Pratthanadee Foundation

Pratthanadee is an award-winning charity providing life-changing training for underprivileged women and girls in Bangkok and the rural Isaan region of Thailand. The Foundation empowers under-educated women and girls to become confident, independent and ambitious individuals. Through training in crucial skills, such as negotiation, self-presentation, and goal-setting, women are equipped to access better job opportunities and higher salaries. They leave training with the lifelong tools they need to build a more positive life for themselves and their families. The women that Pratthanadee works with have often migrated from a poor rural area to the city, in order to find work and send money h... read more Pratthanadee is an award-winning charity providing life-changing training for underprivileged women and girls in Bangkok and the rural Isaan region of Thailand. The Foundation empowers under-educated women and girls to become confident, independent and ambitious individuals. Through training in crucial skills, such as negotiation, self-presentation, and goal-setting, women are equipped to access better job opportunities and higher salaries. They leave training with the lifelong tools they need to build a more positive life for themselves and their families. The women that Pratthanadee works with have often migrated from a poor rural area to the city, in order to find work and send money home to their families. Over half moved to Bangkok when they were under 18, often on their own. 34% reached only primary school and the remainder have high schooling only and no additional training. They have few marketable skills and little work experience. On arrival in Bangkok, they find their employment opportunities restricted to unskilled manufacturing and service-sector occupations, and the commercial sex sector is one of the few places where they can earn a good wage. As a result, they easily get stuck in a cycle of unstable, unregulated or low-paid work. These women face a high risk of violence and exploitation as they are: - Often isolated in Bangkok and cut off from their usual support network back home. - Financially dependent on a particular employer or a relationship, and therefore unwilling to question any behaviour that might result in losing money to send for their families. - Often working in high-risk jobs where they feel easily replaceable, such as domestic homes, massage and entertainment parlours, and factories. We aim to help two groups: 1) Uneducated women who are already in Bangkok, either looking for work or stuck in a cycle of low quality employment. 2) Teenage girls who are at risk of falling into the same trap. The underlying philosophy of our organization is best found in the words of Ruby Manikan, "If you educate a man you educate a person, but if you educate a woman you educate a family."