In each of our projects, we also find ways to give back to the island’s people and its indigenous communities;
The Children’s Ward at Nathon Hospital was, until recently, a grim and uninviting space. Working with local charity, Sisters on Samui, we pledged to totally refurbish the Treatment Room. It is now a cheery and bright room with a new bathroom, new storage and a bespoke sterilisation unit.
We love animals and, in addition to taking care of several street dogs each day, we actively support (through fund raising) Samui Elephant Sanctuary & Haven, Pariah Dog Sanctuary, Happy Tails and Soi Dog Foundation. We were involved in the Walk to Freedom, whereby two elephants were freed from a trekking camp – one of them very old and sick and the other heavily pregnant. The 20km walk was a great success, taking over 9 hours to complete. Other projects include organizing the Great Closet Clearout – a clothes swapping sale, basically, People bring their unwanted items and others buy them. Donations always go to worthy causes.
We are part of a group of artists who paint rubbish bins (there are very few government bins on the island). Taking around 50-man hours per bin, we beautify the island one bin at a time. They can be found on most main beaches in Samui and in conservation areas outside Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand where we worked in tandem with Save Elephant Foundation to encourage people to love elephants and to dispose of their trash responsibly.