THAILAND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

There are three projects we're giving serious consideration towards as we move into our next steps. Here's the third one:

# 3: Community Development

The hill tribes of Thailand make up 2% of the population. These people have for generations lived and cultivated crops in the upland and highland areas, growing upland rice and other subsistence crops. However it is these areas where more and more land is being officially designated as forest reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Government policies are forcing many hill tribes to use alternative methods of farming and/or move to other designated areas that are not well suited for traditional agriculture. Because of these policies, lack of citizenship, and other external pressures, hill tribes often do not have the same opportunities as other Thai nationals, therefore making it difficult for hill tribes to alleviate themselves from poverty.

Many of these villages are without running water, sanitation, school, or medical clinics. It is estimated that Hill tribe families in the most marginalized areas in Thailand have an annual income as low as $80USD!

As a result of their extreme poverty and lack of citizenship, these people are often preyed upon by those who would purchase their children to supply the sex trade (usually resulting from a debt that cannot be paid). They are also enticed into growing opium for drug cartels/gangs as a way of surviving.


History Of Partnership
Since 1990 the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP) has assisted hill tribe people to cope with the many changes that have taken place in their livelihoods. This has predominantly been through small projects providing special assistance with the construction of drinking water and irrigation systems, delivery and management of tree crops for subsistence farming and income generation, fish farming, establishing a Fair-Trade International Coffee Cooperative, self-help groups, and assisting Lahu hostels in areas of capacity building and sustainability. To date, in addition to aiding minority groups in Thailand, ITDP is assisting other countries in the region. More than 250 villages and 6 tribal groups have received assistance from ITDP.

Beneficiaries
Hill Tribes: The term hill tribe designates ethnic minorities most of whom live in the remote upland and highland areas of the north and western part of the country. The hill tribes were traditional opium users, which aggravated the problem of their attachment to opium poppy cultivation. Even today the hill tribes still constitute a considerable part of the drug abuse population in Thailand, with an ever-increasing trend to turn to heroin and other drugs as opium becomes less and less available. Hill tribes want alternative ways of generating income and better opportunities to enter Thai society in a more sustainable way just as other Thais are able to achieve.

ITDP will assist villagers according to needs, not religion, gender, social status, or tribe. It is difficult to say which villages will be selected. Villagers that need assistance with activities will convey their request each year to the project management committee (PMC) of each project.

Key People
Leadership Profile
Mike and Becky Mann have been providing support to the hill tribe villages in Northern Thailand and surrounding regions since 1990. Mike is from America and is a global consultant for rural development. He serves as director of Integrated Tribal Development Program in Thailand, in addition to consulting around the world. Becky Mann helps tribal farmers and women's groups, and works with parents of special needs children. She also works with Integrated Tribal Development, helping to market Thai coffee. They have four children, Richard, Melanie, Ryan and Robert.


What We Like About The Partnership
ITDP wants to put Christian love into action and works very hard at trying to meet the needs of the disadvantaged/resource-poor in a holistic way. They provide this for everyone, regardless of their faith.

All the team that works alongside Mike and Becky Mann are all from the Hill Tribes themselves.

ITDP insist on local villages active participation in the project in a way that creates long-term ownership of the project and for the villages to be investing in their own futures.

As a church, we have a commitment for holistic community development. There is the possibility for short-term trips to assist in the water projects, building a school, running kids programs, and providing necessary medical attention. The exposure is a healthy part of our own discipleship.

The project brings the gospel together in word and action through both community development and the planting of a church in the village. It is a dynamic and effective model that fits with our local approach. Of the 5 different villages we visited, between 30-50% of the villages had converted from animism to Christianity within these past ten years.

There is the opportunity for the wider Mt Albert community to participate in community development. For instance, funding for the water projects could come from Christmas in Rocket Park with those who install the water supplies paying for their own trip.

The potential partnership

We want to work in a cluster of villages that are without running water, sanitation, school, or medical clinics. Over a five year period, we want to assist in a holistic way that involves several factors:

a. Provide Clean water, Sanitation and Training
There is a triangle of three basic aspects that lay a foundation for relationships to be built. This involves running clean water, sanitation and training. Each family in the village works alongside us in the establishment of these.

# clean water provided for each village in the cluster
We would fund-raise to provide for each village over the five years (likely through Christmas in Rocket Park). A short term trip can work with local villages to install the water (eg digging trenches, pouring concrete). Such projects would be led by experienced staff from ITDP (Inter-tribal development program) who have established over 250 water projects so far. The cost to supply clean water for a village of 60-300 people is $USD 5,500.

[# sanitation for villages/ cost per unit / short term trip to help
Similar to above, following the provision of clean water, we would provide sanitation in each village at a cost of $USD 4,400 per village.

[# training re water/sanitation]
ITDP provides training to maximize and extend the above. Training would continue over these five years.

b. Childrens’ Programs/ Medical Help

As well as hands on digging trenches/laying foundations etc (similar to our weekend of service), short-term trips can include:
- Children’s Bible Programs to begin getting the gospel out in word as well as action.
- Medical assistance to people that have no current medical help.

c. Build a school for up to grade 6.

The children in these villages have no formal education. We would like to see a school built that would enable students from the cluster of villages to study up to grade 6. This would involve laying a foundation for a school in our fourth year and seeking to provide assistance, where possible, in the operational cost of the school. The anticipated cost of the school building is USD $60,000.

In addition, we can also arrange child sponsorships through this new school or through Mo Ho Jo school (one of the schools at another village we saw that still have 30 children needing sponsorship).


d. Begin Micro-Enterprise Loans

Through providing loans for the villages to purchase coffee plants, they villages can begin producing a good income that returns back into the development of their own homes and village. This coffee is where we get our La Mai coffee from.

For something different at Christmas, birthdays, Mothers/Fathers Days, we could provide opportunity for people to buy shares in water wells, and coffee plants for these Hill-Tribe people.