Big Sister's House

They call her Ayui, "big sister." And that's just what Sumalee Milne tries to be for the 20 teens living in the hostel she started in Chang Rai, Thailand 4 years ago. The kids are all members of the Akha Hilltribe, an ethnic minority in Thailand often treated as second-class citizens or even not citizens at all in the country their people have lived in for centuries. They come to "big sister's house" from impoverished single-parent homes just needing a safe place to live, food to eat, and a little support to persevere through the language and economic barriers that make education such a challenge for them. 

This project is the first step of a new agricultural program planned for Baan Ayui (big sister's house.) As they see success raising and selling the chickens, TippingBucket plans to help Sumalee and the kids complete other projects: a fishpond, latrine and irrigation system that will help them become self-sustaining and grow the organization to help more at-risk Akha teens take pride in themselves and their unique heritage.

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