This year has started out in a different, yet very good, direction. With the recent partnership with Labour Rights Protection Network (LPN) and Multi- stakeholder Initiative for Accountable Supply Chain of Thai Fisheries (MAST), Relentless is doing much more work in the area of labour exploitation and trafficking.
Essential Legal and Medical Practices!
I partnered with MAST on our joint project, “Essential Medical and Legal Practices in Addressing Human Trafficking” which is a workshop designed to equip medical, legal, and business professionals about human trafficking and how they can help to fight it. We presented our pilot in January and will be rolling it out to wider audiences throughout the year.
LPN is an organization that is working to prevent trafficking in Thailand’s huge fishing sector as well as care for those have been exploited/trafficked in the system. I get to train their staff and do clinical care for the beneficiaries.
A man with massive electrical burns
Training in Chiang Rai
Meanwhile I continue to partner with other organizations who are serving those exploited and trafficked for sex work. Our beneficiaries include youth, men, women, and transgender people. Some are exploited because they are poor, are the wrong gender, of the wrong ethnicity, or tricked and forced into doing sex work until they can pay back an enormous debt.
Quarter in Review:
11 different workshops provided to 15 different organizations.
72 patients treated
A man with a traumatic boat injury
Learning Centers
Kyle, the boy I introduced to you in a recent post, is doing well and he is such a dear kid. I got to travel with him on a recent LPN field trip to his hometown near the Cambodian border. We visited a couple of Learning Centers that serve as a remedial school/drop-in center for migrant children who otherwise have no place to go. Although it is Thai law that migrant children are allowed to attend Thai public school, the schools are often “full” or the parents can’t afford to send their children and sometimes just aren’t enforcing school attendance. Social workers are also involved with these families. These centers are providing a key service to help stop the cycle of exploitation and prevent trafficking.
Visiting Cambodian migrant workers on a field trip to a port near the Cambodian border
Continuing Education
In February, I was privileged to attend a 10-day continuing medical and dental education (CMDE) conference designed for health professionals working in faith-based cross-cultural non-profit organizations throughout the world. This is an important way for professionals like me to get credit towards my medical license as well as update knowledge and practice.
Coming up!
I will travel to the USA during April and May to participate in conferences as a speaker, raise funds, and seek professional development. I’ll be spending most of my time in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and possibly Ohio. Please contact me for more information or if you are interested in having me speak to your group.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Relentless is entirely 100% dependent on the generous donations of people like YOU!
Kyle wearing his brace for the doctor
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