J1089N Newlife Thailand Mission

The Situation

In Thailand there is a need to educate young women, in order to prevent them becoming victims to slavery and trafficking, Girls are often given “jobs” in the city, to help pay family debts after e.g. the failure of a rice crop. In the district of Ban Mai Phatana, the children and their families are mostly from the Karen Hill Tribe. Some were originally refugees from Myanmar. They were pushed to the Eastern edge of the country and then fled across the border to settle in the mountainous regions of northern Thailand and became Thai citizens. Some had lived in Thailand for many generations but had gradually been pushed into the mountainous districts from the cities of northern Thailand. All remained extremely poor, living mostly in remote areas, with little access to health care or education. 

The Objectives 

1. The development need in this community is primarily for the education of disadvantaged Karen tribal children. Education allows for the children to develop skills, including language, trade and professional skills, to eventually take their place in Thai society. It is predicted that many will return to their villages as health workers, teachers, business-owners and agricultural workers; however, even if they do not return, the hope is that they will support their families with their earnings.
2. Education is seen as the first step to gradually lifting the whole community out of poverty, from subsistence-style living to a more developed economy. After 30+ years, there is no observable evidence of young women or girls being sold to pay for family debt, as there was at the beginning. 
3. Other by-products of educational opportunities for the Karen children include the development of extra schools and health care facilities as well as better water management and agricultural practices. This happens as students return to their home villages and communities after finishing tertiary studies.