Empower, educate, and protect young Thai mothers

The Light Center officially opened in Chiang Mai, and almost immediately, we began receiving cases from the government in Northern Thailand. What has been a long and sometimes slow journey of planning over the past few years is finally becoming a reality. We are thankful for the many of you who have participated through financial support. There are still some hurdles to clear, but it's a relief to be up and mostly running finally.

Recently, part of our Ubon team made the 17-hour bus journey north to help us get established. Thanks to last summer’s supply drives, we had nearly a quarter-ton of baby supplies to sort, organize, and prepare for distribution to the mothers we serve and for use in the home. 

We’ve interviewed seven potential staff members and have hired four so far. Bum has been focusing on training and intentionally building relationships in the community before we fully ramp up and begin taking additional cases. Attached are a few pictures from staff training, a visit to a local hospital, and life around the home.

A young mother at TLC named Jane (fake name) recently gave birth to a baby boy named Joe (fake name) 6 weeks early. He was only 3lbs, 4oz at birth and was initially fighting for his life in the NICU. At the time, Jane had already made the hard but brave decision to give her son up for adoption, but after caring for him and a commitment of support from family, she changed her mind! Joe was released from the hospital after nearly two months and went home to be raised by his mother and grandmother. We celebrate Jane and her decision to raise her son and will continue walking with this family.

A few years ago we began dreaming about opening a new home of The Light Center in Northern Thailand. It's been slow to come to fruition, but we are almost ready to open our doors. This week we had our first inspection by the regional orphanage at our future location. They have 41 cases that they need help with and were thrilled that we could start partnering with them soon. It’s been a long, slow journey planning this over the last few years, but we are not too many steps away from opening. Thank you to everyone who has donated to make this happen!