One morning in mid-May, Lek Thongsuk unfolded the plastic bag where she keeps all the family's money and counted 524 baht. She knew, without much calculation, that it would last a day, maybe two. Her son was out driving a city garbage truck, the family's primary source of income.
When her son is working, the 60-year-old grandmother acts as the head of the household for the seven left at home. Her daughter-in-law, who lost the ability to walk after suffering a stroke nearly three years ago, is able to sit up and gesture for water or food, but unable to rise.
Five grandchildren, ranging from a teenager to a toddler not yet three, depend on Lek for every meal. "The money is never enough," she says.
