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KRABI, Thailand — Ali Gay, Bree Murrin and Bung Jedhun make quite the trio laying concrete blocks to form one wall of a chicken coop in Krabi, Thailand.
Murrin scoops a thick layer of mortar to cement the block while Gay strikes the excess. Jedhun leans in to make an adjustment to their work. A couple taps of his hammer and it's done to his satisfaction.
"Thanks," the teenagers tell Jedhun.
"Kob kun ka," he prompts them, motioning for them to repeat.
"Kob kun ka," they echo. Class is in session in both construction and Thai vocabulary this morning.
At first glance, the Utah teens and the Thai construction worker have nothing in common. There's a 30-year age gap. Jedhun manages a construction company while Gay and Murrin are high school students.
The young women wear heavy duty work gloves on their hands and sneakers on their feet. If Jedhun wears shoes at all while he's working, they're rubber flip flops bought for cheap at a local market.
But all three are giving more than a week of their time working to improve Ban Tham Thong Lang School where Jedhun's granddaughter goes to school.
The project is run by Utah-based non-profit group Youthlinc, of which Gay and Murrin are members.
Founded in 1999, Youthlinc's goal is to create lifetime humanitarians by getting them involved in the lives and needs of people worldwide. This is the second year the group has visited Ban Tham Thong Lang.
This year, 30 high school- and college-age volunteers and their adult mentors are shuttling from teaching English inside classrooms to assisting with dental exams to building a chicken coop and fish pond. The fish and fresh eggs will supplement student lunches, the excess will be sold to raise money for the school.
"It's very useful," says Dr. Maneerat Buntem, the director of the school. "Students in a small school have less opportunity than a big school."
Ban Tham Thong Lang receives 1,000 Thai Baht (approximately $32 USD,) per student per year from the Thai government, according to Dr. Buntem. It covers the basics for the student body of 54 but leaves no extra for school improvements or development.
To raise extra funds Buntem researches businesses and foundations online then cold calls them asking for donations of money or supplies. She asks local residents and relatives of students, like Bung Jedhun and his crew, who can't give money to instead give labor.
"It's a collaborative community," she explains. "I think we can make a good relationship for a long time."
The relationships between the Thais and Americans build easily. Kate Rieke, a junior at the University of Utah, leads students by the hand one at a time for their dental exams. When tears well in the eyes of a little boy receiving a fluoride treatment, Rieke is there to comfort him.
"It's OK, we're all done," she reassures him.
Rieke, like all Youthlinc volunteers, had the option to go to Cambodia, Kenya, Peru, Guatemala, or Thailand. She picked Thailand in memory of her friend Kali Breisch, who died in the 2004 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia. Breisch was vacationing with family in Khao Lak when the wave slammed ashore.
"It's nice to be here and see the things she was seeing," Rieke says.
All volunteers must perform 80 hours of service in the communities back in the U.S. before they can serve overseas. Choices among the Utahns ranged from places like The Christmas Box House to hospitals to schools.
University of Utah Senior Caleb Kuehl volunteered at Mountain View Elementary School exposing students to new career possibilities.
"It's about the same over there and over here," he says. "The kids are so fun and amazing. They want to be like you."
At the work site, Kuehl provides some of the major muscle, mixing cement as sweat drips from the bandana tied around his head. He stops to fill a bucket which in turn is handed off to Ali Gay and Bree Murrin, who've made strong progress on building one of the walls of the chicken coop. They've also turned the tables on Bung Jedhun and are teaching him English.
"He uses the last one when we overdo it," Murrin adds with a laugh.
Jedhun may not understand their words, but he's still in on the joke and he smiles. Later, when he takes a break from work, he explains through a translator that his granddaughter is 8 years old and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. This is his way of supporting her.
"I want her to succeed," he said. "I feel proud students from the U.S. flew all the way over to this little school."
Email: sdallof@ksl.com
