Ford Philanthropy, a global philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, and Ford Thailand has donated around $49,000 (or 1.6 million baht), including funds raised by Ford employees, to provide emergency aids to people affected by flash floods and landslides in remote communities in the northern province of Thailand. The support includes restoring living conditions, improving livelihoods and psychological relief. Ford employee volunteers, together with NGO partners and Ford dealership also helped distribute essential living supplies to children and communities in the heavily affected villages in Khun Yuam District, Mae Hong Son Province.
"Ford Philanthropy is committed to delivering urgent assistance to those impacted by natural disasters, especially those in remote areas where support is hard to reach," said Jane Holloway, Ford Philanthropy Manager for International Markets Group (IMG). "Ford has collaborated with NGO partners to survey and assess devastated areas in Mae Hong Son Province. Many villages in the valleys, damaged by floods and landslides, still need help in restoring living conditions, psychological support, and children's access to education. Ford did not hesitate to mobilize support from both Ford employees and relevant partners to deliver a timely assistance."
With a budget from Ford Philanthropy and donations raised from employees totaling over $49,000, Ford is working with the Karen Hilltribes Trust (KHT), Scholars of Sustenance Foundation (SOS), and SATI Foundation to implement a relief program for people affected by the recent flash floods in hard-to-reach areas. The program has been initiated to provide long-term impacts, including living condition restoration and psychological recovery for those affected. During the past weekend, Ford volunteers in Thailand, led by Ford Service Engineering team, traveled with Ford American Motors Chiang Mai dealership and NGO partners using Ford Ranger and Ford Ranger Raptor vehicles to the hard-hit villages - Mae Gopi and Mae Laga Tai. A great deal of essential supplies, including clean drinking water, clothes, blankets, and a large amount of dry and canned food donated by SOS Foundation were loaded on the Ford trucks and distributed to the villagers. The villages were vastly devastated and are in remote mountainous areas, with over 20 houses destroyed by floods, leaving about 90 people homeless. 32 households need to relocate due to landslide risks, while the strong flash flood damaged the water system, leaving over 680 people lack of clean drinking water and necessities for living.
Besides delivering life-saving supplies to affected communities, Ford and the NGO partners have also been working on allocating the budget to improve the living conditions of the damaged areas. This includes repairing housing, fixing the water system to provide access to clean water, and working with the SATI Foundation to conduct training projects to recover the mental health of children facing mental health issues due to the losses incurred.
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