Sombat Laoyeepa: A Change Agent in Thailand

Sombat Laoyeepa has been living in Sam Muen village ever since he could remember. He is now 38 and married with one daughter and three sons. Since October 2009 Heifer International Thailand, in coordination with Give Happiness Coordination Center, has been working in Sombat’s village. Sombat became a member of one of the Self-Help Groups Heifer organizes to provide support to project participants and was elected as the chairperson.

“This project is different than all the other projects that have come and gone in this village,” Sombat reflected. “It is not just about receiving the animals, it is also about the Cornerstones. At first we were all confused as to why we had to put in so much time for meetings and trainings. Everyone would rather be working to make a living.”

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After Sombat visited a strong Self-Help Group from another Heifer project, he understood that the ultimate goal of the project is to establish a cohesive group, and that livestock is but an entry point to holistic development that the group would lead. “If the group is strong, we will keep on working together even after the project's end,” said Sombat. He added “Heifer is not the protagonist here, but all of us have to help one another.”

The group has been working together for six months. Sombat thinks, “The group members are changing. We are participating more in group activities and have become more responsible. Before this project, no one really paid attention to what the other people were doing. Now we discuss our problems and help each other solve them.” During a savings management training, an issue was raised whether or not to penalize a member who fails to deposit their monthly group savings account. Sombat proposed that there should not be any penalty and that the group should start their savings activity with trust and commitment. Everyone agreed.

When asked about the Cornerstones, Sombat said, “I used to only think negatively, now I am trying to be more positive.” He seems proud to recount how he is helping his wife with household chores, explaining that traditionally, men who did “women’s work” were going against tradition. He said, “Now we are living in a modern time. I want to start a small revolution beginning with myself and by being an example for others.” Also on the Training and Education Cornerstone, Sombat said he has been convincing more people to participate in visits to other villages where Heifer works so that they could see for themselves what the group can become, just like what he experienced when he visited a strong Self-Help Group, which changed the way he understands this project.

After attending technical training sessions, Sombat has applied much of what he learned to improve his life and his family. “Before, everyone just let the animals roam around and we fed them with whatever we could find. We did not even treat the animals with medicines when they were sick. But when we received the livestock management training, we were shown three different ways to build animal shelters. We also learned about making feed [from local materials], using Effective Microorganism (EM) and even how to manage the odor. The sow from this project is a much better breed than what we had. Before we were getting less than five piglets per litter, but we are expecting around 12 with Meisan breeder sows.”

Sombat’s efforts to be a good example to others, to persuade group members to attend training and exposure visits and to promote mutual trust are appreciated by the group members and project staff.