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Name: Jiw Jiw

Role/Connection: Child at Home Hug

Country: Thailand

A Place to Belong: Jiw Jiw’s Story of Quiet Strength

Jiw Jiw arrived at Baan Home Hug when she was just seven years old, hand in hand with her older sister Jadi. Their parents had separated, and with their father no longer present, the girls were cared for by their grandmother, who was facing personal challenges, and their elderly great-grandmother, who also required support. Life was difficult, and resources were limited. From a young age, the girls carried more responsibility than most children should.

Their home was a run-down wooden house, worn by time and circumstances. There was little safety, little support—but when the doors of Home Hug opened, everything began to shift.
At first, it wasn’t easy. “I had a lot of new friends,” Jiw Jiw remembers, “but I still wanted to be with my mum.” It took time to settle. To feel safe. But slowly, she found her rhythm. The love came gently, steadily, through the daily routines, the shared meals, the support of the staff, and the watchful, unwavering care of Mae Thiew.

Today, Jiw Jiw is in Grade 10 and continuing her studies in Bangkok—something she never imagined possible. She helps look after the younger children and spends her spare time stringing beads, crafting small pieces of beauty while also building something bigger: her future.

“Family to me means a refuge when we are sad,” she says. “A warm place where someone always encourages us, where we’re understood—no matter what.” It’s a definition she’s come to know through experience, not words. Through being seen, loved, and supported—even when the world outside felt uncertain.

Her dream is to finish her studies and one day pursue business administration. But more than that, she hopes to keep growing, keep learning, and keep showing up for those who follow in her footsteps—just as others have done for her.

When asked what she would tell the world about Hands, her answer is simple and heartfelt: “Thank you so much.”
Because sometimes, the biggest impact comes not in grand gestures, but in quiet transformation. In the shift from surviving to belonging.
This is what your support makes possible.

This is what building bright futures looks like.

Come and celebrate the impact of 20 years of Hands Across the Water at our special anniversary events in Sydney and Bangkok in October and November.
Buy Tickets for the Night of Celebration