Help Sinh Farm Rise After Kona Low Flooding

Aloha Kakou,

My name is Rani and I am looking to raise funds in support of my mom (Sinh Phanthavong) with restoring her Farm (Sinh Farm) which was recently affected by the recent Kona low storms.

With over 20+ years of experience as a farmer on the island of Oahu, farming has been her only stream of income and is not just a job, but her way of life. Her commitment to farming demands long hours sometimes starting her day before sunrise and working past sunset. Some days would go longer and be more exhausting requiring her to rest at her farm. At around 130am of March 21st my mom was rudely awaken by the Kona low storm and greeted by rising/flood waters that reached up to her hips. Thankfully she made it out safely by braving through the storm, she treaded the flood waters and travelled by foot to Wailua H.S emergency shelter with a group of friends carrying the heavy weight of what’s what’s going to happen next?

Following the storms, she immediately got right to clearing/cleaning up near knee deep mud on her own in hopes to speed up the process of starting all over again. Her pride and a desire not to be a burden led her to decline help from the amazing community that surrounded her.

However, after days of working through the mud, as well as processing and accessing the amount of loss, my mom had to take a step back and face the reality of her situation. Twenty-plus years of farming have taught her to be resilient, but this damage is unprecedented. She lost the majority of her crops, tools, and crop infrastructure.

With this farm being her only means of income, she is now at a point where she can no longer handle the loss alone and is facing the possibility of not being able to cover upcoming farm bills and replacement/rebuilding cost.

My mom is eager to give back to the community that has always supported her and in order to do that she wants to replant, restore, and continue feeding our island. If you are able to support her recovery, it would mean the world to her. Any donation will go directly towards clearing and restoring crops, repairing crop infrastructure, and purchasing new soil and seeds.

With deep gratitude for your support,

Rani and Sinh Phanthavong

@Sinh Farm