The green hills and jungles of Mae Hong Son are beautiful and lush but they can also be incredibly difficult to travel around. Often remote villages are cut off from main roads due to rain and flooding, and the lack of good roads also impacts what vehicles can safely travel on them. Transportation is vital for the well-being and development of the Karen in Mae Hong Son. Without any government public transportation available, people rely on community buses that run at set times but are not able to travel everywhere, mopeds and if they are able, their own cars.
KHT’s work provides vital infrastructure and this means our teams live and work with the villagers to construct and ensure these systems are working. Tanks, cement, pipes and other materials must be taken to these remote locations and we often have to do this before the Monsoon season starts to avoid roads being inaccessible.
KHT’s team are reliant on our 4×4 trucks that can manage these difficult journeys and ensure we get materials and equipment to villages to build our WASH and FRIS Systems. KHT’s bus routes are only possible with specially accommodated trucks that can manage the arduous roads safely with children on board.
Over the years, KHT has transformed the health and well-being of people through installing
over 200 water systems and building or repairing 3,150 latrines. We have secured agriculture as a sustainable livelihood for farmers through the construction of 100 flood-resistant irrigation
systems; and increased accessed to education for children through school transportation.
The above map shows some the furthest villages we have worked in (100km-200km) and whilst on regular roads the driving times may be between 2-4 hours, in Mae Hong Son, this can often mean up to 6 hours over bumpy roads, high up on the hills or through flooded areas. These journeys are not for the faint hearted and we are always impressed by the ability of our team and our bus drivers to safely navigate the roads!
About 64% of the population live below the global poverty in Mae Hong Son and there are many more villages that need our help. Our staff and our vehicles are vital to this. In many ways, our vehicles are the most important resource we have!
You can help us reach more people by donating to our projects today!