The Karen village was a vast contrast to the urban town of Mae Sot that we just left. Barren, devoid of any sign of ‘civilization’ as we know it, we seemed to just be heading into the jungle! The headman & others came out to greet us and as we walked a little further, we came upon various clusters of thatched huts made with layers of teak leaves on the roofs and bamboo stilts. Women with huge baskets on their backs carried more leaves as they work with others to build more huts for incoming Karens. Soon enough, we come across a line of bright blue PVC pipes snaking their way through the village.

There we see what the villagers hail as the biggest miracle yet – water running down from the hills, through the pipes and right into their village. Thanks to a grant from Family Care Foundation, we undertook an operation to provide clean water to this village of 800 people. The ’blue miracle’ as they call it, of these pipes running through their village is a dream come true! The only sources of water are the nearby river and the surrounding hills. The river has been used for washing, bathing and other needs. For cooking and drinking, the villagers have had to trudge up the hills, bringing back water in buckets . Now they feel almost spoiled, with water right at their doorstep! The water from the hills is channeled into tall tanks, which then – by the force of gravity – flows through the pipes into the village. No pumps, no filters – just the use of simple natural forces.

As a bridge between the people with the resources and those with the needs, CTM plays a part in helping needy situation with manpower or resources.

KIS donated computer table