Thanou is a software developer, with a strong interest in helping to create small, well-designed, environmentally "healthy" homes. He has recently been inspired by Christopher Alexander's work, which focuses on the "essence of quality" in buildings and other things made by people. He is currently trying out his theories on his new house. He created JDCF's website, manages logistics, and makes sure all of the projects are as environmentally healthy and sustainable as possible.

Thanou was inspired to help children and give them better opportunities in life because of his own experiences as a child. Thanou and his family (mother, uncle, three brothers and two sisters) left Laos and came to Canada as refugees when he was six (with only $20). He still remembers what it was like to live in the refugee camps in Thailand, where his bed was a wooden crate surrounded by mud. His mother raised six children on her own in Canada with the help of an uncle.