I went on a bike ride once.
It was a sunny day...
I passed some waterways,
a few groves of trees and some incredible people.
I was in Bangkok... ... and I was riding through the slums of Klong Toey. Piles of rubbish lay on the greasy streets, alleys were stinking of urine and homes were built from whatever scraps of timber and tin that could be found. The people living in the slums were dressed in simple clothes. Some of the children held grubby stuffed toys, while most played in the dirt by the railway.
I was an expatriate, working in a Thai school.
At the end of my two years,
I packed up my stuff and left.
Many, many years earlier... I was living in the North East of Thailand. A Canadian friend of mine was leaving our small town in the North East. She had thrown away her shirts, filthy from constant wear in a hot, sticky town. So I was stunned, the next day, when I saw a man wearing her shirt as he walked down the road. He’d obviously found her clothes in the garbage, washed them and was making use of them.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget
just how much
“good stuff” we have.
I recently heard about Second Chance Bangkok.
An Aussie couple (Jodie and Chris) have been living in the slums of Klong Toey (Bangkok) for a few years now. They have set up Second Chance Bangkok to help the people living in the slums.
The basic idea seems to be that people donate the stuff they no longer want... and women in the group resell the goods. The money they make, helps them provide for their families.
Clothes are sewn into bags or toys... clothes, home-goods, skateboards and toys are resold... and dignity and hope are restored.
Second Chance Bangkok provides a solution to the unwanted stuff that people end up packing, storing, and then... eventually... throwing away. Unwanted items can be donated (and there is even a “pick-up” service!) – saving the stress of packing the “stuff” in the first place! The donation of these items means that people find jobs, money becomes available in a community stricken by poverty, children are given a chance.
Another great opportunity provided by Second Chance Bangkok, is the Summer Break Holiday Programs provided for the children of the slums. The kids are given the chance to watch movies, go swimming and participate in camping and crafting activities.
Money raised goes to projects that support needy children and their families... Children with special needs are assisted... education scholarships are awarded... medicines can be purchased.
Jodie and Chris have taken “sustainability” and “recycling” to a different stage.
Having seen that man wearing my friend’s ratty old shirt... I know that the people of the Klong Toey slums must be so grateful for the new chances they are being given.
Great job, Second Chance Bangkok!
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