ANNUAL REPORT OF PROGRAM IMPACT January-December 2020
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NEW LIFE CENTER FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT OF PROGRAM IMPACT JANUARY-DECEMBER 2020
Human trafficking is a heinous crime happening all around us. The victims – 30% of which are children – are subject to forced labour, sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse. We must do more to bring criminals to justice, and help victims rebuild their lives.”
–António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations
United States Department of State. (2020, June). 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report - United States of America. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-TIP-Report-Complete-062420FINAL.pdf, p. 17
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FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Over the last year, the world has endured a health pandemic unlike anything we have seen before in our lifetimes. Together, we grieve the global loss of life and the economic devastation suffered by brothers and sisters around the world. Like many others, we were forced to limit the scope of our work due to financial restrictions and social distancing measures. Nevertheless, we remain determined to pursue our vision to create a society where ethnic tribal people are free from abuse and exploitation by strengthening communities and families. This work is needed now more than ever and we continue to press forward. In this report, you will find some of the highlights of 2020, made possible by our team of dedicated staff and supporting partners. Tiemchan “Bee” Kamonklapachon NLCF Program Director 5
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT In response to requests by community leaders, NLCF equipped local people to address human trafficking and promote human rights in their communities through: • 10 awareness-raising campaigns reaching over 1,000 people to promote anti-trafficking, internet safety, gender equality, domestic violence awareness, and survivor advocate interpreter training. • Conducting a collaborative baseline data survey in four rural communities to assess risk factors contributing to high rates of stress, debt, substance use disorder, family conflict, insufficient access to schooling, and underage pregnancy. • Participating in 32 networking activities, forming strategic alliances with various government and private sector agencies in order to strengthen fairness and impartiality with regard to anti-trafficking, human rights and citizenship. • Providing language interpretation for the Royal Thai Police, the Administrative Court, the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and other agencies on 36 occasions. 6
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SIEVERT LARSSON/ CREATE YOUR FUTURE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 214 individuals received scholarships for technical school, associate’s degrees, and university • 54 graduated from university and 5 graduated from associate’s programs • 78% of graduates are gainfully employed • One student completed nurse’s aide training, but was prohibited from doing her required internship due to the pandemic. She is expected to complete her internship and qualify for graduation by the end of 2021. • Every three months, the scholarship program coordinators followed up on the progress of each of the students to support their adjustment, provide reinforcement and help them address challenges.
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A SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTS SUSTAINABILITY *Pan grew up in a subsistence farming community on Meerai Mountain as the third of four children in a Hmong family. She lived in a school hostel and visited her parents on the weekends to help on the farm. When she was in the 10th grade, her father was arrested and imprisoned for several months for defaulting on a loan he had taken out to cover farm expenses and his children’s schooling. So Pan took out a loan to pay off her father’s debt so that he could be released from prison and the family worked hard on the farm to pay it off. When she graduated from high school, Pan passed the entrance exams for Chiang Mai Ram Nursing School, but could not cover her tuition. She switched from the 4-year nursing program to a shorter nurse’s aide program due to the urgent need to earn money to help support her family. She applied for and was awarded a New Life Center Foundation scholarship and graduated from her program within six months. Pan then landed gainful employment in Bangkok, working as a home healthcare aide for seniors. She is now able to support herself and send money home to help her family on Meerai Mountain. *Pan is a pseudonym
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LEGAL STATUS The NLCF partners with the Legal Status Network, a collaborative effort of 32 Thai governmental and private sector agencies that push for policy changes regarding trafficking and labor issues. During this period, the following New Life Center residents received legal status due to collaborative efforts with the Legal Status Network: • One resident was approved for full Thai citizenship and received her citizenship card • One resident received approval for Thai citizenship, but due to a technical glitch at the District Registration Office, her card has not been issued. An investigation is underway. • Three residents have submitted their paperwork to apply for Thai citizenship and are cooperating with government agencies. Formerly stateless people who are granted Thai citizenship have access to all opportunities and rights of citizenship under constitutional law. Other kinds of registration status do not grant such rights, but offer legal confirmation of the existence of the cardholder, offering hope that their legal status may improve in the future.
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“At the end of June 2020, there were 479,943 people registered by the Royal Thai Government as stateless.” UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency Thailand. (2021). Statelessness [Web page]. https://www.unhcr.org/th/en/statelessness
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PROTECTION • 39 tribal women and girls from 11 ethnic groups received residential services • 22 survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking and other forms of trauma received social and psychological rehabilitation • Four people received temporary emergency transitional care • Three students were reintegrated into the community after graduating from the M3 (9th grade). They are now living on their own and receiving scholarships to attend technical training programs. • Five students graduated from high school or a high-school equivalency program. Four have received NLCF scholarships to attend university, and one received a scholarship to pursue an associate’s degree. 14
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A VOICE RESTORED *May Lin was born to a young Lahu teen who was the victim of a forced marriage that dissolved soon after she was conceived. She never met her parents and was raised in a remote mountain village by her maternal grandmother. But when May Lin was 11, her mother remarried and asked May Lin to come live with them in the city. May Lin was happy to meet her mother and was enrolled in school. May Lin’s stepfather was a kind man, but he soon died unexpectedly.
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One month later, May Lin’s mother remarried, and May Lin and her mother moved in with her new husband. But May Lin’s second stepfather was unlike the first. He was controlling and had a fierce temper. May Lin was shocked when her mother and stepfather exposed themselves and had sex in front of her. Soon May Lin’s stepfather began boasting to villagers that he had taken both mother and daughter as his “wives”. When May Lin was 13 years old and in the 4th grade, she became pregnant by her stepfather. When she was five-months pregnant, her mother took her to a hospital where May Lin reported her abuse to a nurse. The hospital filed a report with the Children’s and Family Home and May Lin was taken into protective custody until she gave birth to a baby boy, who was put up for adoption. The Children’s and Family Home pressed charges and May Lin’s stepfather was convicted and imprisoned. When May Lin was referred to the NLCF at fourteen, she was suffering from traumarelated selective mutism. She lacked self-confidence, and felt emotionally confused. But she eventually began to interact with other residents. During a counseling session, she found her voice and began to speak. May Lin now feels safe at the NLCF and was enrolled in school. She is beginning to express hope about her future and is learning to access self-compassion. *May Lin is a pseudonym
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REHABILITATIVE ACTIVITIES • 10 residents received professional medical or dental care, as needed. • Residents received comprehensive educational, physical, emotional, and social assessments and rehabilitative plans as necessary. • 35 residents participated in individual and group counseling, handicrafts, therapeutic art, baking and exercise. Other therapeutic activities were temporarily suspended due to social distancing measures related to the pandemic. Participants learned the benefits of patience, persistence, concentration, teamwork, and problem solving. • One resident stated, “The more I practiced making handicrafts, the more my skills improved, which made me feel more confident. In the future, I will be glad I have this skill as way to earn supplementary income for my family.”
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LEARNING AND CONSULTATION CENTER The NLCF organized three trainings on the principles of personal financial management. A total of 83 participants attended and provided feedback that they had learned helpful and practical skills.
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EXPERIENCED ADVOCACY Wandee Chuenchooprai, an ethnic Pwo Karen tribal person, has served as the New Life Center’s senior social worker for fourteen years. She is responsible for case management, family assessment and counseling, citizenship advocacy, and management of residential services. Wandee is also the NLCF liaison with various government agencies including the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Legal Status Network, and the Chiang Mai Multi-Disciplinary Team. In 2020, she was selected as one of two NGO representatives to serve on Thailand’s Regional Anti-Trafficking in Persons Committee. Wandee stated, “I believe God chose me to dedicate myself to social work. I have a particular passion to empower and uplift organizations that serve survivors of trauma. I find my work deeply satisfying.” When asked how she became such an effective advocate, Wandee asserted, “The beneficiaries we serve at the NLCF have become my greatest teachers in my development as a social worker.” In her free time, Wandee derives special joy from spending time with her five grandchildren. 23
ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY • The NLCF has made great efforts to practice responsible management of all resources including personnel, property, finance, and positive relationships with our network. • The NLCF is committed to excellence in all aspects of organizational management including adherence to international accounting principles, undergoing a comprehensive annual audit by independent auditors, reporting to our foundation board, and regular monitoring and evaluation procedures. • All NLCF stakeholders influence the development of policies, procedures, and services at the NLCF by providing bi-annual consultative feedback and recommendations to senior staff. • The NLCF invests in staff capacity development through training and educational opportunities. In 2020, staff attended 20 different continuing education trainings.
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Total 2020 Budget of the NLCF US $285,000 14 % Administration 59 % Activities 27 % Residential Facilities
14% 27%
59%
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THANK YOU The NLCF would like to express our sincere gratitude to the individuals, churches, civil society groups, and organizations in our network that work with the NLCF to create a more fair society for minorities in the Mekong Sub-Region. We would like to express particular gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their faithful support: • American Baptist Churches, USA • The Bauer Family • Bellevue Heights Humanitarian Foundation • The Church of Christ in Thailand • Dr. Neil and Robyn Davies • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America • First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, CA • Green Light Service Group at NIST International School • Interact Asia • International Ministries, ABCUSA
• Lighthouse Foundation • Donna McDill • Operation Blessing International • The Royal Thai Government Ministry of Social Development and Human Security • The Royal Thai Police, Region 5 • Tim and Connie Sauer • Sievert Larsson/Create Your Future Scholarship Foundation This report was prepared collaboratively by all of the NLCF staff.
“I sought the Lord and He answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:4-5 26
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NEW LIFE CENTER FOUNDATION 226 M. 2 Sanphranet, Sansai, Chiang Mai 50210 Tel. 053-351312 Fax. 053-380871 E-mail: newlifecenterfoundation@gmail.com www.newlifecenterfoundation.org New Life Center Foundation Director: Ms. Tiemchan Kamonklapachon
This report was prepared with the assistance of all of the NLCF staff. Photo credits: Sarah Brown, Tiemchan Kamonklapachon, Bryon Lippincott (www.sharingdots.org), Kit Ripley, Pinit Tanomwarakul, Craig Thompson (www.discipledesign.com), Faye Wimonsuksuwan, Nara Yasaeduq Note: Some photos used in this report were taken prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic started, NLCF staff and residents have been observing all Thai government health recommendations including wearing masks and social distancing.