Online power for real-world changes
These communities are concerned with helping the disadvantaged
There is much more to Facebook than just a platform showing what people do, eat and where they travel. Facebook also serves as a community for creating positive social impact. Currently there are more than one million active Facebook groups created by Thais. Many of them aim to not only connect like-minded people but also create shared values online. Some of these communities include Help Us Read, run2gether and HandUp Network, all committed to making the world a better place.
HELP US READ
There are over 700,000 blind people in Thailand, and many of them lack support and communication tools. Help Us Read is a Facebook group connecting more than 11,000 volunteers with people who are visually impaired. Volunteers transcribe images (such as food items, academic papers, greeting cards) that are posted in the comments section by visually impaired members.
“Blind people use Facebook every day, for our communication. The Facebook app has a feature for the blind, and one can use them together with the voice function on their phones,” said Cholatip Yimyong, the page administrator of Help Us Read, founded four years ago by Cholatip and Natwut Amornvivat.
Using text-to-audio features on their mobile devices, the visually impaired are able to “read” content that helps them in their daily lives, said Cholatip, also the head administrator supporting electronic content services at the National Library for the Blind in Thailand.
“Facebook was with us from day one of Help Us Read to establish a sense of community and support for the blind people in Thailand, who often struggle to find the basic help they need each day. Today, our community of more than 11,000 people connects visually impaired members with volunteers willing to be their eyes. We rely on the tools available on Facebook to help visually impaired members ‘read’ content, such as food labels, books and even describe pictures or cards from their children. This helps bring real value and impact in their lives. We’re now excited to extend our community into other countries,” said Natwut.
Once the blind need help, they post on Facebook, then the Page volunteers can help them in real time.
Natwut also developed a mobile app that enables volunteers to create audiobooks for the visually impaired. The community members worked with students from Thammasat University to transcribe written exam papers into audio files for the many students at the school who are visually impaired.
The community also organises offline book-reading meetups, creates audiobooks for the blind, and hosts voice-coaching workshops.
This year, Read for the Blind is launching its first overseas app in Bhutan, with the help of Bhutanese communities, as well as public and private organisations.
RUN2GETHER
Run2gether was founded with a simple objective — to encourage people with disabilities to exercise, said Chatchai Aphibanpoonpon, run2gether group and page administrator, and founder of Klongdinsor, a social enterprise that works to improve the lives of those with disabilities. Klongdinsor designs tools and organises activities that help the disabled more easily integrate into society.
The programme opened for the visually impaired to run and is assisted by non-disabled who volunteer. At first, there were 12 people with disabilities and 12 volunteers, or guide runners, and now there are thousands of members.
“They run together and have a shared experience, become friends. The problem of people with disabilities might not be an issue for the general population, but when they have friends who are disabled, they become more concerned. The programme is good for both groups of people,” he said.
The group was getting larger, then they founded the platform on Facebook. Anyone available at the time someone posts on the page can run with a member, without having to wait for a running event. And now they have running groups in Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Bangkok, Chon Buri and Surat Thani.
Arnun Chantan suffered from a spinal infection at the age of nine, leaving his lower body paralysed. He has been an active member of the run2gether community since 2015.
Arnun enjoys racing and the feeling of freedom it gives him. He participates in community outings and actively promotes them among his physically challenged friends.
“I had no idea what a mini-marathon is. I just joined the event when someone told me about it. But at the first event, I was so impressed and inspired to go farther and harder. I want to win a trophy as proof that I will not stop and will keep on,” said Arnun. He has been training for the 42km marathon.
“My advice to people with disabilities is I want you to try to find an activity and we will discover our inspiration to live, so that we can live a better life in a better way.”
Health and wellness for people with disabilities is often overlooked in Thailand, due to social stigmas and lack of acceptance. Run2gether organises annual mini-marathons (2.5km, 5km and 10km) to promote inclusivity and equality of non-disabled and disabled people through running events, with practice runs every month. Facebook connects able-bodied community members with those with disabilities, and is a place that facilitates shared experiences and connections.
This month, Chatchai and Arnun are flying to Sofia, Bulgaria, to open the first overseas run2gether event and first run2gether overseas community page.
HANDUP NETWORK
With more than 5,000 members, HandUp Network is a community that connects social enterprises with skilled professionals to help them learn the skills they need to build sustainable organisations and drive their missions forward.
The page has helped save Fisherfolk, a small fisherman community in Samut Sakhon province from going out of business with its volunteer project. The community was struggling with the low sales as they strived to create an ecosystem in fisheries by not fishing in the spawning season which made their selling prices slightly higher than other shops.
With help from HandUp Network’s professional skilled volunteers who created a marketing campaign to raise the awareness of long-term impacts from the fishery ecosystem, they arranged a chef to cook Fisherfolk fish and posted photos of the nicely-presented food on social media, and contacted shops that might be interested in selling Fisherfolk products. The community turned the crisis into an opportunity and they’re now able to get back on their feet again.
Founded for three years, HandUp Network has so far helped 27 organisations.
Facebook is a place that facilitates shared experiences and connections