Thai Child Development Foundation

Every child deserves a chance. Children who live in rural villages often do not have equal access to specialist healthcare or education. These are children who fall through the nets. TCDF supports these underserved children through customized care. We believe in nurturing, not displacing. Our children remain in their homes, surrounded by familiar faces while we enhance their environment. TCDF children can count on sustainable support. We support children for as long as needed, but never longer than needed. Our active mentor programs and methods that are designed around community engagement make sure that we empower these children.

We are rewriting predictable outcomes and creating futures.

When her family’s challenges became overwhelming in 2004, 2 year old Dau was placed one morning on the front steps of TCDF.
The undernourished Thai girl with decaying teeth was immediately given the medical attention, healthy nutrition plan and the financial support to soon enroll her in school with her peers.
Thanks to her Thai scholarship sponsor, and Dau’s own passionate commitment to her own education, she is finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Maritime Business this coming year.
Dau’s story personifies our belief that the steady, customized child support TCDF offers can rewrite seemingly predictable futures into lives of unlimited possibility.

Sail On to your bright future, Dau!

At the heart of our mission is the belief in changing lives one at a time through specialist healthcare. We understand that each child, like each health challenge, is unique. That's why our approach to care is as individual as the children we support. Our specialist healthcare includes crucial services like operations and physiotherapy, alongside in-home care and extensive village outreach services.

Take the story of young Sung, just 2 years old, battling leukemia. Generous donations to the healthcare program have made it possible for Sung to undergo a vital operation to widen a small, damaged vein and insert a permanent tube. This procedure significantly reduces the pain associated with his monthly intravenous injections, exemplifying the profound impact of specialist healthcare.

Currently, we are proud to have 68 children enrolled in our healthcare program, each receiving the life changing care they need. Unrestricted donations towards the TCDF medical care program enables our outreach workers to act immediately in life threatening situations.

When you grow up in a Thai government supported orphanage on Phuket Island, like Note, your 18th birthday marks the sudden end of your housing, healthcare and education. Orphans are then forced out into the world on their own, with no further guidance or resources to assist in the transition to independent living. Note was fortunate to receive a TCDF educational scholarship that is now paving his path to a viable, successful future: at 23 years old, Note is about to receive his Bachelor’s degree in Tourism.

The targeted educational support and personal guidance Note has been receiving makes it possible for an impoverished orphan to study hard to create a bright and sustainable future for themselves.. Our full and partial scholarships are literally a lifeline to poor teens forced to leave difficult home situations, orphanages or shelters. Targeted education is not only the bridge they need to keep moving ahead, it is a powerful tool that will forever change their lives, Our interventions are tailored to each child and situation, offering only as much, but no more than, is needed for each young adult to find and claim their future.

Local Thai village schools are mostly not equipped to handle students like Berlin, age 13, who has a learning disorder. Our Special Education Program provides a dedicated school where young people like Berlin will find a learning sanctuary tailored to their unique abilities. Our strong focus is to eventually reintegrate these children into their local village schools and home communities.

To achieve this, TCDF provides the essential daily school bus service to reach children in remote mountain villages, who would otherwise be isolated and alone at home, with no access to education to tap their potential. These children will not become the ones who earn a Bachelor’s degree but they are just as important to us.

Our program is proudly supporting the educational journey of 60 children like Berlin, each now on a pathway leading them eventually back, step by step, to productive lives back in their villages. For as long as it takes, TCDF will be there for them. Educational success has many faces. At TCDF, our tailored solutions will meet each child exactly where they are.

In the heart of rural Thailand, hidden in the rainforests of Ranong, a young boy named Nong Man faced challenges preventing him from attending his local village school. Diagnosed with autism, he struggled in the traditional educational environment. Recognizing his unique needs, TCDF welcomed Nong Man into our Special Needs Program, providing him the customized education and unwavering support for him to succeed.

Despite some initial setbacks, Nong Man's spirit remained bright. He harbored a deep-seated dream—to become a teacher himself, inspiring young minds just as TCDF's teachers had inspired him. As part of his education at TCDF, Nong Man received specialized training from his mentors, preparing him to assist in teaching the younger children at the foundation. This role not only nurtured his passion for education but also fostered a sense of responsibility and confidence in his own abilities.

In 2024, Nong Man was proudly accepted into the community college, on his pathway towards a teacher's degree. This milestone was made possible through the active support of TCDF's outreach workers, who tirelessly advocated for Nong Man's aptitudes and passion, ensuring he has continued access to the resources and guidance he will need to succeed. TCDF’s personalized care, educational opportunities, and community support has empowered Nong Man to pursue his dreams and be able to contribute positively to his community.

Nong Man's story is a testament to the transformative power of education and TCDF’s unwavering belief in every child's potential, regardless of challenge or circumstance. As he continues his journey towards becoming a teacher, Nong Man is a beacon of hope and inspiration for the possibility inherent in all of our children.

For years, young Iev roamed around her village, unable to attend school because of her differences. Neither her under-educated mother nor her village neighbors had ever heard of Down’s Syndrome. TCDF outreach workers spent a year convincing Ievs mother that there was hope, that Iev is special and that there is a safe place for her at TCDF.

As soon as Iev was enrolled in TCDF’s School for Special Needs Students, she blossomed. With a sense of purpose and commitment, it wasn’t long until Iev next joined the Vocational Training Program for young adults with a variety of special needs.

Today, when you meet Lev, age 23, at TCDF’s Campus, she will be making and selling teas, shampoos and soaps from our home grown herbs. Or you might find her roasting the organic coffee beans harvested from the coffee plants she and her friends planted 5 years ago.Iev is proudly receiving fair wages for her work and can stay at home where TCDF picks her up every day.

Iev’s no different than other children. Every child deserves a future, and no child gets there on their own. TCDF strives to give every rural child like Iev, the better life they deserve through our entrepreneurship and farm skills programs, currently serving 98 children.

Not always does a child need long term support. Sometimes it's a matter of one operation, a few months of physiotherapy and the child's life has been changed!

Sometimes we find a child in an emergency situation, one that can be fixed with swift action and sustainable solutions.

Our Emergency Support program offers rapid and essential aid to children and communities facing immediate crises.

A poignant example of our program's impact is the aid provided to Moken sea gypsy children. Stateless and confined to an island nearby, their only source of freshwater had been cut off. Thanks to unrestricted donations to the TCDF emergency fund, TCDF outreach workers were able to respond immediately, ensuring these children had access to clean, fresh water while in the meantime starting a project proposal for a long term, sustainable solution.

Key Focus Areas of Emergency Support:

Supplying emergency food, water, or medicine for children in dire need.
Offering prompt assistance during crisis situations without the need to apply for the funding first.
Immediate interventions in the communities in case of accidents including natural disasters such as floods and storms where children loose their homes.

This last year only TCDF's Emergency Support program has extended a lifeline to an extra 636 children, providing them with essential aid when they need it the most.

Thailand is indeed progressing rapidly, with notable advancements in its healthcare and education systems. However, this development often doesn't extend to those most in need, particularly children requiring special care in rural areas. These children, who fall through the cracks of the existing systems, desperately need a fair opportunity for change.

The World Bank highlights a stark reality: Thailand currently faces the highest income inequality in the East-Asia and Pacific region, with a staggering 79% of its impoverished population living in rural areas. This disparity underscores the critical need for support in these communities, where many children are left behind by mainstream systems.

Help us make a difference!
Your support can make a significant difference. By donating to the Thai Child Development Foundation, you are directly contributing to the health, education, and overall well-being of these underserved children. Every donation, big or small, brings us one step closer to creating a more equitable and supportive environment for these young lives.

Donate today!