Some of you may have noticed that around February or March every year the social media accounts of people living in Northern Thailand begin to focus on “smokey season.” Chiang Mai has recently taken the top spot of having the worst air quality in the world during this season. Typical surgical masks do not help, as the small particles PM2.5 go right through the masks. This year, we decided to do something about it by producing our own masks with PM2.5 filters inside them and distributing them throughout Chiang Mai.
Our team distributed the face masks throughout the local community: in our neighborhoods, in the nearby schools, and at the markets… all the while explaining about how to use the masks and sharing the love of Jesus. As a bonus, artisans who needed the work were also able to earn some income by producing masks!
Pastor Niran shares the positive aspects this program has had on relationships in the community:
“Distributing masks over the past few months has been a great opportunity to build relationships with the community and other organizations. We passed out the masks when pollution numbers were very high in Chiang Mai. This gave us the opportunity to educate people in 2 public health areas: pollution with PM 2.5 particles and COVID-19.We gave out masks in schools, where the administration allowed us to share the Gospel and the love of God through Jesus with the teachers and students. We also taught them the method for wearing masks and reusing them, and sent a list of best practices home with the students to their parents.This project was a great way to show and share God’s love as well as the message of God’s word in the mask envelope that the recipients were able to read. Many people commented on the quality of the mask materials and how they would be able to reuse these masks since they are washable.”
