“Bie” Mali, mother of two children in Loei Province, candidly told us, “I used to be a drug addict and was even involved in selling drugs in exchange for a share of drugs to consume. Later, I was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for 2 years and 3 months. During my time in prison, not only did I have to comply with strict regulations, I was taught how to cook and bake so that I could build a career for myself after being released from prison. This totally changed me. I have become more disciplined, patient, and thoughtful.” Bie spoke in a firm voice and with a smile full of hope.
Kamlangjai (meaning encouragement): Because Bie was a good-class prisoner, after serving 1 year and 5 months of her sentence, she was selected to participate in the“Kamlangjai” project under the royal initiative of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha, which enabled her to acquire career knowledge (in accordance with the philosophy of sufficiency economy). In addition, she learned financial management from Ngern Tid Lor, which has been supporting the Kamlangjai project by creating sustainable knowledge opportunities for prisoners through financial literacy activities.
Bie returned home after she was released from the prison. With knowledge gained while in prison and encouragement and opportunity from those around her, Bie started to think and plan for her new life, having promised her husband that she would reform herself and never go back to taking drugs again. Shortly thereafter, she used a fund of 3,200 baht, which was the money she saved from doing errands while in prison, to start a business selling shredded pork and salad cream sandwiches, traditional coffee, and other beverages. Her sandwich is a recipe she learned while in prison; she improved it to add a delicious and unique taste. After discussing with her family, Bie began to create a plan for her own dream business, using the financial knowledge she has obtained from the Training Program taught by Ngern Tid Lor while in prison, such as cost and profit calculation and household accounting. She then used all her money to invest in bakery equipment.
Bie told us about her new start in life, “I received encouragement from my family members and an opportunity from the community to help me sell my sandwiches at local stores and patronize my shop. I thank my main customers: Sugar cane farmers who buy my sandwiches to eat while working in the fields. Thanks to them, my sandwiches have become popular and I receive a lot of orders every day.” Bie also plans to expand her business and tries to save money to buy a motorcycle trailer so that she can deliver more sandwiches to shops for sale.
Finally, Bie concluded with a short but sincere message to encourage other prisoners: “I hope prisoners don’t give up. Life after prison is still filled with second chances and opportunities to help you become a good member of society.”