Sisters on Samui #FeedSamui

Sisters on Samui (SOS) is a not-for-profit organisation bringing together the women who live on the island. We aim to support those in need on Samui through regular social events, fundraising activities and community outreach programs. Sisters on Samui stepped up our fundraising initiatives in 2020 and has provided much needed food handouts to displaced workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sisters on Samui (SOS) is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1997 by a group of women who were living on Koh Samui. We aim to support those in need on Samui through community outreach programs, fundraising activities and regular social events on the island.

Over the years Sisters on Samui have supported the Samui Hospital, Samui Rescue, Samui Prison and some of the dog rescue and elephant sanctuaries.  In March 2020 Sisters on Samui launched the #FeedSamui initiative which has provided much needed food packages, nappies, milk formula and feminine hygiene products to displaced workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

All donations will be used to support the local community through our Feed Samui and Community Gardens initiatives.  We thank you in advance for your support.

To all our donors and volunteers, a big thankyou. We handed out 565KG of rice, 612 cans of tinned fish, 848 packets of noodles, 180 eggs, 8 bottles of cooking oil, and 80 bags of infant formula, plus adult diapers, baby nappies, sanitary pads, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. We responded to LINE, Instagram and Facebook requests and drove 824km to do these deliveries. It is our joy to be able to help those most in need on Koh Samui, and please know just how much they appreciate it. Through your generosity we can continue the #feedsamui program in this way. Thank you again to Maya Resort for the storage and packing space, we are so very grateful for this area.

For more info, make sure you have signed up for our newsletters.  We'll be sure to update the website and blogs in the coming months.

Link to November Newsletter

https://mailchi.mp/sistersonsamui/the-jungle-drum-november-edition

SEPTEMBER UPDATE:

Our incredible thanks goes out to the donors in September as their donations enabled us to support locals in need of food with 565 food parcels, including 2925kg of rice, tinned mackerel, noodles, snacks plus shampoo, sanitary pads, nappies and milk formula for infants. The  distribution was spread across 8 towns on the island. Our food supplies come from Makro Bophut, Makro Lamai and Bangrak Mini-Mart where the owners ensure the most value we can get for each baht spent is made possible.  

A special thanks to an overseas donor, who herself was 4 months into another lockdown with a 5KM radius restriction in place in New South Wales, Australia, She baked muffins for her neighbours each Friday in the month of September raising over AUD $650, enough to feed 78 families in Koh Samui. Thank you for this amazing contribution, through some baked goodness, sold to friends, magic can happen even in a lockdown.

To our Samui volunteers who help shop, pack and distribute - thank you to you all, in pouring rain even the team is on the road getting food to those in need!

Sisters on Samui doesn't work alone, we are so grateful to have volunteers in the community to assist us to distribute food. In this image is health officer Khun Dang, who takes care of a zone near the Koh Samui airport. Each village has these amazing folks who have the role of educator, supporter, liason as volunteers to care for their residents. They have played a big role in Covid-19 support, educating about mask wearing, administering vaccines, and in our case helping us connect with those who are most vunerable in their zones to receive food. 

Friday 30 July 2021 was ‘International Friendship Day’, and Sisters on Samui is so grateful for its friends both near and far.  On 30th July we collaborated with friends of Panyadee School and local friends Gary Sparkes, Bill, Frank and Khun Ing to get food out to folks in Chaweng.

Thank you to Sister on Samui volunteers and friends Melanie Reilly, Szilvia Juhasz and Richard for packing the food on Monday, and to Panyadee Children for the food donation and to Gary and Co. for getting the food out to the families in need – a super effort for ‘International Friendship day’!

You can donate to our Feed Samui campaign (via our Weeboon campaign)- helping us hand out rice, canned fish, instant noodles, eggs and vegetable oil out to the Thai and Burmese families who are in need on Koh Samui.

3, 6, 9 WAYS YOU CAN HELP THIS JUNE
TO FOLKS ON SAMUI IN NEED.

Donate 333THB which will provide a food hamper including 6 cans of tinned fish, 6 packets of noodles, 6 eggs and 5KG of rice

Donate 666THB which will give a food hamper including 12 cans of tinned fish, 12 packets of noodles, 12 eggs and 15KG of rice

Donate 999THB which will give a food hamper including 18 cans of tinned fish, 19 packets of noodles, 19 eggs and 20KG of rice

15 months into Covid-19 and we see the need in the community has risen. Folks remain unemployed on Koh Samui which is and was a tourism island, with 1000's of hotels, resorts, villas, restaurants, excursion and tourism business closed.

With nowhere to go, so many folks are stuck, so we need your support to continue our #feedsamui project.

Be part of 06 06 Day and donate THB333 or THB666 or THB999 to ease the challenge of survival for many.

Donate online now:
https://www.weeboon.com/en/campaign/feedsamui

Once a cook, once a massage therapist and once an airport worker, these lovely people we met last week now all find themselves out of work due to the absence of tourists because of Covid-19. Feed team leader Julie arranged through the area Health Worker Khun Deng to pack 16 food hampers - enough for these folks to make a few meals and keep their energy to push on. It's hard for all of them, but your donations for food parcels gives them HOPE. Thank you to all our donors from near and far!

Meet Khun Meow and her two boys and parents. Her dad is 75 years old, and an original Thai Koh Samui inhabitant. Born here, he worked most his life as a coconut farmer, helped build Big Buddha, a major Koh Samui landmark and now lives near to the Koh Samui Airport, which was a big news when it opened in 1985.Times are tough, no one in the family is working and most folks in their road are lucky to have maybe 2-3 days a week work if any. So through your kind donations, Sisters on Samui was able to donate 60 x 5KG bags of rice to their village. Local business BM / Bangrak Grocery Samui (Bangrak Minimart) supports Sisters on Samui by shipping the 100% Thai Jasmine rice to Koh Samui from the mainland. We are grateful just as Khun Meow and her family and neighbours are to have the support of donations, and local business to make this possible.

Happy Mother's Day! Pay it forward this Mother's Day - your donation helps Sisters on Samui provide Thai and Burmese mums on the island with much needed personal care products - including soap, toothpaste, sanitary products and other necessities. Donate to SOS here, on Weeboon.

Many people on Koh Samui lost their jobs last year and they cannot afford to buy the basic necessities for their families, due to the international border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These families have to make compromises between paying for basic needs, like food and rent, and buying essentials like diapers, baby formula and sanitary items. 

Sisters on Samui has been providing food handouts to hundreds of Thai and Burmese families on the island since March 2020.  We also provide emergency supplies for baby milk formula, and collect and handout second-hand clothing, shoes and bedding.

The typical #FeedSamui handout includes: rice, canned fish, instant noodles and sometimes we add a dozen eggs, or small packs of UHT milk for the school kids.  Just recently we have been supplying personal care items including soap, sanitary items and dental care products

You can help tackle the needs of hundreds of families on Koh Samui, by donating to our #FeedSamui initiative.

The money you donate today will help hundreds of Samui families in need to put food on their plates in these difficult times.

Many people on Koh Samui lost their jobs last year and they cannot afford to buy the basic necessities for their families, due to the international border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These families have to make compromises between paying for basic needs, like food and rent, and buying essentials like diapers, baby formula and sanitary items. 

Sisters on Samui has been providing food handouts to hundreds of Thai and Burmese families on the island since March 2020.  We also provide emergency supplies for baby milk formula, and collect and handout second-hand clothing, shoes and bedding.

The typical #FeedSamui handout includes: rice, canned fish, instant noodles and sometimes we add a dozen eggs, or small packs of UHT milk for the school kids.  Just recently we have been supplying personal care items including soap, sanitary items and dental care products

You can help tackle the needs of hundreds of families on Koh Samui, by donating to our #FeedSamui initiative.

The money you donate today will help hundreds of Samui families in need to put food on their plates in these difficult times.

We delivered food packages to some villages we have visited before, and also to a new camp. Many happy people took home food staples including rice, canned fish, instant noodles and fresh eggs.  Thank you to everyone who supports Sisters on Samui (SOS). We couldn't continue to support the local community without your help.

On the TWELFTH DAY of giving we know that eggs are a staple food needed by many families on Koh Samui. 12 trays of eggs costs 920 THB (12 x 30 = 360 eggs, which is probably enough for 3-4 families for a month)

On the TENTH DAY of giving many families need to purchase face masks and hand sanitiser as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. 11 packs of Sanitiser and Face Masks costs 1915 THB (11 x 500ml hand sanitiser, and 11 x fabric face masks).

On the EIGHTH DAY of giving many families looking for a quick bite to eat enjoy Mama instant noodles. Mama noodles were one of the first food items to disappear from the supermarket shelves in Thailand in March this year. They are inexpensive, easy to cook and have a long shelf life. 8 cartons of Mama noodles costs 1352 THB (each carton = 24 x 90g).

On the FIFTH DAY OF GIVING many families also like to buy UHT milk for their kids. This product doesn't need to be refrigerated and provides Calcium to the kids. Five cartons of UHT Plain Milk costs 825 THB (each carton is 12 x 180 ml).

You can donate to our new online Weeboon campaign here.

https://www.weeboon.com/en/campaign/feedsamui

Thank you to all of our kind and generous supporters who have already donated to our FeedSamui campaign this month.

On the THIRD DAY OF GIVING many families need rice, a food staple in Thailand. Three packs of Jasmine Rice costs 1,569 THB (3 x 15KG). On our last visit to the Burmese camps we gave out 625kg of rice to 250 people. It seems a lot, but it doesn't last long.

You can donate to our new online Weeboon campaign here.

https://www.weeboon.com/en/campaign/feedsamui

Thank you to all of our kind and generous supporters who have already donated to our FeedSamui campaign this month.

On the SECOND DAY OF GIVING many families are in need of diapers. Two packs of disposable nappies costs 799 THB (148 nappies might last 4-6 weeks). This is a costly expense to families with infants and toddlers. Many families live without electricity and washing machines, so it's not practical to have re-usable nappies.You can donate to our new online Weeboon campaign here. https://www.weeboon.com/en/campaign/feedsamui

Join us in our 12 DAYS OF GIVING campaign by donating any money you can to support the Sisters on Samui #FeedSamui campaign.  All funds raised help us to support families on Samui who have lost their jobs due to international border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

On the FIRST DAY OF GIVING many families are in need of baby milk formula.  This is a costly product for families to buy.  It's 929 THB for a 1.65kg carton of milk formula (which might only last a few weeks). 

We will update our Facebook page each day with the "shopping list" that many Thai and Burmese families on Koh Samui are struggling to afford.  

You can donate to our new online Weeboon campaign here.  
https://www.weeboon.com/en/campaign/feedsamui