Written by our Thailand Team.
What rainy season looks like in Thailand.
The rainy season in Thailand brings a lot rain and many storms. The storms have always caused issues with power and other damage during heavy rains and wind. As the season comes to an end, the storms and rain get heavier. In August and September we expect a lot rain and are sure to see continued flooding, landslides and increased health issues. In Northern Thailand, it is not uncommon due to the amount of trees near the road to see tress fall and crash into the road, houses, or powerlines.
How it affects our partners.
Many of FSF Thailand’s partners are in the hilltribe villages, which can be difficult to access even without rain as much of the road is unpaved. The rain causes muddy roads, and even landslides blocking the way in and out of many villages. By the end of the season. the land is very wet and fragile, causing many of the landslides during this time. As this is common, the villages prepare by stocking their food and drinks for a few weeks, which the schools do as well to prepare in case for the students.
Mothers Day.
The 12th of August is Thai Mother’s day, celebrated normally by spending time with family or even take them for dinner, Many people live and work far from their families and Mother’s Day is a great time to return home and share quality time together.
Normally for the young student. the school tries to keep this tradition by having activities at school that involve the mothers. Jasmine flowers are often gifted to the mothers by their children as a sweet gesture.
Jasmine is a symbol of love in the relationship between motherchild, This year, due to COVID-19, all schools decided not to have any Mother’s Day activities at the school to avoid large groups of people. Instead many families are spending time to plant trees together.
Tree Planting.
After the lockdown lifted in Thailand, the Thai team headed out to do tree planting and community clean-up. The team wants to do this once a month. Tree planting can only be done during Rainy season which lasts 4-5 month in a year, We aim to plant as many trees as possible during this time so that the rain makes sure the trees continue to grow.
This month, we planted 50 trees at Ban Huay Sai temple where they had space we could use for planting. Some of the monks and community members helped us for planting the trees.
The trees help so much for providing a good environment, In the place we plant, there are many other trees, but planting even more ensures that trees will continue to grow in that area. Due to the different seasons, some trees will not survive and if we plant more then we know more trees will grow. If we keep planting the trees, we will continue to help the environment stay green and healthy. We want a green and healthy earth!
Dengue Fever.
Dengue fever cases have been very high in Mae Hong Son this year – one of the highest number patients in the region. Currently there are 1,225 patients in Mae Hong Son province, 788 of which are in Mae Sariang, where our hub is located. Public health officials are trying to help by removing mosquito breeding areas and give community members a lot of information that will help them prevent getting sick. The end of rainy season reduces Dengue Fever as there are much fewer mosquitoes.
