Empower, educate, and protect young Thai mothers

Recently, a student nicknamed Nueng (fake name) went to a local hospital in Ubon seeking help with an unexpected pregnancy. The social worker she met with told her about The Light Center, and she chose to receive support from our team instead of terminating her pregnancy. Her mother died when she was young, so she was raised by her grandmother. Now, her grandmother is in her late 80's, and she's been trying to finish her English degree while caring for her grandma. A neighbor agreed to help with grandma while Nueng gave birth and finished her degree. She was planning to give her son up for adoption, but after caring for him for a few months, she changed her mind and decided to keep her son. She has one semester of college left until she graduates and is determined to both finish school and continue raising her son. Nueng recently went to a conference with us and met a woman in our foundation network with a very similar story to hers. The woman shared her sabout growing up in a broken home and having her own unexpected pregnancy. By the time they finished talking, they were both in tears, and Nueng came home excited about the new friendship and a determination to succeed. Like other student mothers in the past, The Light Center will continue to walk with her on her education and motherhood journey.