Help build a Muay Thai gym in Isaan
Donation protected
For the past month, my daughter and I have been driving out to my husband's village in Northeast Thailand everyday after school. The 15 km journey is bumpy— potholes line the inadaquently paved sections, worse than the dirt roads that fill in the gaps. The kids are waiting there for us every day without fail. Trainer Dam is with them. Together, we sweep and dampen the area allocated for training: an open patch of uneven dirt, with a single bag hung from a tree. This is Sit. Phanom + Wor. Watthana Muay Thai Gym.
The kids never ask me when they will get a ring, a roof, or even a floor. They train hard every day. I watch them improve. And every day they ask me if I'll be there tomorrow.
After just a few weeks of training we had three kids matched up at the local temple fair for their first fights. It wasn't just their first fights, it was their first time being in a ring.
The kids' village is plagued by poverty, lack of development, poor education, gang and drug problems. This gym is for them.
I want to give them a roof to train under when it rains, a ring so they can bounce off the ropes when they clinch. I want them to be proud of where they come from, but most of all to give them a chance at a better life.
This gym will also be for my trainer Dam. It will give him a stable job and a way in which he can pass on his Muay Thai expertise to a new generation.
We have been given land by my father-in-law and have the full support of the community. Money raised will help with the following:
-Leveling out the land.
-Cementing the area, building a roof, and an enclosure (fence).
-Building a permanent ring.
-Purchasing bags and equipment.
If we are able to surpass our goal, all additional funds will go back into the community. I work with a few Muay Thai gyms in the area, all of which are also in need.
If you have any questions please feel free to message me or follow the gym's progress on Facebook.
UPDATES:
My interveiw with Matt Lucas for My Muay Thai
Boom's statement for Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb
The reality of poverty in Isaan with My Fight Camp
Photo auction by Jacob Klensin
Just Three Hours a Day: Isaan Girls and the Importance of Muay Thai by Lindsey Newhall writing for FIGHTLAND
Grass Roots Muay Thai — training at Wor. Watthana.
Yodsanklai's thrid fight.
The kids never ask me when they will get a ring, a roof, or even a floor. They train hard every day. I watch them improve. And every day they ask me if I'll be there tomorrow.
After just a few weeks of training we had three kids matched up at the local temple fair for their first fights. It wasn't just their first fights, it was their first time being in a ring.
The kids' village is plagued by poverty, lack of development, poor education, gang and drug problems. This gym is for them.
I want to give them a roof to train under when it rains, a ring so they can bounce off the ropes when they clinch. I want them to be proud of where they come from, but most of all to give them a chance at a better life.
This gym will also be for my trainer Dam. It will give him a stable job and a way in which he can pass on his Muay Thai expertise to a new generation.
We have been given land by my father-in-law and have the full support of the community. Money raised will help with the following:
-Leveling out the land.
-Cementing the area, building a roof, and an enclosure (fence).
-Building a permanent ring.
-Purchasing bags and equipment.
If we are able to surpass our goal, all additional funds will go back into the community. I work with a few Muay Thai gyms in the area, all of which are also in need.
If you have any questions please feel free to message me or follow the gym's progress on Facebook.
UPDATES:
My interveiw with Matt Lucas for My Muay Thai
Boom's statement for Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb
The reality of poverty in Isaan with My Fight Camp
Photo auction by Jacob Klensin
Just Three Hours a Day: Isaan Girls and the Importance of Muay Thai by Lindsey Newhall writing for FIGHTLAND
Grass Roots Muay Thai — training at Wor. Watthana.
Yodsanklai's thrid fight.
Organizer
Frances Watthanaya
Organizer
Rossland, BC
