Win Win San, age 38, has spent half of her life in Thailand. When she was 19, she crossed the border into Thailand and found herself in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province. She spent the next seven years as a domestic worker, cleaning at a hotel and earning 1,000 baht per month, with food and accommodation provided by her employer. While the legal minimum wage in Chiang Rai is 315 baht per day, she should have been paid twice as much (even with accommodation and food provided). With her position at the hotel, she moved to Chiang Mai to become a nanny, earning a higher salary of 3,000 baht per month.

Today Win Win San works in a warehouse separating metal pieces. One of the reasons that she has stayed in Thailand for 19 years is that in all her jobs, she was able to earn enough money to send remittances back home to her family. Family is very important to Win Win San and she dreams about returning home one day with her husband and children.

Photo by Luke Duggleby