasant surprise to have a
western-style bagel or cinnamon roll with coffee, not to mention
the carrot muffin!
'I think it's a nightmare in my life'
Comments 14 year old Sootganya Ninsanut, in the
enchanting Thai/English book The Children of Phi Phi Island, whose
father almost died that fateful day. This beautifully illustrated
and professionally published collection of real life stories and
drawings about the day the tsunami struck, allows the children to
express their feelings about the event and how it affected their
lives.
The book project was the idea of three island locals,
Pum, Art, and Aey, with generous funding by the ING Group in The
Netherlands. Proceeds from sale of the book will help the children
and their families of Baan Kho Phi Phi School rebuild their lives
by focusing on education: teaching arts and crafts skills, basic
business skills, and English.
The book was launched this past April in Bangkok
to a roaring success with an initial printing of 10,000 copies.
Plans are to market the book in Europe, with a launch in London
over the coming months, and then to translate it into Japanese.
The organisation is contacting Chiang Mai bookstores now.
A thousand clowns
In the new Millie and Tia Sunflower Nursery, crocodile
smiles are bursting out all over thanks to vivid murals of clowns
and flowers painted by the sprite Doug the Clown. The nursery will
be a place where the very young (0-3 years) can stay while their
parents work and rebuild. A magnanimous Thai resident of Phi Phi
Don donated land for this nursery, and the Paradise Found Project
funded construction. Receiving donations from all over the world,
Paradise Found Project was started by ex-pat residents of Phi Phi
Don, one of whom is Shunsuke Nakagawa from Japan.
Shunsuke's parents, residing in a small Japanese town in Shimane
prefecture, went over the top by going out into the streets to solicit
donations to the tune of almost 59,000 baht for their son's efforts
on Phi Phi. And it doesn't end there. Shunsuke will be the one translating
The Children of Phi Phi Island into Japanese.
Let a hundred flowers bloom
These stories are just a few of the many volunteer-driven
activities going on in Phi Phi Don and elsewhere. Hi Phi Phi is
an organisation coordinating volunteer projects with a mega web
site listing an incredible number of activities. I was amazed at
how small-scale efforts can make a huge difference. As I walked
around Phi Phi Don talking with locals, one sentiment kept popping
up like a mantra, "if it weren't for the volunteers, there
wouldn't be a Phi Phi now."
Big thanks to Ken & Julie, Lucas at Koh Jum
Lodge, Bao at Garden Home Restaurant, Cathy at Cat's Rock Climbing
School and everyone who made my stay comfortable and fun.
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Resources
All orgs below are still accepting donations.
Build a Boat Fund
www.classroomjourneys.com
Children of Phi Phi Island
www.childrenofphiphi.com
Paradise Found Project
www.paradisefoundproject.net
Hi Phi Phi
www.hiphiphi.com
Sriphong Phukaoluan Foundation
www.krabirelief.com
Bake & Bite Cafes
6/1 Kotchasarn, Soi 1
183/8-9 Chang Klan Road
Chiang Mai: 053-820761
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