Ban Nam Hom

By: Tamer Begum

The past 4 days we’ve been staying in a small remote village in northern Thailand. So remote we piled in the back of pickup trucks, with all the gear, then an hour drive trough the bumpy mountain terrain, finally ending at Ban Nam Hom school. The school itself was composed of about 6 medium sized, one floor houses where the kids would study and more often then not sleep. The majority of the children are poor, and live there year round due to the fact that their family house is anywhere from 1-15 miles away. Last year from the fundraising efforts we were able to build a dormitory to house the 100 plus boys. Keeping in mind there are over 200 kids schooling and living there. This year we finished painting it, and helped restore a few other run down houses / fences to improve their quality of life.

My mission was simple: bring ad much joy, laughter, and happiness to as many kids possible through education, fun and music. My goal was to give back and change a life with something as small as a sing-along song or a hacky sack. I think the picture sums it up 🙂 All the boys Loved this small new toy, and I was their new best friend. That plus the combined efforts of playing a few songs, and sharing some candy I feel as though I’ve made a lasting impression on the children of Ban Nam Hom. Haha plus, the principal offered me a music teaching gig. Overall, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and feel incredibly blessed that I was fortunate enough to experience that remote village of northern Thailand and to shed some light and love with all the beautiful children of Ban Nam Hom.