When we met Nan and her family in 2017 the family was struggling; Father had just passed away and mother was alone with her three children and a disabled grandmother. Mother did her best to take care of the farm (or what was left of it, after her inlaws claimed a large part of it).  Nan was studying in year four of secondary school and dreaming of becoming a nurse.

Max became a Fund Isaan scholarship student in 2017 when he started his higher education in computer science at Rajamangla University. His parents are farmers. His mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing chemo therapy. Max was a good student, member of the students' council and football player in his free time.  Max dreamed of becoming a programmer.

We first met Bow back in 2017. Her mother was living in Bangkok and had mental health issues, unable to support her family. Her father had left his wife when Bow was 3 years old. Bow lived with her grandmother and an uncle, but the house they were living in had been seized by the bank. They had barely enough money to buy food. Sometimes Bow went to school on an empty stomach.

Air became a Fund Isaan scholarship student in 2018. It was foreseen that he would graduate in 2022  with a bachelor degree in Political Science from Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. But Air graduated one year earlier by taking and passing as many credits per academic session as his university allowed.

We met Jane in 2017. Her parents were selling frogs and vegetables on the market. The business was just enough to pay for their daily expenses. They never made a real profit.

If someone knows the impact of the corona pandemic it is Em. Em was a very good student at Prasat Witthayakarn School, where he graduated in March 2020. Eager to interact with foreigners Em decided to study Tourism Management at Mahasarakham University. At that time Tourism was one of the most important sources of income for the Thai Economy.