Walk of Hope: Helping Disabled Thai Children Live a Better Life

People walk for various reasons. Some, like myself, walk as much as they can to stay in shape, but never stray away from their comfort zone. For others, such as Ajarn Pramuan Pengchan, walking means a journey of self discovery. In 2008, walking 1,000 km from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani, professor and philosopher Pramuan spent the 66 days it took him to reach his destination contemplating on the meaning of life. Later on, he shared his experiences with his students and the public at large.

However, Michael David Nepia who, in December 2010, intends to walk the 750 km from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, does not wish to achieve enlightenment or merely stay fit. He intends to raise money for charity and give hope to children who were not as fortunate as most of us. Hence, the “Walk of Hope.”

Michael is a Bangkok-based educator, currently employed at Pan-Asia International School as a grade one primary school teacher. He is 30 years old and comes from Waihi, New Zealand. He holds a Bachelor of Primary Education from Waikato University with a major in Professional Education. He has “a beautiful six year old daughter” named Ashlee-Maya Nepia.

Michael was born in and grew up in Auckland but then moved to a small beach town on the East Coast. After high school and quite a few odd jobs he moved to Hamilton where he met his daughter’s mother and became a father. “At birth my little girl was critically ill and fought for her life for two weeks. After stabilizing for two weeks in the third hospital she was transferred to, Ashlee-Maya was well enough to go home. With no real direction, this experience was the motivation needed to do something with my life,” remembered Michael. A year later he enrolled at the university and started his training as a school teacher.

Michael visited Thailand for six months in 2004. He was invited to stay by his parents-in-law at that time and fell in love with Thailand and all it had to offer. “The food, the people and the language interested me a lot! I could not believe the contrast between Bangkok and the isolated, beauty of the beaches back home in New Zealand,” he confessed. Then, on completing his degree in 2008, his Thai ex-wife decided she wanted custody of their daughter, Ashlee-Maya, to experience her culture in the northwest city of Tak. “I was in no position to take care of her so I agreed to take her to Tak until she was settled, and then find work in Bangkok so I would be close to my little girl. She speaks fluent Thai and is very happy. My daughter was basically the reason why I arrived and remained in Thailand, until now,” clarified Michael.

Michael recalled that when he first visited the Baan Non-Ta Poom orphanage for disabled children in Bangkok, he was touched by the children and their desire to be educated no matter of their disability. “After watching Hope Worldwide’s only employee lighten up their day by teaching them computer skills, I really wanted to help. But what really inspired me was the look of some of these children: a blank hopeless stare of young children my daughter’s age trapped in bodies that won’t allow a thing, reliant on overrun staff for everything,” Michael confessed. During another visit to the same orphanage, Michael’s heart sunk when he approached a child who had not moved for hours as she had only one leg and no arms. “By just chatting with her and the orphanage’s personnel, I found out she was a bright six years old child abandoned by her parents,” he added. This encounter cemented his desire to help by raising money through the Walk of Hope: “These are the children I really want to help and this is why I walk.”

His ‘trip’ on foot to Chiang Mai will be the first time Michael has walked this type of distance. “I would like to think I am physically fit for this endeavour.  I am walking 8-10 kilometers a day, five days a week to and from work. I am also weight training 2-3 days a week,” said Michael. His training will intensify the closer he gets to the walk date, later this year, and he also plans on practicing the types of distances he must walk daily. He believes that when the day to embark on this journey comes, he will be ready both mentally and physically.

Such a big task could have never happened without Hope Worldwide Thailand, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping needy children and underprivileged girls. Hope Worldwide is coordinating with Michael in helping out to survey the local accommodation en route before his walk. The survey will be done by Hope Worldwide volunteers. Food and travel insurance will be also sponsored by Hope from the funds raised through this Walk.

The program Walk of Hope aims at raising 500,000 baht while corporate sponsorship is also being targeted. The estimated cost of the walk is about 45,000 baht. All the money used will be carefully recorded and any left over will go straight back into the account for the needy. The money will be spent on continuing and improving the current computer programs already established by Hope Worldwide at Baan Non-Ta Poom and Kredtrakarn Protection Girls Home from Bangkok. Money raised will also be used for the administration fees of running Hope Thailand and some funds will be used to start new future programs.

“Coming from an affluent country, you just don’t see the type of poverty that you do here in Thailand. Seeing this on my arrival gave me the motivation to work with underprivileged children and that’s what led me to visiting the Baan Non-Ta Poom where disabled orphans reside,” said Michael. Once there, he was touched by the children and wanted to help them as much as he could. “That’s when I came up with the idea of the walk. I believed I could get something going, so why not attempt to inspire people to help these children? Basically, since coming to Thailand, one thing led to another and now I am on an adventure of a lifetime, meeting wonderful like-minded people keen to make a difference,” a positive-minded Michael asserted.

If there are any readers out there who are looking for a worthy cause to take part in and help make a difference, then get in contact with Michael David Nepia and his team at Hope Worldwide Thailand through their website, blog or e-mail to walkofhope2010[at]gmail[dot]com.

Initially published in “Bangkok Trader” (vol. 4, No. 8, July 2010)