Saraburi, Thailand
Saraburi, a province located in central Thailand, is one of the country’s cultural hubs. Like many areas that attract heavy tourism traffic, Saraburi serves as a destination for traffickers. Young people who are about to outgrow children’s homes, boarding schools, and orphanages are particularly vulnerable. Most of these children have likely not had a proper education or the financial resources to pursue certification in an income-producing profession. With very few options, young people leaving these homes often fall prey to trafficking rings.
For the past two years, Peacework Safe Girls Campaign has partnered with students from Asia Pacific International University to create a financial independence curriculum that can be shared with vulnerable young people in Thailand. We believe that one of the best strategies in facilitating change is bringing together local partners to work us to share basic financial skills to young people leaving their institutions. This kind of collaboration enhances resources, broadens the experience of the participants, bridges cultures, and tailors the financial workshops and mentoring to the local community and culture.
Our Partner
Asia Pacific is a small university located in the foothills of Thailand east of Saraburi. The university is affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist denomination of the Christian faith, but 60% of the 1200 students at Asia Pacific are Buddhist. Our contact at the university is Ryan Keough, Vice President of the University for Advancement. Ryan is from the United States but he and his family live in Thailand during the school year.
We are currently looking for volunteers to send a team to Saraburi in the summer of 2019. This service trip would include co-designing a curriculum for children aging out of orphanages in Thailand with students from Asia Pacific International University and presenting the program to young women leaving the orphanage in Saraburi. The curriculum created should teach foundational life skills and financial skills to young people for the purpose of self-determination and self-reliance and establish the foundations of a model support program for young people that can be replicated anywhere around the world. Asia Pacific will provide housing and transportation.
In addition to the financial literacy and self-determination project, volunteers can spend time in Bangkok or traveling in the region. These day trips can include the Buddhist temples throughout the city or boat rides along the Chao Phraya River.