From innovating medical equipment to producing hygienic supplies, here are three examples of young leaders stepping up and taking action against the pandemic.
1. “Solo Sewing to a Team of 60”
Courtesy of / Thayakorn “Ken” Thongpan
Thayakorn “Ken” Thongpan, 18, a grade 12 student at Ruamrudee International School, founded 19 Hoods, a non-profit organization that sews and distributes protective medical headgear to hospitals across Thailand.
Coming from a family of doctors, Ken saw that medical workers had to endure uncomfortable and costly PPE suits. This observation inspired him to experiment with Spunbond cloth, a breathable fabric used to make disposable hygiene products and commonly found in disposable hospital gowns, diapers, and sanitary pads. Ken explains that one roll of spunbond cloth can make up to 300 hoods, making the unit manufacturing cost almost ten times cheaper than normal PPE suits.
Ken began the project by sewing 100 hoods by himself. Today, his hard work and resilience has enabled him to expand 19 Hoods from a one man show to a team of 60 volunteers. The 19Hoods team has donated over 11,000 hoods to 52 hospitals across 28 provinces in Thailand.
2. “Affordable, Bendable Beds”
Courtesy of / Pokkrit Jeerapat “Poon”
Pokkrit Jeerapat “Poon”, 16, a grade 11 student at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, founded Wiribed, a non-profit organization that manufactures and distributes affordable beds inspired by origami principles for field hospitals in Thailand.
Origami is commonly understood as the simple art of paper folding, but the principles of Origami don’t require any cutting, nailing, or gluing of the material used – lowering the cost of additional materials.
Poon reached out to professional designers with his prototypes to refine the feasibility of his design. His first bed prototype lacked stability, increasing the risk of patients falling. After several iterations, Poon finally found the ideal size for the bed’s legs to achieve balance. He then proposed his design to manufacturing giants including Happ, Tor Heng, L’Alliance, and DesignTwo – to fund and manufacture his Wiribeds.
With their help, Poon manufactured his beds at 1,550 baht per unit, 20 times cheaper than conventional hospital beds yet maintaining functionality. Wiribed has now donated 182 beds to field and public hospitals in Pathumthani, Kamphaengphet, Rayong, and Loei provinces.
Poon describes his motivations, his Wiribed patent, and future plans to scale in the second episode of The Unity podcast (@theunitypodcast).
3. “Covid Survivor Turned Volunteer”
Courtesy of / Shan Shan
Having recently recovered from Covid-19 herself, Shan Shan, a grade 12 Burmese student at Yangon International School, Myanmar, is motivated to protect others from contracting the virus.
Shan Shan’s condition inspired her to found CovidCare, a non-profit organization that produces and sells affordable face shields, hand sanitizers, and liquid soap, with 70 percent of the profits going towards Covid-19 relief.
To keep production costs low, she persuaded a plastic manufacturer to sell containers and moulds to her at a special price.
She explains that her most significant challenge was transporting supplies to Kachin State while her hometown Yangon was in lockdown, preventing her from visiting the donation site in-person.
The project was received with resounding success: CovidCare has donated face shields, winter clothes, and stationery to rural areas in Yangon and Kachin states; 500,000 kyats (10,000 baht) to Covid-19 vaccines; and 2,000,000 kyats (40,000 baht) for Covid-19 patient facilities at Yangon Hospital.
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As Thailand suffers through the pandemic — whether through a lack of hospital equipment or hygienic necessities — youths are taking the lead in providing aid to succour to the most vulnerable among us.
Contact Information :
Ken – IG: @19Hoods
Poon – IG: @Wiribed
Shan Shan – FB: Covid Care Myanmar
Additional Services for Covid Relief
FB: Covid Relief Bangkok
FB: Survive – สายไหมต้องรอด @saimaitongrod
FB: เส้นด้าย – zendai
—Editor-in-Chief Manyasiri Chotbunwong (Pear) can be reached at manyasiric23@rism.ac.th. Follow her on Instagram @peary.chot and Facebook Manyasiri Chotbunwong.
