BK: What brought you to Bangkok?
Michael: My daughter was going to live here with her grandparents, so I came here to be near her and ended up finding work as a teacher.

BK: What does HOPE do?
Michael: HOPE Worldwide (Thailand) (www.HOPEwwthailand.org) runs programs at Nontapum Home for disabled orphans and girls rescued from trafficking, teaching them basic computer skills. It’s not much. They basically have nothing and they are trying to do great things, so I wanted to help them get more funds and sponsors.

BK: What gave you the idea for the Walk of Hope?
Michael: The idea behind the walk was simply to promote awareness of HOPE’s projects, raise funds and get some sponsors. The walk from Bangkok to Chang Mai is 730kms long. It was my first time, and I had no idea what I was doing.

BK: How many kilometers did you walk a day?
Michael: Only about 30 because we set up stands and reached out to the local community to teach them about what we are doing along the way. People have been amazing; 90% of the time we stayed for free at schools, temples, and even some resorts.

BK: What is your source of inspiration?
Michael: I read this quote every day of my walk: “When you seek happiness for yourself it will always elude you; when you seek happiness for others you will find it for yourself.”

BK: Did you succeed?
TK: Yes. We’ve not only made lots of people aware of HOPE, we even got quite a few big-name sponsors, like Adidas, Air Asia and Toyota on board.

BK: Do you plan to do this again?
TK: No, my knees are not very good, and I may even need surgery on them. I still want to help, but I need to find other ways to do it, so I am always thinking of other projects.

BK: How can others help?
TK: I think you know yourself when or how you can help. There comes a time when you think, “I can help, I should be doing this,” and as soon as you have this feeling, act on it. Don’t think, don’t try, just do. Carissa Devine

Donations can be made to HOPE Worldwide (Thailand) via Kasikorn Bank, Rangnam Branch, Account no. 052-2-7800-2.