Blog

 

Thanks to you, we met our fundraising goal for food and medicine for the elephants for another month! Unlike many other businesses that had to close during the pandemic, we are still dedicated to providing the same level of care and attention to our elephants.

Sadly, 90% of the 30 elephant camps in our district closed, casting out the elephants and their mahouts over a year ago. But we are not simply a business! For us, the elephants are family. These incredible animals have rights, warm hearts and form strong connections among their group, just like humans. We are so grateful to everyone who sent in donations to support them, who shared our fundraiser or wrote that morale-boosting review. Thank you from the whole Chai Lai Orchid team.

Unfortunately, we are still not out of the woods yet! Thailand is currently experiencing a so-called third wave of COVID which continues to wreak havoc on the tourism and hospitality industries. Please continue to spread the word about our elephants and their need for food and care. If you would like to make a donation during this period, we would be extremely grateful. Other ways you can use your power to help

There is finally hope in sight! After being closed for over a year and a half, Thailand is set to reopen  July 1st.

Daughters Rising

Our family is growing! Our dorm, Baan Sukhito is now home to 14 primary school students who would not normally be able to access education. Due to the pandemic however, schools have been closed for several months so we have been keeping busy with activities that ensure the children stay happy, stimulated and continue to develop within a nurturing and healthy setting.

Over the summer we visited a monastery to learn about meditation, held an environmental activist camp for 30 indigenous students and started planting a garden. Schools are due to reopen next week and our students are excited to start the new term in a supportive, peaceful environment. For some, this means they will receive a new school uniforms, school bag, pencils and books for the first time!

At the moment, we cannot accept volunteers because of Thailand’s travel restrictions. However, if you can’t wait until the country is open and would like to get involved, you can still help the children online. Let us know if you are interested and we can match you up with a little brother or sister you can mentor and help learn English. Volunteering is unpaid but it is also one of the most rewarding experiences you can have! Speaking of volunteering…

Often people don’t realize that Daughter’s Rising serves boys as well as girls. As a feminist organization we are about equality and inclusion. Discrimination, extreme poverty and homelessness, the factors that allow trafficking to thrive, also affect boys. That’s why it is so important to adopt a holistic approach to tackling the complex issues facing our community. Nate is an artist who has been volunteering with us for the last two years.

Nate is from Thailand and was educated in Thailand and Canada. If you were to meet Nate on the street you would think he is cool, laid back and soft-spoken but he is the first to dance like a chicken or dress up as Santa Claus if it means delighting the kids and making everyone laugh. In addition to volunteering with Daughters Rising, for every hour he spends tattooing (he has a beautiful home-based tattoo studio in Mae Wang) Nate gives one hour back to volunteering in Karen villages. Another reason to get a tattoo on your next Chiang Mai trip! Nate, we love you. Thank you for being a compassionate positive male role model for all the children.