Behind every entrepreneur you support is a whole team of dedicated people working to ensure your impact goes even further. One of those people is Sirichon, a Field Officer working for SED (Small Enterprise Development) in Northeast Thailand.
Field Officers like Sirichon are the heart of our local development partners. For SED, they are the ones turning financial support into real-life change, providing guidance, training, and encouragement to help their borrowers thrive.
In this short blog, we’re taking you behind the scenes to show what that work really looks like through a day in the life of someone helping to turn your support into lasting change.
How does SED achieve its mission?
SED works to empower rural women in Thailand by helping them form and run Village Banks (this represents 85% of their clients). These are small, community-led savings and loans groups that provide members with access to finance.
Once members have joined a Village Bank and have demonstrated they have the capacity to save money as well as repay a small loan acquired through the Village Bank, they can then apply for an individual loan from SED (which represents 15% of their clients). These are the loans supported through Lendwithcare.
Beyond loan support, SED also provides hands-on training in budgeting, record-keeping, group leadership and savings habits, all of which are essential to helping Village Banks run effectively and sustainably, and for those accessing individual loans to continue growing.
The end goal is simple; to help small business owners to help themselves by building self-sufficiency rather than dependency. This is what makes SED such a great Lendwithcare partner.
Meet Sirichon and the role she plays
Sirichon has been with SED for over 11 years. She joined the organisation because she wanted to work closely with rural communities and to support people in building better lives, not just financially, but in every aspect of their wellbeing.
When asked what she enjoys most about her role, Sirichon didn’t hesitate: “I really enjoy working with rural customers, the people are so nice, friendly and compassionate” explaining that “often when I visit a rural customer, they want to share things with me, even when they have little themselves. Sometimes they give me vegetables they’ve grown to thank SED for all the support we are giving them.”
Sirichon’s work isn’t always easy as it requires long travel hours and a deep understanding of both financial systems and community dynamics. However, it’s all worth it for her as she shares: “This job gives me purpose. Seeing our customers improve their lives and be able to rely on themselves makes me happy.”
What does a day in Sirichon’s life look like?
08:30 – Sirichon arrives at the SED head office to start her day. The first thing she does is check her field visit schedule, which outlines the Village Banks she’ll be visiting that day. In total, she has 19 Village Banks under her care, some with just 20 members and others with over 200! She then prepares all the necessary paperwork, including record books, repayment invoices, and loan application forms in case any members are ready to apply for a new loan.
09:30 – Once everything is in order, she sets off on her journey. Reaching rural communities in Northeast Thailand often means covering long distances, sometimes on challenging roads, but it’s a routine part of her work. Sirichon typically visits up to three Village Banks each day.
10:30 – 15:30 – At each Village Bank, Sirichon carries out a wide range of tasks. She begins by collecting loan repayments, ensuring all transactions are recorded accurately. But her role goes far beyond collections as she also trains new members on how the Village Bank works, walks groups through the Village Bank constitution, and provides ongoing education in financial literacy and record-keeping. If any members are considering a new loan, she’ll walk them through the initial steps and offer advice based on their business plans. While she usually spends about an hour with each group, visits can take longer depending on the situation.
15:30 – 16:00 – After completing her field visits, Sirichon returns to the office. There, she hands over the day’s receipts and repayments to the admin team, who double-check that all records and figures match.
16:00 – 17:00 – With the admin work underway, Sirichon updates the official field visit record book, detailing all the activities she carried out that day. If any loan applications were initiated during her visits, she finalises the required paperwork and submits it to her team leader for the next stage of approval. Her workday typically ends around 5pm, when she heads home to her husband and 14-year-old daughter.
Without Field Officers like Sirichon, Lendwithcare would not be able to facilitate your generous loan support in Thailand. We appreciate all of the work put in by our local partner staff, and thank them for their dedication to improving people’s lives.