Satun, 22 Oct. – Admire! A 13-year-old boy with a strong heart fights for his life, going out to sea to find crabs to sell, sending money to his mother to raise 5 younger siblings.
Mr. Wuttikorn Minha, or Nong Hafin, age 13, lives in Tung Wa District, Satun Province. Every day, Nong Hafin goes out on a boat with his grandfather to help find crabs to sell.
Hafin’s grandfather said that his parents separated. Hafin is the oldest child with 5 siblings, the youngest is 10 months old. Hafin came to live with his grandfather, who was poor. After finishing primary school, he refused to continue his studies because he was worried about his mother and siblings. So he enrolled in a non-formal education program and came out to earn money to take care of his siblings. Sometimes he had to go out to sea as far as Tarutao Island or Adang Island to set traps or set fishing nets for blue crabs. He had to spend 2-3 nights on a boat. However, Hafin never complained. When he found crabs to sell, he would give his siblings an a
verage of 1,000 baht each time, sometimes less, depending on the amount of crabs he caught. If there was a storm and he couldn’t go out to sea, Hafin would set traps for black crabs in the mangrove forest near his house or take on any kind of work to earn money to send to his mother.
Little Hafin is a very grateful child, hardworking and patient. He does everything he can. Some villagers give him money to buy things he likes, but he saves it for his mother. Grandpa said that he feels sorry for his grandson who has to take responsibility for the family while he is still young, but he doesn’t know what to do. All he can do is take care of his grandson to keep him safe.
As for Nong Hafin, she said that she decided to come live with her grandfather because she wanted to earn money to send to her mother who was raising her. She is not afraid of hardship and works in every job she can. She is proud that she now earns 5,000-6,000 baht per month to send to her mother. – Thai News Agency
Source: Thai News Agencyl