Empower, educate, and protect young Thai mothers

“Who do we call for help?” This is a frequent question during our 27 visits to rural hospitals this year. The purpose is to strengthen our healthcare network among the people who hear about unexpected pregnancies first and communicate the resources available to them. We do these visits with a government social worker and a leader of the provincial health services department. The young women who need the most help are usually referred to us by these hospitals.

Some staff aren’t aware of legal rights and resources as it relates to abuse and sexual exploitation. Thankfully our team is well versed on the proper steps to protect and support victims in a way that both honors them and increases the chances for justice. We’re working with another foundation in our network to set up training in our province to make those resources more widely known. 

Jan (fake name) was a pregnant 16-year-old when she met one of the social workers in our network at a hospital about 2 hours from us. Despite the advice of people around her saying she needed to get an illegal abortion immediately, she bravely chose to carry her baby to full term and came to stay at TLC during her pregnancy. Our team worked with teachers in her high school to mail homework and tests back and forth so that she wouldn't get behind in school. She was still wrapping up her semester tests on her due date. Jan was planning to give her baby up for adoption, but after giving birth, she decided she wanted to keep her daughter! Thankfully her aunt is willing to step in and help with childcare during the day so that she can continue going to school. Thank you for helping us protect lives and support families like Jan and her daughter.