Thailand
- 115 sponsorship programmes
- 2,400 sponsored children
- 92 local volunteers
- 11 overseas volunteers
Thailand is one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia. However, several ethnic minorities (Karen, Lahu, Lawa, Hmong), as well as rural areas (Isan), suffer from a lack of education and integration into Thai society.
The rural exodus to the capital, Bangkok, is also a problem. Many parents leave the countryside for a hypothetical job in the big cities, leaving their children with their grandparents.
Finally, the attraction of the country’s economic situation is generating strong immigration, amplified by the war raging in Myanmar. Many economic and political refugees are arriving in Thailand for uncertain periods of time, and the children have to continue their education in spite of everything.
- 69.9 million inhabitants, with 46.4% living in rural areas
- Official Language: Thai
- Currency: Thai Baht (£1= 46.15 Thai Baht)
- Literacy rate: 94%
- Ethnic groups: Thais 97.5 %, Burmese1.3%, the rest of the population is composed of various ethnic minorities (Karens, Môns, Khmers…)
- Main Religion: Buddhist 92.5 %
CHILDREN OF THE MEKONG’S ACTIVITY IN THAILAND
The aid provided in Thailand is mainly focused on:
- Supporting the schooling of children from minorities living in mountainous areas through schools for primary education, then boarding houses close to secondary schools in larger towns.
- Support for the schooling of refugee children in Thailand living in boarding houses dedicated to their situation away from their country of origin (mainly Burmese who have come to Thailand to seek shelter from the fighting).
- Support for very poor families, both economically and socially, mainly in Issan. Sponsoring a child provides economic support to the families and enables the sponsored children to attend state schools (transport, school supplies, etc.). Chil sponsorship also provides moral support for the sponsored children.
One-off projects (building and renovating schools) help to improve the environment and the living and learning conditions of the sponsored children.
The NGO also supports vulnerable populations, particularly in the slums of Bangkok.
Our current sponsorship programmes in Thailand
Children of the Mekong begins its work in Thailand with the opening of refugee camps for Laotians, Cambodians, and Vietnamese.
Soon after, it continued in Isan, the poorest region in the East, and the slums of Bangkok. Children of the Mekong is next called on to support the education of children of ethnic minority communities in the remote mountains near the Myanmar border.
1977
Following the devastating tsunami of December 2004, Children of the Mekong starts sponsorship programmes in the South of the country.
2004
Our news in Thailand
Ekkalak, a big brother to all
Children of the Mekong explores the experiences of Ekkalak, a young Thai who was invited to live amongst the city’s poor and destitute by […]
Meeting Hom, our sponsored child in Thailand!
Marine is sponsoring Janyawan (Hom), a little boy from Thailand. During her trip to Thailand, she visited him at his school…
Thailand: the Lost Children of the Golden Triangle
In the north of Thailand, trafficking activities have resurged and primarily target the most vulnerable individuals: unaccompanied refugee minors and street children.
The Challenges that Street Children in Thailand Face
Thailand has made impressive progress in improving the well-being of children over the past few decades. Despite this progress, there are still many challenges […]
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