The slum community located behind Suksanaree School in Thonburi does not have an official name, and is usually referred to by the volunteers as "Saphan Phut" because it is located near a bridge of the same name. The volunteers first came to this community in 1988 by following families that they already knew from elsewhere. At that time, there were about 200 families living there. Many events, including the construction of a new road in 1992 and two fires between 1997 and 2000, led to the departure of a significant portion of the inhabitants. There are now about 80 families living in the Saphan Phut community, mostly in one-room dwellings of about 3 meters x 2 meters made from corrugated iron, bits of wood, and other scrap material. Their electricity comes from other more well-off families via a makeshift series of wires that run between their houses and water is obtained in a similar way, although when money is short, some families are forced to turn to the nearby Chao Phraya River for washing their clothes and bathing. People support themselves in a variety of ways : making and selling flower garlands, fishing in the Chao Phraya River, selling boiled peanuts, collecting and selling recycled materials such as plastic bottles and cardboard. A few families run small shops or restaurants in the community while others have more steady jobs such as driving a motorcycle taxi or washing dishes at the nearby school.

Many community members were only able to attend a few years of elementary school and cannot read and write well, and some not at all. They work hard and aspire for their children to have a better education than themselves, but there are many obstacles to be overcome, including the lack of official papers and the cost of school material. In certain families, the children have to help their parents work in order for the family to survive, and as a result go to school irregularly or not at all.

The people are squatting the land and therefore can never be sure about the future. In May 2003 a lawyer, a police officer, and some officials sent by the landlord came to measure the place. The families were informed that the landlord was going to sell the land and they would have to move out, but they didn’t say when. This was not the first time the families had received a threat of eviction, but this one seemed more serious than others and it worried them a lot because many of them, if evicted, would not have anywhere to go. Most of them have lived there for over 20 years and some even for 40 years. They have roots in this place and don’t want to leave ; all they ask for are better housing conditions. In January 2004, a landlord’s representative came again to tell the families the eviction was imminent. The parents asked if it could wait until the end of the school year in March and this compromise was accepted. In the meanwhile an NGO that grants scholarships to about thirty children in the community contacted CODI (Community Organization Development Institute) to discuss the possibility of starting a relocation plan with the families of the community, including a plan to set up a common fund that would allow families to buy a piece of land elsewhere.