How A Social Business Is Empowering Women And Girls In Northern Thailand
Everything is so peaceful at Chai Lai Orchid in the north of Thailand. You see elephants being led by their keepers, the Mahouts — you see a parrot flying around and tourists taking pictures or enjoying the view. It is a small paradise that is located approximately one hour from Chiang Mai.
The reason for Chai Lai’s existence, however, is far removed from paradise. The resort operates as a social business, and by doing so, it tackles two of the region’s most pressing issues: Human trafficking and elephant tourism.
Alexa Pham, a woman from New York, founded the resort. A few years prior, she and her friend Hannah Herr rescued a girl from being sold by her parents and decided they had to do something about it. They launched Daughters Rising, an organization that aims to empower girls and women who are at risk of being trafficked.
I have the privilege to volunteer for Chai Lai Orchid and Daughters Rising, and after spending almost three weeks at the resort, I have to say that it is an honor to support these organizations in their causes.
In the following, I want to outline some of the issues that Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid address, starting with Human Trafficking.
The second part — which will be published in a separate article — will deal with the elephant situation in Northern Thailand. The third and final part will be an interview with Alexa Pham, founder of Chai Lai Orchid and co-founder of Daughters Rising.
Human Trafficking in Northern Thailand
In February of 2021, a coup d’etat took place in Myanmar, a country that borders Thailand to the west.
In the coup, the military took control of the country’s government and arrested democratically elected politicians. This sparked a wave of protests which were brutally shut down by the military, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and human rights abuses.
The conflict in Myanmar created a situation in which large numbers of refugees are fleeing into the neighboring countries Bangladesh and Thailand.
A group that is particularly affected by this conflict is the Karen community. The Karen people are an ethnic minority living in the southeastern region of Myanmar. Thousands of them have been forced to leave their homes and flee to neighboring countries.
In Thailand, these refugees often live in camps where they have to deal with difficult and precarious situations as Thailand has no legal framework for granting refugee status.
Therefore, refugees are unable to apply for work, have limited access to healthcare, and face detention and deportation. Human traffickers frequently try to take advantage of this situation: They target young girls and women and try to lure them into forced labor, sex work, or other forms of abuse.
Education, Training and Safe Space
In order to provide a solution to this problem, Hannah and Alexa decided to start Daughters Rising. Their strategy is based on three pillars: education, vocational training, and safe space.
Education significantly lowers the risk of trafficking by building awareness about the dangers and tactics of traffickers. Furthermore, it creates economic opportunities, which minimizes the appeal of risky offers that might lead to trafficking. Daughters Rising provides scholarships to talented girls who want to pursue degrees in higher education.
One of the girls that underwent the Daughters Rising scholarship program is Sandar Win. She is a refugee from Myanmar and came to Thailand at age 14, where she spent a significant amount of time in a refugee camp.
Sandar was lucky as she was able to attend school and later pursue a university degree in Bangladesh. Through a fellow student, she found out about Daughters Rising and came into contact with the organization.
Daughters Rising was able to provide Sandar with a scholarship, and after graduating, Sandar started to work as a program manager for the organization.
The second cornerstone is job training and employment. Similarly to education, it creates economic opportunities that help break poverty cycles thereby lowering the risk of trafficking. With the tourist resort Chai Lai Orchid at hand, this program focuses on hospitality.
Additionally, trainees are taught English language skills, financial literacy, and computer skills.
Finally, the organization provides a safe house for girls, the Ban Sukhito (“House of Kindness”). This space offers a natural environment for vulnerable girls where they can live and learn under safe conditions.
When I applied at Chai Lai Orchid, I was not sure what to expect and felt a bit intimidated as I had never worked on such a sensitive issue before.
However, the staff and the girls at Chai Lai Orchid welcomed me with open arms and made my start as a volunteers so easy. It is inspiring to see their positive attitude, although some of them had to encounter very difficult situations in their life.
My tasks include teaching English to the staff and organizing activities for the kids. Together with another volunteer from Germany — Sabine — I stay in a Karen owned home, where we enjoy delicious meals in the morning and evening.
Volunteering for Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid is a unique experience. These organizations were able to help so many people achieve a better life and I’m grateful to contribute a little to their benefit.
If you want to find out more about Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid or you‘re interested in volunteering for these organizations, make sure to visit their homepages: https://daughtersrising.org and https://chailaiorchid.com
Thank you for reading this article on the work of Daughters Rising and Chai Lai Orchid. The next part will deal with the issue of elephant tourism in Northern Thailand. If you enjoy my writing, please follow my profile on medium.
