Elderly woman in Thailand raises grandchildren’s school fees by drawing on the streets

Grandma draws on the streets of Bangkok to support family

A grandma in Thailand has touched the hearts of many after a clip of her drawing was shared online.

According to video posted by Channel 3 Morning News on 10 Feb, she was recently spotted near Central World shopping centre in downtown Bangkok.

The elderly woman had set up her spot on the Central World Skywalk which connects the popular mall to the nearby metro stations.

She draws on a clipboard while seated on a pavement, with a stack of finished drawings next to her.

Struggling to provide for two grandchildren and their disabled father

A printed sign placed in front of her explains the elderly woman’s situation.

By drawing on the streets, she hopes to raise money to pay for her two grandchildren’s school fees.

It’s revealed that she is also caring for a disabled person at home.

The woman said she did not want to simply beg, but to provide something of value in exchange for the money she receives from kind-hearted strangers.

Even so, many passersby continue to leave her some money even without taking her drawings as they were simply touched by her efforts.

Not the first time she has gone viral

Despite going viral on Monday (10 Feb), this is not the first time this artistic grandma has made the news.

A little over a year ago, she was featured by local media outlet AmarinTV. The elderly woman was then located at Siam BTS Station.

Unlike her most recent printed sign in 2025, the grandma’s sign in November 2023 was endearingly handwritten.

Slightly misspelled, the sign elaborates that her two grandchildrens’ father has disabilities.

According to the report, the grandma would even take requests to draw whatever you wish.

In another video shared by a Thai TikTok user, the woman was spotted near BTS Phaya Thai in July 2024.

Source: @rietypahn on TikTok

She sold keychains, stuffed toys, and hairties — all of which she had neatly arranged on a mat.

Back then, she had given away the drawings for free.

Also read: Foreign beggars arrested in JB, they reportedly earned up to S$4.5K per month 

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Featured image adapted from @rietypahn on TikTok and เรื่องเล่าเช้านี้ on Facebook.