khlong toei slum

here, very close to the wealthy quarters of the city, live many of the poorest people of bangkok. many of them are either jobless or work in the lower class service sector without which bangkok would not run at all: cleaning personnel, house maids, street food vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers and security guards.

of course here too, many people try to improve their living conditions. so with the support of some aid organisations, several micro-enterprises have been founded here, which provide many people with a modest income.

khlong toei slum can be subdivided into three different areas. the "upper class slum" consists of bricked buildings that are connected to water supply and electricity - this area doesn't give the impression of being a slum area. most of the housings of the "middle class slum" are also connected to water and electricity, but these are mainly simple wooden or tin-made huts. at the northern edge of the slum, along the railway tracks, lies the "lower class slum", where the poorest of the poor live. these people do not have access to electricity or running water and they do not benefit from those positive developments that have happened in the slum area.