COVID-19 and the global crisis caused by it, has forever changed me.
My involvement began innocently enough with a request to feed some beach dogs during lockdown in Bangtao. It's a tiny area of Phuket and district boundaries were put into place to minimize the spread of the virus. Checkpoint control with barriers and police, prohibited non-essential travel farther than about 2 km.
All beaches in Thailand were closed on 29 March, 2020 because of precautionary measures. Although there was a lack of beach goers, many dogs, cats, pigs, and chickens roam looking for their next meal. Through discovery, I found 8 to 10 families, with small children, in desperate need of food. I needed some help.
Thanks to donations from friends and family, I used $6,000 USD to feed as many as 40 families each week between April and October. There was nothing fancy...just rice, cooking oil, fresh vegetables, noodles, canned fish, milk, juice, diapers, and personal care products.
With the assistance from Operation Smile Thailand, I was able to coordinate surgery for an infant with a cleft lip and palate. Baby Po had her first surgery in August 2020.
Weekly documentation can be found on my personal FB page under a special photo album.
