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What is the New Life Center ?
1. Background.
There are almost 1,000,000 tribal people in northern Thailand, and they live a precarious existence. Their native habitat -- the rolling hill country that spreads out north of the city of Chiang Mai -- is becoming less and less able to support their traditionally self-reliant agrarian lifestyle, because of tightening Thai government restrictions on the use of land and the cutting down of forests.
As the economic situation deteriorates in the hills, more and more tribal people are forced to go into the cities to work in order to feed and support their families. But they are ill-equipped for this kind of change: about 50% of them have received no formal education. Most don't speak Thai well or they don’t speak Thai at all, because their cultures are quite different from Thailand 's. And when young, vulnerable tribal women come to the cities, they are often victims of labor exploitation. (Labor exploitation includes, but is not limited to, abusive domestic labor situations, factories, fisheries, forced begging, arranged marriages, and/or the sex trade industry.)
2. An answer.
Out of concern for these women, American Baptist missionaries sought a way to make it possible for them to prepare for legitimate occupations by offering educational opportunities to those who had little or no previous formal schooling. With a small capital grant, the first residence of the New Life Center was opened on May 5, 1987, providing shelter to 18 women. Today, about 120 girls and young women (ranging in age from 13 to 24) are sheltered in the houses of the Center, which are located in the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. (For more on the Center's history, click here.)
Who lives there?
There are two categories of residents living at the Center:
1. At-risk cases.
Many young tribal girls and women are at risk of labor exploitation. Risk factors include:
- no education and inability to speak the Thai language;
- lack of full legal Thai citizenship;
- being an orphan;
- bearing economic responsibility for their family
About 60% of the girls at the New Life Center fall into this category.
2. Emergency cases.
Over the past fifteen years, 40% of NLC residents represent girls coming from emergency situations. These girls may be:
- victims of human trafficking and forced labor.
- victims of sexual abuse.
Prevention, rehabilitation and care for victims
The New Life Center started out as a program designed for prevention - to help prevent young women from being trapped in abusive labor situations. It soon became evident that the program also needed to provide protection and rehabilitation for young women who had already experienced labor exploitation (e.g., brothels, factories, abusive domestic situations). Working with other non-governmental organizations, the Royal Thai Government Department of Social Welfare and Human Security, and the Thai police, the Center has been able to assist a large number of girls each year who are leaving these types of situations.
Each girl who comes to live at the New Life Center receives individualized case management services. This includes psychological and medical care, art therapy, income generating activities, and counseling. When it’s appropriate, girls coming out of emergency circumstances may stay at the Center and enter the education and vocational programming. If the girl is a victim of human trafficking, the Center’s staff will assist in repatriating that girl to her home country (e.g., Burma , China) with the assistance of our NGO partners.
The New Life Center Foundation is a participating member of the "Chiang Mai Coordination Center for the Protection of Child and Women’s Rights" and the United Nations Inter-Agency Project to Combat Trafficking in the Mekong Sub region working group.
General Activities of the New Life Center
Most residents of the Center attend adult education classes at night. Those who achieve literacy in the Thai language at the 6th grade level are also sponsored to attend vocational schools during the day where they can prepare for a wide range of occupations.
Days are structured with homework, life skills training modules, art therapy, music lessons, dance, counseling, and income-generating handicraft activities. The latter includes sewing, pattern-drafting, embroidery and other traditional arts. Residents are also tutored in math, Thai, English, and literacy in their own tribal languages as appropriate.
The New Life Center sponsors several internal vocational training programs. Recently added modules include computer skills training and a professional baking module. Upon completion of the latter, residents may secure employment in a local bakery.
Full-time chaplains in both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai conduct Bible studies, supervise youth activities, and organize devotional times at the Center. They also offer discipleship training classes for those girls who are interested in becoming followers of Jesus Christ.
International Anti-Trafficking Campaigns
New Life Center staff and residents have created, led and implemented ground-breaking international campaigns about human trafficking and labor exploitation throughout the Mekong Sub region. Designed by tribal people for tribal people, these "macro prevention and education" campaigns (partly funded by the United Nations) have included:
- rural anti-trafficking/HIV-AIDS community education work (with UNICEF, 1994- 2002);
- soap opera radio project in minority languages (with UNESCO, 2003-2005);
- anti-trafficking/HIV-AIDS awareness projects in Yunnan, China and Lao PDR (with the UN-IAP, NCA/EDC, and UNESCO: 2004- 2005)
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