Inside Kaz Crossley’s incredible trip to Thailand, including fundraising and building a school

Kaz Crossley has so far helped build a school, home and gym for a group of children during her incredible trip to Thailand.

The 27-year-old Love Island star flew to Thailand’s Isaan just before the New Year to help out the community she found through a Muay Thai boxing club called Wor Watthana.

Kaz, who rose to fame on the ITV dating show in 2017, recently opened up about her involvement in the incredible project OK!: “I was in Thailand doing the two-week quarantine because that was the entry requirements at the time, and I had a really nice, huge villa that I was staying in.

“I was alone and I watched her [Instagram] Stories and I almost felt guilty that I was literally all to myself in this amazing villa with a huge pool watching these kids who literally had nothing. So I made the decision to visit her as soon as I was done with my quarantine.”

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Kaz has since documented her journey on Instagram, where she has shared snaps of her work with the kids as well as the spectacular house that was built.

The beautiful two-story home has six bedrooms and four bathrooms and a balcony.

Boom, the owner of Wor Watthana, initially set up a fundraiser for the home, but as the pandemic continued, donations were lacking.

Kaz teamed up with Boom and they soon surpassed the original £40,000 goal, raising a total of £85,000 for the project.

Speaking about the construction process, Kaz recounted OK!: “The workers worked so hard that they built small huts in the countryside next to the house, which they actually slept in. So the workers didn’t go home, they slept on the site. It was pretty amazing how much dedication and work it took.”

Kaz has also been busy raising further funds to help build visitor accommodation, with a goal of £25,000.

The star completed a 27K run on January 20, which was also her 27th birthday.

Kaz, along with the group of kids she works with, completed the grueling run and raised funds through the online website GoGetFunding.

On the GoGetFunding page, Kaz wrote: “The accommodation will consist of three furnished air-conditioned bungalows. You will be right next to the gym, house and school. This will be an enduring community, providing jobs for the children when they are older and also many generations later, forever!”

Kaz shared a series of snaps after completing the run in triumph, telling her followers: “We did it!!! I ran 17 miles with my babies on my 27th birthday.”

She then explained how she completed the run in three and a half hours, while Boom crossed the finish line in just two hours.

After the run, the group ate an array of junk food, including takeout pizzas and KFC chicken.

Kaz took to her Instagram Stories to share shots of everyone enjoying their lunch together, where she explained, “Ken is eating pizza for the first time. He is almost eleven years old. He said it was delicious.

“Even if the pizza is cold (nearest pizzeria is an hour away), the kids seem happy.”

The 27-year-old also posted a video of a giant bouncy castle and two giant trampolines installed outside for the kids to play after the 27K run.

Kaz wrote, “Because they deserve it!” before explaining that she “can’t even walk right now” so wouldn’t join in the fun on the trampolines.

Kaz has shared how the combination of her love of Muay Thai, her multicultural background and the fact that her own mother was raised in poverty inspired her to “give back to this community”.

The Love Island star said: “Honestly, I feel like these kids have helped me more than I’ve helped them. It’s crazy, they completely changed the way I look at life.

“You inspire me. If I feel like I’m fighting, all I have to do is think of her – that’s real fighting. They motivate me and just keep me going.”

She continued, “I love them so much and I can’t thank them enough because I owe them a lot.”

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