Community Heartbreaking Story of Schoolgirl Living Alone After Mother’s Death & Father’s Imprisonment

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A home visit by teachers has uncovered a deeply moving story of a 14-year-old girl in Udon Thani who has been living alone since the death of her mother and the incarceration of her father.

 

The girl, identified as Miss Kriss is a Mathayom 1 student at Wat Pattamakorn Secondary School in Ban Bo Pattam, Sa Baeng Subdistrict, Nong Han District. Her plight came to light after a local Facebook page, Nong Han Ban Hao, shared her story, prompting shock and sympathy across the community.

 

Teachers visiting her home were astonished to find that Kriss lives entirely on her own in a dilapidated one-storey concrete house with a leaking metal roof. Her mother died two years ago, followed by her grandmother the year after. Her father is currently imprisoned in Surat Thani Province and had previously been abusive to both Kriss and her mother.

 

Kriss survives by cooking for herself and occasionally receives visits from her older sister or a distant aunt. In the evenings after school, she earns a modest income, around 30 to 50 baht per day, by skewering grilled chicken at a local stall.

 

The home she lives in technically belongs to her late grandmother, who had mortgaged it with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) a decade ago. The current status of the mortgage remains uncertain, raising fears that the house could be repossessed at any time.

 

Local authorities, including Mr Grawi Sarakham, Member of Parliament for the Pheu Thai Party and district officials, have since visited the girl. They offered food supplies and a cash donation and pledged to provide Kriss with a monthly stipend of 3,000 baht to support her education through to university or as far as she wishes to study.

 

“I was moved after hearing about her situation,” said Mr Grawi. “She is a bright student with great potential. No child should have to face life alone like this, especially a young girl.”

 

Assistant school director Mr Natthawut Phonyiem, who led the original visit, described how the teaching staff were left stunned. “We didn’t expect this. Kriss is practically alone. Her house is falling apart, and she barely has support,” he said.

 

Kriss’s resilience and maturity have touched many. “When I lived with my mother and father in Koh Samui, my father was abusive. My mother fled with me here. After she passed away, I stayed with my grandmother until she died too,” she shared. “Now, I live alone. I used to dream of opening a flower shop. Even though I’m alone, I’ll keep fighting for my mother.”

 

Ms Bua, 60, Kriss’s great-aunt and the sister of her late grandmother, confirmed that Kriss has refused offers to live with relatives. “She’s a brave child,” she said. “But she’s all alone. Her mother mortgaged the house ten years ago, and we don’t know if it has been seized or sold yet.”

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-06-18

 

 

 

[ikke1959]

Welfare in Thailand at its best....Nobody really cares about the kids.. Where is the family??they all went to the funeral I suppose and friends and neighbours?? Nobody cares it seems... Better can not sell/buy alcohol on Buddhistic holidays to show what a good Buddhistic country Thailand is

[novacova]

2 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Welfare in Thailand at its best....Nobody really cares about the kids.. Where is the family??they all went to the funeral I suppose and friends and neighbours?? Nobody cares it seems... Better can not sell/buy alcohol on Buddhistic holidays to show what a good Buddhistic country Thailand is

Welfare only creates dependency and inspires weakness. This kid most likely will become a strong willed independent individual.

[Jim Blue]

8 minutes ago, novacova said:

Welfare only creates dependency and inspires weakness. This kid most likely will become a strong willed independent individual.

If she lives .....