Teen girl in Thailand scavenges for recyclables to help financially support family
Photos of a teen girl in Thailand collecting recyclables to help support her family have caused a stir online.
She has had to financially support her family at such a young age after her father’s crippling injury hampered his ability to walk.
Girl collects garbage to help family
According to Khaosod English, her story first received attention through a Facebook post.
The photos show a girl wearing a school uniform going through a row of garbage cans looking for any recyclables she can collect to sell.
Source: Poramet Misomphop on Facebook
Because her family has been struggling to make ends meet, the 15-year-old began collecting and selling plastic bottles from garbage cans.
Speaking to local reporters, she said it is something she has been doing since she was a child.
“I’m not ashamed. My father is sick. I have to help him,” she said.
She makes less than 100 baht (THB) (S$4) per trip.
The teen said she dreams of becoming a nurse. Currently, she is ranked third in her year with a GPA of 3.75.
Mum became sole breadwinner after dad suffered crippling injury
According to Khaosod, the teen lives with her parents in a small rented room in the Nonthaburi province. Around 16 years ago, her 59-year-old father fell off a roof and injured his spinal cord. The injury left him paralysed and unable to walk.
This left the 49-year-old mother as the sole source of income for the family. She works as a temporary school janitor, making 380 baht (THB) per day.
Source: Khaosod English
As a result, the family struggles to make ends meet, specifically the steep 3,580 baht (THB) (S$142) fee for the young teen to enter high school.
This was what prompted the family to reach out to a philanthropist on social media for help. So far, the family has received daily necessities as well as financial assistance to help the girl continue her education.
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Featured image adapted from Poramet Misomphop on Facebook and Khaosod English.
