Crouching on the banks of the backwaters, Naree Mongkit removes shells, stones and all manner of rubbish caught up in her husband's fishing net. Diligently working through metres of the net, she idly chats to other women.

"There are less crabs now," she comments as conversation moves to the after effects of the tsunami almost 18 months ago, "and much more rubbish floating in the water."

"I used to make jewellery, with the other women, now I have to help my husband. Life is more difficult now."

Naree's story is little different from many of the other families living on Lao, a small Island in the Andaman Sea off the Southern coast of Thailand. Struggling harder than in the years before the tsunami, Naree is doing what she can to make ends met.

What sets her apart from the thousands of other affected families is that she is a Moken. A close-knitted fishing community of people often thought of as a nomadic community, unrecognised by State authorities.

Naree has been settled on Lao Island for over 10 years. Content with what little she has, she has no desire to move to the main land. "Life on the island is more lively, I am able to earn a living and I am free. We are not accepted over there" - Naree points in the direction of Ranong Province, the mainland.

Moken are often treated as second-class citizens for their beliefs in spirits and traditional modes of fishing, based on ocean tides and weather prediction.

Without a recognised identity the Moken, like other marginalised groups, are subjected to systemic inequality, discrimination and the denial of basic human rights, such as education and health care.

There are no health care facilities on Lao Island. Like all the other Moken families, the Mongkit family has to travel to Ranong for health care treatment and medication.

For those who cannot afford hospital bills or the fare to cross the river, treatable illness can result in death. Hospital fees can range in hundreds to thousands of Bhat - more money than a Moken can earn in a month.

In response, ActionAid has created a partnership with the local hospital in Ranong and government health authorities to set up a health fund whereby the Moken's on Lao Island can receive free health care, on producing their registration cards.

The partnership is in its final stages of completion, with ActionAid having distributed over 300 registration cards so far.

The cards have proved to have additional benefits. "With this card, I can prove that I am a Moken." When travelling to the mainland, the Moken are regularly stopped and harassed by local police, who mistakenly identify them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar. Thai is not the first language of the Moken, and many struggle to use it. Explaining to the police can be difficult.

Simultaneously, ActionAid continues to raise awareness of the unequal treatment of the Moken and advocates for a change in policy to grant Thai citizenship, - ensuring that families like Naree's will be granted the same rights as all other Thai's.