Helping Single Thai Mothers Keep Their Babies

When Eileen* first came to us two years ago she was pregnant, scared and alone. She was young and uneducated and had no way of supporting herself or her unborn baby, so her goal was to give birth, then leave the baby in a government run orphanage and move to Bangkok to find a job. 

As Eileen lived in the community of the Home of the Swallow women and staff, she heard for the first time that God loves her and has a wonderful future and hope for her.  As the months progressed and she grew in her faith, Eileen also grew in practical parenting skills that she had never been taught or seen modeled. Slowly, she began to consider that perhaps she really could be a mother and raise her baby.

But her story, like so many of the women that come to HOS, has many twists and turns. As the time to give birth drew near, fear of being a single parent and the immense task of parenting overpowered Eileen and she decided to give the baby up to the children’s home. Then she changed her mind again. Over several months, Eileen changed her mind many times, but through it all, our HOS staff continued to love her, encourage her and support her however we could.

In the end, Eileen has decided to keep her daughter and has successfully transitioned back into the community! The power of the Gospel and the love of Christian community have made it possible for women like Eileen to break strongholds of fear and sin that have gripped them for a lifetime.

*Name changed to protect her identity.  

Prim is in first grade and attends the Home of the Swallow after school program.   Prim's mother, Da, has had a bad relationship with Prim for a long time now.  Da and her husband are divorced and now Da has a new boyfriend, but Prim's father, who has custody, doesn't want Da or the new boyfriend to be around his children.  The children live with their father, and for quite a while, Da hardly saw Prim, and they had a very shallow relationship.  In the past, when HOS staff would have Prim talk to her mother on the phone, Prim refused to talk to her mother. Even though Da isn't living at Home of the Swallow,  Home of the Swallow staff have been able to talk to both parents separately and encourage a relationship between both parents and Prim. When Prim didn't have the necessary school uniforms or lunch money, we were able to talk to both parents and work out solutions with some extended family members.  We have also been able to visit her and encourage her at her house.  Her relationship with her children has become much stronger.  We now see Da and Prim sitting together at church whereas before Prim refused to sit next to her mother.  We're very encouraged by the strong relationships that are forming right before our eyes!