Let’s build these kids a house!

Fortunately for me growing up in London I have had the best life, education and family to look after me. My mum, born and raised in Thailand was not so fortunate and she grew up in poverty similar to these kids, which is why this cause is something very close to my heart. I also share the same love and passion for Muay Thai, it has helped me physically but also mentally and I have completely fallen in love with it. Wor. Watthana is a Muay Thai community started by Frances and Boom in a small village of northern eastern Thailand.

Children born into a Thai village are in a fight from the moment they enter the world. They are fighting fate and a childhood of drugs, alcohol, gang violence, and even rape, the same fate who’s defeated generation after generation before them. Very few children have the strength to defy the odds, but even once they make it to adulthood, they are dealt another set of challenges: menial employment or a life of crime. This is what Frances and Boom set out to change. Wor. Watthana aims to help these at-risk youth change their paths.

The children who have come to Wor. Watthana home were born and raised in the village. For example, when Bia’s Dad, who used to be a trainer at the gym, lost his life to alcohol addiction, the pair took him in. They have been raising him as if he was their own for the past year.

Boom and Frances are forever committed to these kids. They feed them, clothe them, take them to school, help with homework, and of course, train them in Muay Thai! In a world that gave them nothing, they are trying to give them everything – every opportunity to rise above the poverty they were born into and better their lives. Together let’s make sure every kid has a bed to call their own! Let’s build them a home of their own!

My goal is to help them create something permanent. Building a house will not only have a positive effect on the kids who depend on Boom and Frances now but also allow for growth in the future. This is about creating sustainability for these kids and their community.

The gym is currently located on a small plot of land in Boom’s village. Boom and Frances, together with the kids that they’ve taken in and the stray animals they’ve rescued, live in two apartments in a town located about 14km away from the gym. From there, they ferry their kids to school every morning and then pick up all of the kids and take them straight to the gym for training. After training, they must then drive all of the kids home before heading back to their apartment to cook dinner for the kids that live with them. Frances also told me that she does 4-8 loads of laundry each day!

This has become both costly and time-consuming. The truck is packed to the brim with kids, and the apartments are full. Through their fundraising efforts, Boom and Frances have already raised enough money to purchase a small plot of land in town. As a bonus, it is located just 5km from the kids’ schools. So I’d like to step in and help them finish reaching their target which will build them a home on that land and also move the gym right next door to it, building them a proper COMMUNITY!

Please share and donate what you can, whilst im staying with them I shall keep you all updated with our daily activities and show you just how amazing these kids are, and why they deserve this more than anything.

Thank you,

Kaz xxx