Umbrella Sponsor Isaan – direct help for a Thai village with every safety umbrella
Schirmpate Isaan: 3 Euros per Umbrella Sold for Direct Aid in Thailand
With every safety umbrella sold, we set aside 3 euros for a private aid project in Thailand. No administrative costs, no detours – directly for people and families where small amounts can make a big difference.
Why this project was created
I am married to a Thai woman and therefore regularly visit her family in Northeast Thailand. Over many years, I have gained very practical and personal insights into daily life there – and unfortunately also seen how much poverty, limited educational opportunities, and lack of prospects shape the everyday lives of many families.
When 300 Baht is a full day's work
In many families, a day's wage is about 300 Thai Baht. That's approximately 8 Euros. From this, food, clothing, school, travel, medicine, and all daily expenses must be paid.
At the same time, many everyday necessities are very expensive in relation to this income. A tube of toothpaste in the supermarket can quickly cost 60 to 90 Baht. A bottle of beer costs about 60 Baht. A kilogram of vegetables can also quickly add up, depending on the type and location.
When even local fruit is not a given
Tourists traveling through poorer countries see fruit stalls and markets everywhere with mangoes, passion fruits, oranges, peaches, coconuts, bananas, and other delicious fruits. It quickly creates the impression: Life here is like paradise! - but only if you can afford it. And that is precisely not a given for many local people.
For many low-income families, even such fruits are not a common everyday expense. Fruit is usually only eaten if it grows on their own land, comes from relatives, or is currently available at a particularly low price.
It is precisely such observations that make clear how tight the financial leeway of many families actually is. What seems like a small thing to visitors can already be a conscious expense for local people.
Why education often falls by the wayside
The financial situation unfortunately directly affects educational opportunities. Even today, there are still families who have to take their children out of school early because every Baht counts at home.
Some young people then go to Bangkok or other cities very early to work in factories or simple service jobs. Not because they want to, but because the family sees hardly any other option.
The problem: Without good schooling and vocational training, the path upwards often remains blocked. This creates a cycle of low income, few opportunities, and constant financial insecurity.
A first example: a small hair salon of one's own
A personal example shows very well what is possible with comparatively small amounts. My wife's son only had a few years of schooling himself and had to start working very early. Initially, as a teenager, he went to Bangkok and worked there in a large bakery products company.
Later he switched to the hairdressing profession. Even there, the daily wage was often only around 300 Baht. Diligence was present, as was the will – but without start-up capital, the step into self-employment remains almost impossible.
Therefore, I gave him the capital to open his own small hair salon. The investment was approximately 1,500 Euros, or about 60,000 Baht.
The shop has been running surprisingly well for several months now. He and his partner work diligently, design the shop with great joy, and have thus gained a real new perspective.
How the aid will be used
Schirmpate Isaan is not a large relief organization, but a private, directly organized social project. Precisely this is the advantage: the help should reach where it is needed – without bureaucracy, without administrative costs and without long delays.
What small amounts can achieve
A piece of direct help with every safety umbrella
Anyone who buys a safety umbrella not only gets a particularly sturdy umbrella with a real safety advantage. They also support a small, personal project with which we want to help people in Thailand directly.
We will expand this page step by step and show in the future what concrete help has been made possible by Schirmpate Isaan.
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