Richard Barrow is an expat living in Bangkok who regularly shares information about travel and life in Thailand on social media and on his blog. His Twitter profile claims to be The No.1 source for travel and news about Thailand.
Richard regularly visits destinations outside of Bangkok, to encourage travel to these provinces and sometimes lesser known provinces. With the border lockdowns caused by the COVID pandemic, and the lack of international tourists visiting Thailand, Richard visits and reports on destinations such as Phuket, Chiang Rai and most recently Koh Samui.
Richard visited Koh Samui last weekend, 26-28 March 2021, as a guest of the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort*. During his stay, Richard joined Sisters on Samui for a few hours to learn more about our community initiatives – including our Feed Samui and Community Gardens projects. Scroll down to read more, or visit Richard Barrow’s pages on Twitter and Facebook.
Richard Barrow visited Koh Samui as a guest of Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort, a tropical sanctuary with local charm. With contemporary rooms and villas set in lush gardens or with sea-views, beachfront dining and an unforgettable culinary journey in the jungle canopy at Tree Tops.
Photo shared with permission of Antantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort
Feed Samui
The first stop with Sisters on Samui was a #FeedSamui food handout to a camp on the Airport road. Many of the people from this location had worked at Samui airport. Richard was able to see firsthand the hardship faced by so many families whose livelihoods have been affected by the international border closures and the sudden drop-off of international tourists. Sisters on Samui provides food handouts to hundreds of families on the island whose income has been affected by the COVID pandemic – regular handouts include rice, canned fish, instant noodles and eggs.
Whilst Sisters on Samui are not able to fully provide for the communities in need on the island, these small handouts are a big help when times are tough. We thank all of our donors, supporters and volunteers for making the #FeedSamui food handouts possible.
Photos shared with permission by Richard Barrow
Community Gardens
The Green Sisters met Richard at BanBangrak school to see the mushroom house and vegetable garden which was funded by Sisters on Samui, and to learn more about our Community Gardens projects on the island, which enables local families to grow their own herbs and vegetables.
Sisters on Samui have been actively supporting groups on the island to setup their own community gardens, by providing plants, soil, tools and other gardening supplies to local government schools, villages and also to one of the special needs schools.
SWISS MILK PROJECT
Sisters on Samui regularly receives urgent requests from parents who are in need of milk powder for their little ones. Through the generous donations of our donors, we have been able to provide baby milk formula to those in need over the past 12 months.
Richard met with our board member, Sandy and her mum Maya, from Switzerland, to hear firsthand about how they were able to secure a donation of Nestle milk powder through the Swiss Embassy and Nestle Thailand. Over the coming weeks we will start taking the Nestle milk powder out to the villages that we regularly visit through our #FeedSamui initiative. A big thank you to the Swiss Embassy and Nestle for their support of families with young ones on the island.
Charity shop
Richard Barrow was also treated to a sneak peak of our soon to be opened Charity Shop* in Chaweng, which will help to raise funds Sisters on Samui through the sale of charity items, local artisan products, second hand books, pre-loved clothing, household goods (ie. converting donated goods into cash). The shop will also provide a central place to drop off donations, such as second hand clothing, books and other items.
Richard shared with us that this could be the first of it’s kind in Thailand. Although “op-shops” are common in countries like Australia and the UK, the concept of a shop to raise funds for charity isn’t something you see in Thailand.
*Stay tuned for more details of the shop opening later in April
Photo shared with permission by Richard Barrow
Thank you!
A big thank you to Richard Barrow for taking some time out of your busy weekend to learn about Sisters on Samui’s initiatives, and for sharing details of your visit with us on your social media pages. We hope you enjoyed your short visit to Koh Samui, your extensive tour of the island’s many beautiful beaches, and also the time you spent at one of the ethical elephant sanctuaries.