A Visit to Thipp's Farm

On Sunday we visited the farm that Thipp spent much of her first six-years living on. One sister continues to live there, plus an assortment of other cousins. There wasn't a lot going on during our visit, but there were plenty of people for Thipp to visit with and a chance for her to reconnect with the land that she feels such a bond with.

Last year Thipp went into the goat business with her sister Tune. Thipp provided funds for the purchase of five goats and they agreed to split the profits 50/50. This is a classic example of micro-financing and it seems to be going well. There are now nine goats, including two that are pregnant. I'm pretty sure that Thipp doesn't expect or cares whether she ever sees any return on her part of the project. She's just happy to enable them to help themselves.

Thipp's sister also earns money by working in a restaurant in-town and collecting and recycling used water bottles. The rice that they grow on the farm is the foundation of their diet. It's a tough life and I'm sure that Thipp thinks about how this could have been her life as well.