Education is Key

Many Thai parents, especially those from the Hill Tribes, have very little education, and often they cannot even read or write. This causes a cycle of poverty where the parents have little to no income, and they cannot afford to send their kids to school. This also creates a very vulnerable situation for the young children, where the parents are tempted to traffic them for income.

Recently, we all have felt the effects of COVID-19 and the social distancing that it brought on. Unfortunately, this has also greatly affected the Thai school system. Our Department of Education has decided to require all elementary-aged school children to begin taking all classes online. This makes it extremely difficult for the poorer Thai families to continue their education since they have very limited access to the internet.

GROW is working hard to make sure that all our kids are able to access their online classes. For these kids, who come from impoverished and vulnerable situations, their education represents a way out of their family’s hopeless cycles. Even though the pandemic has created many negative ripple effects here in Thailand, we continue harder than ever to ensure that, by God’s grace, the children’s futures remain as bright as ever. Our work here is more important than ever. Your support remains critical to our success.

Faa Sumitra
Country Director, Thailand