What would you do if you lost three family members - two to HIV - and were diagnosed with intestinal cancer?

If you're 59-year-old Khun (a honorific title in Thai) Bampen, you set up a weaving centre using a 5,000 Baht (less than $150) grant from a local non-governmental organisation and persuade friends to join you.

Slight and soft-spoken, Khun Bampen says that having something to do lifted her out of depression. Since being diagnosed with cancer, she couldn't work in the sun. Weaving allows her to work in the shade, she says, adding that she used to weave as a youngster before becoming a farmer.

Located on the grounds of the modest wooden house she shares with her husband in the village of Bann Nam Rin, the centre has given her a new lease of life.

The four weavers work every day, from eight in the morning till five in the evening, producing simple yet attractive cotton shawls, tablecloths and fabrics.

"This way, we get some income to support my granddaughter and get to see each other," Khun Bampen says.

The finished products are transported to the house of 56-year-old Khun Sommai, a volunteer coordinator with the organisation that funded the centre and a passionate advocate for older people's welfare, who also designs the patterns for the fabric.

Baan Nam Rin lies in a valley about 90 minutes' drive from touristy Chiang Mai in Samoeng District, northern Thailand. Remote and rural, it boasts lush paddy fields, friendly people and a tranquil atmosphere.

Life is far from easy for the members of its 150 households. Most villagers are farmers and many supplement farming with odd jobs, including peeling garlic bulbs for two baht per kilogram, with an average villager peeling five kilograms a day.

But what is most striking about the place is how organised the villagers are in addressing the needs of the elderly.

It started with a small grant from Chiang Mai-based Foundation for Older Person's Development (FOPDEV) in 2000 as part of its 'Support a Grandparent Programme', which supports income-generation projects that encourage older people to remain active and benefit the wider community.

Eight years later, Khun Sommai's shop-house is a place where the elderly participate in income generating activities or receive goods and services.

During our visit, we were greeted by a group of smiling old ladies in one corner, a crowd of old gentlemen on the other and a gaggle of young girls at the back. It was a hive of activity.

The ladies were adding finishing touches to hand-woven textiles, tying loose threads into little knots. A sprightly 76-year-old, rolling the threads on her slim, weathered legs advised us, "This is a great way to remove leg hair. You should try it."

For the past three years, they have spent almost every morning here. With little to do at home, they say interacting with friends and being involved in a project keeps mind and body active.

The textiles are popular with government offices in Chiang Mai and passing intrepid travellers. Part of the proceeds goes to the weavers.

The men are here for a different reason. As beneficiaries of the fish rearing project, they are here for their first lot of fish, which they will eat or use for breeding.

The fish were bought with money raised from the sale of hens generated by another village project. A percentage of eggs go to the community fund while the rest are sold or eaten. After the hens stop giving eggs, they are sold.

But the men work too, like 70-year-old Khun Chuay who weaves fruits and vegetable bamboo baskets and 84-year-old Khun Thong, who makes bamboo traps for eels.

At the back of the house, girls are making stunningly life-like flowers from artificial clay. After learning the art from their grandparents, they're taking advantage of school holidays to produce their own creations.

Almost 20 older people are involved in the projects with close to 90 older people benefiting, making it a scheme run by the elderly for the elderly.

If I was impressed by how resourceful they all were, I was flabbergasted when I found out that they also raise cows, pigs and frogs. Future activities include making baskets from newspaper and herbal teas. I wish them all the best.

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