His uncle died in the tsunami and his aunt remarried a man who wanted Sittirachot to quit school and start working, which he did not want to do. A teacher found him a place at the Baan Than Namchai Foundation so he could continue his studies.
The orphanage was created with the help of Australian and British volunteers for more than 30 children who lost their parents in the tsunami.
“It’s a place that has given me everything,” said Sittirachot, whose nickname is Game.
For the first two years after the tsunami, the children lived in a tent. Founding director Rotjana Phraesrithong subsequently raised money at home and abroad to construct a suitable building.
Sittirachot, who would have had few job prospects if he had left school, thrived in the orphanage.
With Phraesrithong’s support, he earned a law degree and then an MBA during the pandemic. He is currently studying digital marketing.
Although the tsunami took many things from him, “it also gave me good things in life,” Sittirachot said.
Sittirachot became director of the orphanage after Phraesrithong died of cancer in 2017.