Hi Friends,
This year continues to fly. We celebrated the Thai Water Festival in mid-April and it was so fun to see the country be able to celebrate again, after the annual holiday was discouraged for the last three years. Sadly, another round of covid hit a few of our students and staff and seems to be going around Thailand again. Thankfully, there’s no strict restrictions being discussed and our people are recovering pretty well.
Recovery
In February, we accepted a new student, named Tanasak. The surprising thing is this student is in their mid-fifties and never had the opportunity to finish elementary school even. Another non-profit contacted us about Tanasak, who is transgender, and was desperate to leave the bars. (The bars are still re-opening and pushing out the older workers, wanting younger and younger sex workers). Tanasak has been in the bars almost thirty years and is caring for an elderly mom at home.
We interviewed Tanasak, and both parties agreed it was a good fit. It’s actually pretty adorable as the current students have taken in and welcomed this much older student like family. And, Tanasak is so excited to have a chance to learn English and brush up on writing in Thai as well. Even though Tanasak is Thai, due to lack of educational opportunities, Tanasak is behind but not scared in the least. Our oldest student has jumped in eagerly and loves to learn and participate. Please be in prayer for Tanasak’s learning, healing and future.
Meeting with UN Migraton
Recently, we had a meeting with a couple people from the United Nations International Organization for Migration. The purpose of the meeting was to inform us about a program that we can utilize called the Emergency Victim Assistance Fund (EVA). The EVA is funded by the United States Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The EVA gives urgent financial assistance to organizations in order to help meet short to medium-term needs of trafficking victims like food, medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance, travel assistance, and hygiene items. The project aims to contribute to survivors’ safety and even helps them reintegrate back into their communities.
They came to Thailand to meet in-person with many different NGOs and non-profits so that more people know about the EVA and utilize it. If we have a case that is very urgent, we can submit all the details to IOM Thailand and then they can provide the person with resources. This is great, as we are a small organization. Sometimes we have cases that need a resource we don’t have, so we have to contact a larger organization to help.
Job Training
Three students are still completing internships at cafes nearby Dton Naam. Their bosses at the other cafes can’t stop singing their praises. We miss having the students in the building with us every day but we know these are vital opportunities for their growth and next steps. Please pray for good full-time job opportunities for our students as well as for the time we have remaining with them before they begin working.
One of the cafes even has a Church gathering on Sunday evenings. The student who has been interning at that cafe has been joining the Church meeting as well and is really enjoying it.
Also, Celeste just finished a week long debrief in Colorado Springs and has about a month left of sabbatical in the US. Chompuu has been leading the team and done such a great job as Assistant Director. Please continue to pray for the remainder of Celeste’s sabbatical and a safe return to Thailand.