The Nongprue Administrative area is so much larger than that of Pattaya with a much larger concentration of private homes and, as a consequence, more handicapped and those in need of help with everyday essentials. Mai Chaiyanit is the caring mayor of Nongprue and those in the welfare department have deep concerns about the handicapped in the area.
There are many families that have a handicapped family member, some with severe handicaps that demand constant attention, very often, 24/7. This creates additional financial burdens, for that family member is unable to find work thus reducing their income capabilities.
Fortified milk is an essential ingredient to their dietary needs and this coupled with the basic essential like rice, noodles and pampers are in everyday use for many handicapped people. The cost of these items just highlights the financial challenge facing the families, particularly when you consider that there is probably other children as part of that family to consider.
The Thai government give 500 baht per month to those that are unable to work with disabilities but, as you can gather, this amount does not go very far. The Billabong made the decision to donate a regular monthly sum to help the handicapped, the first of which occurred at Nongprue City Hall with the Mayor and members of the welfare dept. in attendance. Rice and eggs were given to those that could make the journey but many more are, physically, unable to leave their homes so pampers and milk are delivered to them.
This is the first of many monthly donations by the Billabong.
