At 6.15am on Saturday morning our volunteer team met up with 4 volunteers from the Bangkok Volunteer Group. We had 2 cars heavily loaded with 300kg rice, donated clothes and toys and managed to pack all 10 volunteers in to the cars.
This month we visited our most remote village in Bang Saphan. The drive alone is around 3-4 hours to the point where we can leave the cars and continue on foot. The walk is hard work walking through jungle terrain carrying all the medical supplies that we need for the clinic. All the medical supplies this month had been generously donated by the Bangkok Volunteer Group. The scenery is stunning with cool clear rivers that we have to cross in order to reach our village. We split the team in to two groups, one for the medical and the second group to continue to the furthest part of the village to complete the assessment and get an up date. The village is very spread out which means collating information on the village is not easy.
Many families had walked over 2 hours to reach us to be seen by our nurse and Osteopath. There were babies as young as 1 month old and elderly men and women in their eighties and nighties. We saw 35 people, several of whom needed to be followed up in a hospital, which is around 2-3 hours away. There was one lady who had had such bad tonsillitis for the past 8 years that her throat was almost closed over. The local nurse has a clinic set up to see anyone from the village and is desperate for supplies. All the medical supplies not used at the end of our day were left behind for her to use.
After the clinic the clothes and toys were handed out, which had been collected locally in Hua Hin and by the Bangkok Volunteer Group in Bangkok. We also managed to take photos of the children that will be sponsored by Jungle Aid providing them with an education, food and clothes.
After all the patients were seen we were able to sit with the village leader and discuss their projects. We discussed getting the water tanks to the village and the logistics of supplying medical supplies for the nurse to use and building a school in the area where children and families are able to walk to. The water tanks will be organised by the village leader and will be in for the families next time we visit. The location of the school will continue to be discussed to ensure there are no land issues if buildings are erected. The meeting was a great success.
After an amazing day it was time for the volunteers to head back to the cars to return home, all happy knowing that changes are occurring in the most remote village supported by Jungle Aid. The changes are happening because of all the support we get from our amazing volunteers, sponsors and donators.
Thank you
Some exciting photos of our day:
An incredible team with 300kg of rice, clothes and toys
Trekking through the rivers, carrying the medical supplies
Families waiting to be seen by the nurse and Osteopath
Thank you to everyone who supports the work we do.
