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Poverty in Thailand has drastically decreased over the past four decades. But pockets of poverty still exist—particularly along the borders and in the northeast, where many children lack citizenship and have gravely insufficient access to education and health care. Compassion’s holistic child development programs are designed to be adapted to suit the local context and needs. In Thailand, the current primary areas of focus for our church partners are:
Watch the latest video update below from our neighbours in Thailand to learn more.
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Thank you for praying for staff, children and families in Thailand.
The lockdown restrictions in Thailand to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have left many without a source of income. This has been the reality for Manah, the mother of a Compassion assisted child from a community on the outskirts of Mae Sot. Read more open_in_new
Please note: Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, some child development centres in Thailand may be temporarily unable to host large group activities. Our local church partners continue to meet the holistic needs of registered children through smaller group activities or home-based care.
Compassion’s program is contextualised across countries and communities, as well as age groups.
Compassion assisted children in Thailand typically attend program activities at their local child development centre on Saturdays and Sundays. Here is an example of what a typical program day looks like for children in Thailand.
8:00am - A time of prayer and devotion.
9:00am - Spiritual lessons, when children sing songs and learn Bible stories.
10:30am - Break time, when children can play in a safe environment and develop friendships. A nutritious snack is provided.
11:00am - Social-emotional lessons, covering topics from conflict resolution to developing healthy self-esteem and a godly character. Children often come from challenging home environments and are taught social and personal skills.
12:00pm - Lunch time, usually a meal of rice, vegetables and meat. Milk is provided for young children. Children who are malnourished receive additional food to take home each month, such as rice, eggs, canned fish and milk.
1:00pm - Health lessons, where children learn practical health and hygiene tips. An example topic is how to prevent malaria and HIV/AIDS transmission.
2:00pm - Letter writing and career planning. Older children work with local staff to identify their strengths and interests, and set goals for their future.
Children in Thailand also participate in extracurricular activities such as games and music, community sports days, as well as community service opportunities such as anti-drug campaigns. These activities are generally held during school holidays.
Every year, parents are offered parenting classes and meetings to inform them about what their children are learning at the child development centre. There are also special events such as Family Camp, Mother's Day and Father's Day. Many programs also offer income-generation training for parents.
of children under the age of 4 are underweight.
of people live below the poverty line
of households lack basic hygiene facilities
Thailand is known for its tropical beaches, beautiful palaces and historic ancient ruins. In local culture, family is the cornerstone of life, and it is quite common for elderly relatives to live together with younger family members.
The country was an absolute monarchy until 1932, when it became a constitutional monarchy. It’s the only country in southeast Asia that has never been colonised, but that doesn’t mean it has been free from political struggle. Indeed, Thailand has a long history of military coups; Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha himself seized power in a military coup that ousted Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.
In March 2019, the country's first election in five years resulted in no party winning a clear majority. Prime Minister Prayut remained in power despite the opposition winning the most seats in the lower house of Parliament, after the government-appointed upper house voted for him.
Despite deep political divisions, Thailand has experienced rapid social and economic development over the past four decades, changing from an agricultural-based to an industrial-based economy. However, inequalities in socio-economic welfare still remain, caused by disparities in the distribution of wealth, environmental degradation and the effects of urbanisation and COVID-19. The people groups living in the nation’s northern- and western-most regions are particularly affected, due to a combination of a lack of infrastructure and services and their status as ethnic minorities.
Up to half of these ethnic minority hill tribe members don’t have citizenship papers, meaning they cannot own land or travel freely between districts and have no access to social welfare services. This makes them vulnerable to a range of issues: poor healthcare and education, unemployment and economic poverty, even trafficking and threats of displacement. Yet, sans citizenship, they lack representation and face a long road to economic and social equality.
The local church continues to be critically important in caring for the people of these forgotten communities, especially the children.
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