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Kong's mother is the only breadwinner of the family and every month, she sends more or less money to the grandparents to support the living and schooling expenses of her 5 school-age children including food, traveling, daily allowances and other household expenses.
The big financial burden for the mother is when school start the new semester in May and November because not only the fixed living and daily expesnes for the kids, but she also needs to pay for extra schooling expenses that not fully covered by the government aid. She has to borrow the money from the others or advance her wage from the employer to pay off all the school expenses so that all her kids still remain in school. This affects her financial cash flows for the next several months.
Thanayut or Kong, 14 is the 3rd child among 5 children of her mother who has been the only breadwinner of the family after breaking up with Kong's father
Ms. Patcharaporn On-Utt, EDF scholarship program supervising teacher in Amanatcharoen province informed us that "Normally lower secondary students will received the subsidized fund from the government aid of 450 Baht yearly, still, there are many other extra schooling expenses that the parents have to pay by their own pocket such as fees and school equipment. Nowadays, the price of school equipment is rising up and if the parents buy the cheap and low quality ones, they have to buy new ones every year. "
Kong and his old school bag that used for carrying books, stationery and food for lunch to go to school everyday.
For example, Kong's fabric school bag that he is now using to go to school. He has been using it for many years because he wants to help his mother save the money for other necessary schooling expenses. It is very old, dirty and too small to contain all things he has to bring to school, especially the food for lunch containing in the plastic bags which he has to often check if the plastic bag is broken or not while he is walking to school beacause many times when the food bag is leaked or broken, it causes the dirt and smell to all the books in the school bag.
If Kong could make a wish, he wants to have a backpack for carrying things to go to school more conveniently
When asking about what he wishes to have for the coming Christmas and New Year, He did not hesitate to tell us that "If I could make a wish, I wish to have a backpack to replace my old school bag so that I can conveniently carry things on my back when walking to school"
In the coming festive season, you can share your happiness with those less fortunate in rural Thailand by giving through "EDF Education Gift Catalogue" which, for some of them, might be a first gift in their life time!
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