By Chris Morgan | Resource Mobilization Manager
The Freedom Story’s Education Program is a cornerstone of our mission, providing underprivileged students a pathway out of vulnerability. In a study of commercially sexually exploited children in the northern region of Chiang Rai, researcher Simon Baker writes, “The best data indicating the number of children at risk of being victims of child prostitution are education enrollment figures. Education is a surrogate measure for both child labor and child prostitution.”
For our scholarship students, 26% of their parents have no education at all. And 48% of our scholarship students' parents only accessed elementary school education. This generational cycle of low levels of education leaves our students especially vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
Overall, the children in Northern Thailand are vulnerable, as 26.4% of students leave school by the age of 15. We work to address this issue by providing scholarships in order for our children to stay in school, in addition to the educational support, mentorship, and child development activities that help our students learn new skills and thrive in the academic environment. We have been successful in our program as, in comparison, the dropout rate for scholarship students of the same age in our program is only 4.9%.
Our scholarship graduates have demonstrated remarkable achievements across academic and extracurricular domains. These successes are not merely individual triumphs but represent a collective victory against vulnerability and exploitation. Through their dedication and hard work, they have exemplified the transformative power of education in fostering resilience and ambition. Their hard work has resulted in 34 of them graduating from various levels of education: 1 from their Bachelor’s degree, 10 from High School, 13 from Middle School, and 10 from Elementary School.
We at The Freedom Story believe it is important to celebrate the successes of our students! Annually, we host a joyous celebration to honor our graduates. This gathering not only commemorates their academic achievements but also underscores the power of education in fostering resilience and paving the way for a life of dignity and purpose.
We are so thankful to you, our loyal partners in our work to support these children and their families. Together, we are breaking the cycle of trafficking at the source.
In Hope,
The Freedom Story
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