The Chai Lai Orchid is more than an elephant rescue– Our charity combats exploitation and trafficking by empowering our sisters to rise above poverty and help uplift their communities. Through providing a safe home, education, and employment, we help marginalized women have oppertunities instead of oppression.

In the context of unethical tourism, we strive to be different: By prioritizing social transformation over profit, we believe we can protect the environment, our community, and  elephants.

Human trafficking happens everywhere, but it doesn’t victimize communities indiscriminately. Indigenous women and girls around the world experience the highest rates of physical violence, sex trafficking, and exploitation. The marginalization of indigenous populations is due in large to the legacy of colonization, which persists in the forms of racial discrimination, and poverty, and lack of rights. These are all factors which allow trafficking to thrive.