UTTARADIT, Thailand – Every morning, Orrachon awakes with one goal in mind: find enough food to feed her family for one more day.

OBI's gift of a pig farm has given Orrachon and her family new hope for their future.

Life changed dramatically for the family several years ago when Orrachon’s husband, Wiwat, suffered a severe fall, which left him physically disabled and unable to speak.

As the sole provider for him and her 12-year-old son, Orrachon works at a nearby construction site. The labor begins at dawn, runs through the heat of the afternoon and into the evening, paying less than $5 USD.

“I have to work hard to support my husband and child,” she explains. “I will never give up the fight to take care of my family.”

Thanks to a new microenterprise family farm project, however, Orrachon’s fight may get a little easier.

Recently, OBI provided her family with their biggest blessing yet: five one-month-old piglets.

“When the piglets are a little older, Orrachon will be able to sell the pigs at a good profit to help provide for her family and purchase new stock,” explained Karen Thomson, an OBI representative in Thailand. “We also gave the family a four month supply of livestock feed, and a pen in which to raise the animals.”

Orrachon struggled to support her young family after an accident crippled her husband.

These family farms are just one of many microenterprise projects (see also garden projects, sewing centers and brick factories) established by OBI in developing countries to bring residents out of poverty as well as benefit the local economy.

For Orrachon, the new livelihood and income was a much-needed blessing.

“Thank you for helping my family,” she said.

The pig farm, however, was not the only help OBI was able to provide for Orrachon’s family.

In May 2006, a flash flood swept through the province of Uttaradit. The family escaped with their lives, but had to abandon their home and relocate to a nearby village.

OBI also gave the family a new home and trained them to help Wiwat recover from his injury.

A few days later, OBI medical teams were distributing emergency aid, food, water and cooking utensils to flood victims in the region. Orrachon not only received enough supplies to help her family get back on its feet, but was also told that OBI planned to build new homes for them and four other families.

“If it wasn’t for Operation Blessing, my family wouldn’t have had anywhere to live after the flood,” Orrachon remembers.

The medical team also supplied Wiwat with a walker, and nurses provided therapy and trained Orrachon and her son to help him with his rehabilitation exercises.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

This microenterprise venture is one of many Operation Blessing projects touching lives around the world. You can be a part of improving the quality of life for impoverished communities by supporting these and other life-changing programs.

 

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