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How Digital Skills Help a Formerly Incarcerated Mom Launch a Successful Business

“Take nothing, get nothing, but bear the brunt” is a common Thai saying. It refers to situations in which people receive no benefits from their involvement, but instead suffer all the negative consequences. This saying perfectly encapsulates what happened to Suwimon “Dear” Suk-udomchokechai. An Accidental Criminal A few years ago, Ms. Suwimon worked as a teacher at a small primary school. But when the accountant resigned, certain school executives requested her to take on accounting duties on top of her teaching load, and she agreed. She certified certain key documents as part of her new role. But due to her implicit trust in the school executives, as well as her fledgling accounting knowledge, Ms. Suwimon soon unwittingly became party to corrupt dealings. Irregularities in the school’s accounting papers began to surface in late 2016. A probe identified Ms.  Suwimon as the person who certified the documents under investigation. She was charged with embezzlement and was convicted in February 2019. Her sentence could have been as long as 48 years, but being a first-time offender who confessed to her accidental crimes, she was sentenced 20 years – a daunting prospect nonetheless. To make matters worse, during her admission to the Central…

How one former prisoner is changing lives with her online bakery

We have all made mistakes. But some of us have made mistakes so serious and irreversible that they have deprived us of future opportunities. Chon Buri native Sansanee Tanakarnkowit made one such mistake when, 12 years ago, she got involved with drugs. At the tender age of 20, she started working at nightclubs. Due to the nature of her profession, she spent lots of time with friends and partied wildly every night. One night, a friend invited her to do “something fun”. She agreed and tried narcotics for the first time. Within four years, Ms. Sansanee became heavily addicted and began selling drugs to her friends. Eventually she was arrested and sentenced to two years in jail. Losing Freedom Twice As a person who thrived on city living and the company of friends, Ms. Sansanee became desperately lonely in prison. “Life behind bars was very difficult for me especially during the first few weeks. I had to adjust a lot. The prison was crowded. The bathroom was an open-plan with no privacy. I was stressed out and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I even collapsed at one point,” she recalls. “But after a few months, I finally settled into a routine. I…

Social Development and Human Security Ministry, dtac to Give Digital Skills Training to Indigenous Peoples

The pivotal partnership will primarily run across 24 villages from 7 groups of ethnic minority backgrounds, aimed at raising their income by 50%   Aug 18, 2022 - Social Development and Human Security Ministry and dtac today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), forming a partnership to empower the indigenous peoples through digital and entrepreneurial training, with the aim to increase economic well-being and promote sustainable tourism. The pivotal partnership will primarily focus on 24 villages covering seven ethnic minority groups with outstanding products and will expand to cover 20 groups of indigenous peoples in three years. According to data from the United Nations, 47% of all indigenous peoples globally in employment have no education, compared to 17% of their non-indigenous counterparts. This gap is even wider for women. In addition, more than 86% of indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy, compared to 66% for their non-indigenous counterparts. Indigenous peoples are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty compared to their non-indigenous counterparts. The estimated indigenous population in Thailand is around six million people, covering 70 ethnic groups across the nation and with the majority living in mountain townships of northern and southern Thailand. Mr. Anukul Peedkaew,…

How a mother of three used the internet to launch a profitable healthy food subscription service

As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Our food choices impact our health, and not just physically. Many studies confirm that a healthy, well-balanced diet can also help prevent anxiety and depression. Healthy food is what helped 60-year-old Natsuda Srisawat from Chon Buri brave the unexpected storms in her life, and in the lives of her family members. Children with Chronic Health Issues Her journey began with her three children, who all happened to suffer from chronic health challenges. At the age of one, her eldest child developed respiratory disorders. Her second child began suffering from asthma since he was eight months old. And her youngest child has had the biggest problems of all. He is allergic to many food types since birth, so much so that it made it challenging to get key nutrients. For example, he cannot consume cow’s milk, eggs, or vegetables. As a result, he had to rely heavily on breast milk, rice, and soy sauce. What’s more, overwork, little rest, and the responsibilities of caring for her children also caused Ms. Natsuda’s health to deteriorate, to the point that she even developed septicemia. And as luck would have it, by the time she…

How Veteran Tour Guides-Turned-Entrepreneurs Went Online and Revived a Traditional Craft

In 2019, tourism accounted for 20 percent of Thailand’s GDP. At the height of the tourism boom, the industry employed some three million people. But in early 2020, in the face of an intensifying COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of countries, including Thailand, closed their borders to all but essential travel. Thai tourism plunged into turmoil. The business impact was devastating, and a huge number of people lost their jobs. Chiang Mai-based veteran tour guide, Ms. Nawaporn Chaijan, was among them. COVID-19 Dooms People in Tourism Industry “Before the COVID-19 outbreak, I made a lot of money because I worked almost every day. As soon as one trip ended, another trip began,” Ms. Nawaporn recalls. “But when COVID-19 emerged, it was the end.” The 52-year-old freelance tour guide had worked in her field for well over two decades, with Spanish, Portuguese and South American tourists as her main customer groups. She had seen the ups and downs of tourism several times before, pulling through Black May, the bird flu crisis, and also Thailand’s political unrest. None of these compared to COVID-19, which has dragged on for more than two years now. Thanks to her savings, Ms. Nawaporn fortunately had enough money to…

dtac Net for Living x TIJ x Robinhood Launch #ChimRiakYim Campaign to Help Formerly Incarcerated Persons Begin Sustainable Livelihoods

20 July 2022 – dtac Net for Living has teamed up with TIJ and Robinhood to launch the #ChimRiakYim campaign. This campaign features food and beverages prepared by formerly incarcerated persons who have received digital upskilling in order to support new career paths with dignity. In collaboration with the Robinhood delivery app, #ChimRiakYim is offering exciting and delicious deals on the dtac Net for Living Facebook page from 20 -30 July. Helping People Start Over Each year, more than one hundred thousand people are released from prison to restart their lives. For many, however, the transition back into society is fraught with challenges. According to the Ministry of Justice, the rate of recidivism – where formerly incarcerated persons commit new crimes and end up back in prison – have been as high as 13% over the past three years, with former drug offenders making up the majority of such cases. These numbers highlight the need for the justice system to provide more meaningful opportunities and support systems for resocialization. Dr. Anuwan Vongpichet, Deputy Executive Director of the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ) says, “TIJ’s vision is to promote change and level up the justice system. We firmly believe that capacity-building…

How a housewife from Chon Buri revived a disappearing heritage dish and built a successful online business in the process

Food doesn’t just fill the stomach. When made with care and soul, it can lift the spirit and delight the heart. It’s no wonder that even in this age of haute cuisine and quick-service restaurant culture, people continue to yearn for time-honored comfort food – flavors that remind them of family and transport them back home. Chon Buri is well-known as one of Thailand’s most important port cities – but it also has a proud culinary heritage. Stretching over dozens of kilometers, its shoreline has been home of hundreds of fishermen villages, and many unique dishes trace their origins back to this way of life. As the world changes and communities relocate, however, these beloved dishes – the iconic “sauteed pork” among them – are slowly fading from cultural memory. A Recipe Passed From Generation to Generation Chon Buri resident and mother of three, Palita “Pan” Wattakavanich, 51, is passionate about this quintessential dish and its history. She explains that the preparation for sauteed pork came about at a time when food preservation technology was quite rudimentary. When the fishermen’s catch was particularly huge, some of the fish would be sun-dried and preserved as “salty fish”, which could be kept…

When international tourism stopped, this retired Batik pioneer from Phuket went online to save local handicrafts

Phuket has now dropped all COVID-19 testing for international travelers and is fully open for tourism   Starting May 1, Thailand has lifted all COVID-19 testing and is reopened for fully vaccinated international tourists. A perennially popular destination such as Phuket is expected to see new waves of international travelers flying in, which will no doubt bring a much-needed economic boost to the so-called “Pearl of Andaman”. The island-province’s moniker isn’t just a reference to its picturesque location in the Andaman Sea, but also to its beautiful natural landscapes. With its powdery beaches and turquoise waters, Phuket sits comfortably among the world’s top destinations. Aside from its magnificent nature, Phuket is also culturally rich, with diverse influences from ethnic tribes, navigators, and foreign merchants who came to the Phuket during the Ayutthaya period. Simply put, Phuket is a melting pot – and batik is one if its many treasures. Origin of Phuket Batik Patcharee “Piew” Sangjan, 62, is a pensioner. But even before she retired from the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education as a senior-professional-level supervisor, she pioneered the art of batik-making in Phuket. Born in Nakhon Si Thammarat, she has had a passion for painting since she…

Chiang Rai senior entrepreneur goes digital to save her hilltribe clothing business and improve the rights of stateless people

In June 2018, the world fixated on Thailand’s mission to rescue the 12 Wild Boars footballers and their coach who went missing inside Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai. The cave became heavily flooded soon after the Wild Boars soccer team ventured in. They were trapped in the darkness, but were eventually safely rescued from the cave 18 days later, bringing an end to the operation dubbed “Thailand’s Miracle Cave Rescue”. But the rescue mission also shed light on a human rights issue, as three of the Wild Boars footballers and their 25-year-old coach were stateless ethnic minorities. Complex Challenges in Mae Sai Mae Sai district is located next to the Thai-Myanmar border. Before the pandemic and the 2021 Myanmar coup, it was a major border crossing, frequented by both Thai and Burmese merchants. The area is also home to stateless ethnic minorities who often face exposure to poverty, drugs, and human trafficking. “About 15 years ago, Mae Sae was a thriving border town with a high volume of investment and trade. But over time, we started witnessing problems like prostitution and illegal entries. Many men came to Mae Sai to earn a living as laborers while…