Poverty is so deep here that you can swim for years before ever touching the surface. Bpaet's auntie farms rice for $6 US per day, but that is only seasonal. She weaves grass mats , grows chillies, crosses the moon river to dig for wild potatoes, and still can barely make ends meet.
She raised her kids, and has been raising her nephew Bpaet since he was two years old. Her brother Sak died recently and she took in his two school aged children. It seems like Dee just can't catch a break. That was until now.
Muay Thai Iyarin hosted a fundraiser to benefit the kids at our gym. Together with it's students, they volunteered their time and resources to put together an exhibition charity. Fighters came from all over the west coast to participate and support. We talked before hand about getting Dee a cow, but Kru Tony Deva and his team completely blasted our initial goal and raised enough money for three!
The cows are not just a one-time purchase. This is a long term investment that will directly benefit both Dee and our gym. We plan to breed the cows and sell the offspring; splitting the profits. And the impact made is more than just financial. Dee's stress load has significantly decreased and the village is finally starting to come along in support of us. The mayor stopped by and said he wanted to 'officially' include the gym into the sub-districts slogan.
Empowering families through Muay Thai, we are Wor. Watthana! Thank you again to Muay Thai Iyarin, the fighters, coaches, and volunteers for the positive impact you have made on this tiny village in North East Thailand. More specifically to Kru Tony Deva for making it all happen.