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Ruam Duay Chuay Kan: Uniting to Help One Another
A wise man said that many small streams, even flowing in different directions, can connect and unite into a large lake.Mr. Boonsong Poonsawast would certainly understand this adage. Mr. Boonsong is a taxi driver. His duties were to pick up and drop off passengers at their destination in exchange with a small meter fee, after which he would seldom meet them again. However, Mr. Boonsong considered himself as a small stream and realized that his actions could contribute to the common good. He would drive to help someone in need, sacrifice his personal time to send a patient to hospital, or even deliver donated goods to distant locations during natural disasters including floods, tsunami, or even cold spells in the northern regions. He is a person who would spend his own money to drive for days on end to help those in need. Mr. Boonsong has been a volunteer in the “Ruam Duay Chuay Kan (Uniting to help each other)” project since the very start. The project was initiated by the Ruam Duay Chuay Kan community radio station at FM 86.0 MHZ with its first broadcast launched on May 1, 1997. The broadcast was well-received by its listeners who swarmed the switchboard with incoming calls until it became a central medium for helping society, praising good people, and even as a foundation for social development. Following its success, the project underwent preparations to respond to emergency incidents around the country with donated goods, consumer items, and medicine, to help the victims immediately. Interested parties can contact the 1677 hotline, send an SMS, or even visit the website at www.rd1677.com. The project would send assistance to all types of incidents requiring help including traffic accidents, collapsed buildings, acts of crime, or women in labor giving birth while stuck in traffic. This created a flowing river of helping others which now comprises of volunteers and charitable organizations and even government agencies who participate actively. Ruam Duay Chuay Kan (RDCK) Volunteer Network The RDCK volunteers are open to people from every group with a volunteer spirit to help others and willing to perform their duties without any compensation to create a society of helping one another and creating good attitudes among fellow citizens. At present, there are many people interested in participating in the network and members are divided into 3 categories: 1. Categorized according to profession including the Taxi Friends Association, Off-Road Motorist Association, and the Bus Drivers and Attendants Association (Kor Sor Mor Kor). 2. Categorized according to organization including members of the Crime Suppression Division and the National Reserve Guard Association. 3. Categorized according to activities and projects including members of the general public who participate in various projects. Activities organized for the volunteer network includes training in various subjects covering volunteer spirit, safety, and first aid to empower members with necessary skills. The targeted group for offering help is not limited to human beings but even includes animals that need help i.e. cats caught in trees, dogs trapped in water, or injured animals that must be sent to hospital, and even repairing houses and buildings. The network includes a total of about 50 team coordinators team who communicate and coordinate via telephone and radio broadcast in 27 provinces nationwide. This marks the 11th year of creating a network to help other people and covers an extensive network of members nationwide in large numbers. The project is still open to accept new volunteers to add to the manifold streams of help. |
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