Non has had a difficult childhood. When we met her in early 2017 she was living with her mother, some aunts and her disabled grandmother in a small unfinished house. Her father was working as a day laborer in Bangkok and rarely came home. The family had barely enough money to pay their electricity and water bills. Often they had to cut down on food to make ends meet.

Fund Isaan has been supporting Bo with a scholarship since 2016. Bo was abandoned by her parents and lived with her grandparents, small farmers. Bo went to secondary school in Prasat. She was a very bright student. After secondary school Bo decided to study Accounting at Prasat Industrial and Community Eduation College.

We first met Tao in 2015. He was abandoned by his parents and raised by his disabled grandmother, who  lived in a wooden shed with no floors. When it rained they had to retreat to a litle wooden platform because the entire shed would flood. Tao was going to secondary school in Ban Thanong. We were afraid that even with our help Tao would not make it through secondary school, but he surprised us big time!

Fund Isaan met Pepsi in 2017 when he was in his fourth year of secondary school. His parents had a small farm. To make ends meet Pepsi's mother sold cold drinks in a small cart in front of the local school. Pepsi has one older brother, who was, at that time, studying for a high certificate in Mechanics. Two students following full time education was very challenging, not to say impossible, for his parents.

Pang is the oldest of two children. Her parents divorced long ago. Pang lived with her grandparents. Her father rarely supported her. Her mother worked on the small farm and outside the rice season as a day laborer in Bangkok (making approx. 300 baht/day). When we met Pang, back in 2017, she was in year 2 of secondary school.

Piat's parents are small farmers. When we first met them they had three children all attending school. Piat was the oldest and about to finish her secondary school. Her parents could not afford sending her to higher education. Piat on the other hand wanted to continue her studies at Sangkha Industrial and Community College and obtain a high certificate in Accounting. Fund Isaan supported by Mr. and Mrs.

We met Eun for the first time in 2016. When she was in her fourth year of secondary school in Prasat. Eun had two siblings. One older sister was already studying at university. Her parents, small rice farmers, had to take a loan to pay for her studies. They could not effort a second child going to higher education. Yet Eun was a bright young girl and dreamed of becoming a language teacher.

When we met Nan and her family in 2017 the family was struggling; Father had just passed away and mother was alone with her three children and a disabled grandmother. Mother did her best to take care of the farm (or what was left of it, after her inlaws claimed a large part of it).  Nan was studying in year four of secondary school and dreaming of becoming a nurse.

Max became a Fund Isaan scholarship student in 2017 when he started his higher education in computer science at Rajamangla University. His parents are farmers. His mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing chemo therapy. Max was a good student, member of the students' council and football player in his free time.  Max dreamed of becoming a programmer.

We first met Bow back in 2017. Her mother was living in Bangkok and had mental health issues, unable to support her family. Her father had left his wife when Bow was 3 years old. Bow lived with her grandmother and an uncle, but the house they were living in had been seized by the bank. They had barely enough money to buy food. Sometimes Bow went to school on an empty stomach.