Planning a construction project at a local village home where 4 people live is not an easy task here in Singburi, Thailand. Neither is arranging the necessary people and resources. The house is constantly in a state of deterioration and is unhealthy in the long-term for the residents that have been living inside for 7-8 years. Fortunately for this family, Joe has organised out of his own volition a couple friendly parties to contribute in alleviating some of the harsh living conditions faced by this family. These include the efforts of local neighbors and staff, contributions from a Canadian work colleague and a previous program participant from Singapore ( Donated to the Pattaya Suwan Foundation not-for-profit account ). Additionally, Community Construction program participants from abroad ( Which are few and far between at this point in time ). Captured here below is the story of how an ambitious coordinator from Canada is preoccupied with the ongoing process in renovating this house.

Hi Joe, first of all, thank you for meeting us! Can you please tell us something about yourself?

Joe: I first joined The Green Lion as a Temple School program participant in 2008. I work for provincial parks in Canada. During the Canadian winter the parks are closed. I am fortunate enough to be able to offer my time to help coordinate construction related projects for about five months annually in Singburi province, Thailand for The Green Lion.

What made you want to embark on this particular project?

J: A desire to interact with another culture by doing something hands on and positive for the local people.

Can you tell us about the scope of this project you are working on?

J: The current Community Construction project is a home for four people in a rural area in Singburi, Thailand located beside a rice field. There is another small house in front of it with another group of people. Among the four inhabitants are a substitute kindergarten teacher/ laborer, her mother, 2 year old son and a school aged girl. Their house is currently covered with tin on the walls. There are two bedrooms inside. Outside there is a shelter they use for cooking. The washroom is an out-house with a dirt floor with random pieces of tile on the ground so they don’t have to walk in the mud during rain season. Their shower is a garden hose outside. The tin roof was deteriorating. We just recently replaced it. There were holes all over it. The family were using old advertising posters from the market to cover the holes and tape. The electrical is a loose wire coming off the other house.

How do you effectively communicate with the project stakeholders?

J: I send receipts and photos to anybody who makes and contribution to the project.

Did you set any realistic expectations from the beginning? And how?

J: Original Plan: Prioritizing:

1)     Get them sleeping up off the ground

2)     Replace roof, frame and reinforce broken posts.

3)    Replace the tin walls with brick to help keep the bugs and snakes out. Plus, install windows to get some air flow.

4)      Rebuild the washroom: concrete floor, new posts, walls, roof, etc.

5)      Upgrade the home’s electrical.

6) Possibly replace the cooking shelter

 

These projects will be taken on only when we have the resources available to complete them. Once we start any portion of this project we need to make sure we see it through enough so they can live there comfortably.

Participants would be useful assisting with:

•         Upgrading posts
•         Brick work
•         Plastering
•         Laying the floor
•         Installing metal framing and roofing panels
•         Finishing: Painting

How did you make sure you have the capacity to manage the project?

J: By breaking the job down into parts and only carrying out the work when the resources are available to do so. This is extra important with this type of project because the family needs a place to sleep at night

Can you tell us about the long-term impact of this project?

J: This is very direct: it improves the living conditions for this family. It also leads to other potential projects. Whenever I have undergone something like this you know you are getting something right when other local people come forward looking for help. This is a little tricky because I don’t want to commit to anything that I am not sure will happen and need to be careful people are not just looking for unnecessary handouts. I take a look at any project presented to me and take their phone number. I have five saved in my phone at the moment.  In all reality, if we get through this house this time around I will be happy. I will share the others with my colleagues or return to them in 6/7 months after returning to work in Canada. I am here in Singburi Late November/ Early December until late April annually.

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