Building a Fence:
About 3 weeks ago my buddy Greig, pronounced Greg and I went back to Om Koi to help build a fence. Toys for Thailand raised the money to buy everything for it including food for me to cook for all of the villagers to help. It was a great time and great work got done. We used 80 cement post and for every cement post, in between there are 4 wooden post and I got to help cut some with an axe, hard work! We also used barb wire and we will be going up soon to add some large chicken wire type stuff for the bottom to keep the baby pigs out.
We built the fence around the school area, soccer field, a small veggie garden, fish pond and an area where the village will begin to grow organic coffee. See the animals eat everything the moment anything starts to grow so this will help. It took us 2 days to get it all done, 60 villagers one day and 50 the next day. Both days I cooked a protein packed meal, loaded with veggies too, we were starving after all of the work and the kids helped out a lot too, great job.
Toys for Thailand, Greig and myself are working on helping them become more self-sustainable by working with the school, in the school area and the villagers that help out can also get some of the benefit of the work. The ones that do not help, well sorry but you must help yourselves and some people are to busy or lazy to help out. Please, I don’t mean to sound mean but it is the truth, HELP THE TEACHERS AND THE KIDS.
They will be planting coffee plants to begin to grow organic coffee in hope to at least slow down on growing opium. I have asked to see where it is grown but I was told it would be way to dangerous for me to see it, point taken. The only issues is that it will take about 5 years for them to get any profits from growing the coffee so we are working on figuring out other things they can grow or do in the mean time to get some money. They really want to grow the coffee and they know it will take a while but imagine working for 5 years an making no money for the hopes to get the money later. We are thinking herbs or lettuce since they grow quickly and if they can get it to a market then there you have it.
We also brought 10 bags of cement and now they have a new floor for a new kitchen and eating area for the kids at the school. The kids are so great, they all help to prep, cook and clean for their lunch everyday. 2 weeks from now my dear, dear friend Joanna Gillis is coming for a 10 day visit, which I am sooooooo excited about I can’t even tell but she will join Greig and I to help finish the fence. I already picked up all of the supplies and can’t wait to get there and get it done…OH and there are only 13 frogs that have made it but they are growing and the day after we left they were getting put into a bigger are to give them more space to grow. Also someone, not sure who but someone gave them money to buy 250 catfish and food for the fish so as soon as they grow a bit the kids can have fish with their lunch, SWEET! More later, peace. -Stu
