Some of the most amazing and inspiring stories of business success one hears do not come from multi-billionaire business leaders who used their skills and ability to see where there was a market need and put forth a bestselling product – but they actually come from your next-door neighbours who had sacrificed their free time to help others and decided to choose a career that would benefit not only their own pockets but the pockets of an entire community. Hachaya “Oiy” Tookohplook is one such (extra)ordinary person who has been living and working in the Khlong Toei part of Bangkok all her life.
Oiy is a 36-year-old Store Manager at Second Chance, a recycling shop that relies solely on donations of second-hand goods. Second Chance first opened its doors in November 2009 and through her friends and co-founders Chris and Jodie MacCartney, she was invited to work part-time in the newly opened store. “The MacCartney’s told me their dream of starting a second-hand store, not for profit but to help improve the quality of life for the slum residents. They thought that some of the skills I had acquired through my previous jobs could be helpful in the store,” Oiy reminisced.
The store was opened near Oiy’s house in Rom Klao, a squatter community that is a part of the larger Khlong Toei slum: “Working at Second Chance opened my heart to my neighbours. I felt a real sense of community and belonging among my friends at the store, so eventually I started working here full-time. It’s like a home to me and has changed me.”
The motto of the store is “Recycle – Reuse – Renew,” because what you think of as junk may help turn someone’s life around. Their logo, the image of an elephant made of recycled furniture, clothing and other things, reflects just that. “We chose the name Second Chance because we like to give opportunities to people where doors have closed before. Whether you are a customer who can’t afford a nice piece of furniture, a teenager looking for work, or a foreigner looking to do something positive with the stuff you have accumulated here in Thailand, we try to provide opportunities,” Oiy explained.
Since its opening, Second Chance has grown to be able to employ 14 people from the Khlong Toei community. Since all of their merchandise is donated to the store, they have been able to use the profit from the sales to give fair wages and also support some children’s programs in their community, such as the soccer program for boys aged 8 to 14. They also now have a handicraft business where they turn some of the extra clothing donations into “up-cycled goods” like purses, skirts, and toys.
“I would say that one of our biggest successes is the enjoyment that our employees get from coming to work each day. Second Chance is a place where we love each other and try to extend that love to other people who need it. For example, we noticed that one of our disabled neighbours was getting too weak to hold up her head. Someone had recently donated a comfortable armchair with headrests, so we were happy to give that straight to her family. Anytime we get medical donations, like walkers or wheelchairs, we set them aside to give to needy people in our community,” confessed Oiy. “We try to make the store a welcoming place for anyone from the slum, whether they are sick, homeless, or struggling with addictions, they can find a place here and we will try to help where we can.”
But, it’s always difficult when dealing with money when you have people in need. Although Second Chance sells their donated goods as cheaply as possible, sometimes the customers still haggle over the price. “It’s hard to explain the purpose and the vision of our shop; most people think that we are here to make a profit. Also, the boys on our collection team are also residents of the slum, so when they make pick-ups in wealthy areas, sometimes people make rude comments or treat them disrespectfully, simply because of where they come from,” Oiy suggested.
And living in Bangkok’s slums is not easy. Many of the residents of Rom Klao, including Oiy’s family, have lived in the same area for decades. They don’t have legal ownership of the land so, although they can build and develop their houses, the land under their houses on stilts is just a trash heap. In lucky families, someone will be able to get a job with social security and health insurance. But for broken families, or those who work in the informal sector, paying for basic schooling for children and the costs of everyday living is a real struggle. Most people use their 30 baht healthcare card when they get sick, but the standard of care is not very good. “We see a lot of sick people get worse after they return from the hospital because they haven’t received adequate treatment,” Oiy sadly noted.
As Thailand has developed, the cost of living has got much higher while the level of wages has stayed consistently the same. Some people are able to secure jobs with salaries that reflect the inflation, but others are still working hard and make close to nothing, and things have become much harder for them. “The main change I’ve seen in our society is that the gap between the rich and the poor has got much wider. Another change, of course, has been the rapid development of technology and the way that has been integrated within our community. Nearly every teenager knows how to use Facebook and other social networking websites, but that doesn’t mean that their real-life relationships have improved in any way,” explained Oiy.
With the opening of the ASEAN Economic Community in late 2015, there are fears that more underprivileged children will be on the move with their migrant families and thus more at risk to be exploited.Currently, most people from Rom Klao community who have experienced working overseas have gone beyond the ASEAN community to work in Europe, Japan, or Australia – and they have mostly gone alone, leaving their families behind while they send money back home to support them. “We have had a few families move into the community from countries like Cambodia and Myanmar. I think these families are especially vulnerable because their daily working wage here in Thailand is much less than a Thai worker, but the cost of living is the same. I don’t know how they survive on this low level wage,” Oiy questioned.
Luckily, in the last year, many people have taken advantage of government housing loans to improve or rebuild their homes. However, there was a large fire in the Rom Klao community in October 2013 which destroyed 68 homes and the government was able to support the rebuilding process with a grant of 30,000 baht per family. “We helped where we could here at Second Chance,” added Oiy, “providing new school uniforms and some clothing from our store.”
One of the best ways you can help is by sharing this amazing story of survival and revival with your family, friends and neighbours. And of course, call Oiy on 08 7026 4205 if you have things you want to donate. Oiy can speak both English and Thai fluently. But, in case you want to see how things are run at Second Chance, you can drop off your donations at the store on weekdays from 9:30am to 5pm. The store is located at 99/101 Ardnarong Road in Klongtoey, Bangkok.
Also, Second Chance makes it even more convenient for you to donate the things you don’t use anymore with their free pick-up service which you can schedule every day from Monday to Friday straight from their website. Alternatively, you can drop them an email at info[at]scbkk[dot]org. They will be able to accommodate you in any way that suits you best. Do get involved and make these words become true: “Recycle – Reuse – Renew!”
