Before the crisis:
Life has been difficult for Nit since her husband died 10 years ago. She is under-educated and, at 50, too old to start over with different work. But before the crisis she was guaranteed a daily wage of 300 baht (about $9) a day. She has also been the only caretaker of her 3-year-old grandson, whose mother became pregnant at a young age and left him with Nit soon after his birth.

How has life changed since then?
Over the last few months, business has been so slow that Nit’s employer cut her wage to just 200 baht a day (about $6). "It's hard living on 200 baht a day. I spend half of that on transportation because I live far away." She says she can’t afford to live near her workplace, and she is left with very little money for food and other necessities.

What’s most difficult about life during a financial crisis?
Providing and caring for her grandson as he grows older is a real challenge for Nit. She relies on the boy’s school and a kind neighbor to feed and watch the boy during the day and while she works late into the evening. She constantly worries about the boy’s increasing needs for attention and care.

How is she getting by?
Not easily. She tries to make extra money by doing house calls, but those calls have to be made either at 7 a.m.—to allow her to arrive at the spa on time, at 10 a.m.—or after she finishes her day job at 10 p.m.

What does she hope for the future?
Nit knows that her actions now will have an enormous impact on the boy and his future. If he does not get the education, care and good nutrition, it is most likely that he will stay in the circle of poverty his grandma has been in her whole life.

April 2009