Why Partner with KHT?
Approximately 64% of the Mae Hong Son Province live below the poverty line. Many of whom belong to marginalised ethnic minorities such as the Karen.
Karen communities are close-knit and often situated in the mountainous areas. As an agrarian society, the most common livelihood and source of income is subsistence farming, yet the harsh conditions of the province make it difficult for farmers to produce enough food to feed their families, let alone generate an income.
As one of the most socially deprived and discriminated groups in Thailand, the Karen have limited access to basic socio-economic services such as health and education and, on average, Karen households earn just £644 per year.
What do we do?
The Karen Hilltribes Trust (KHT) is a community-led organisation working with vulnerable Karen communities in remote Mae Hong Son Province. Our mission is to empower communities to improve their health, livelihoods and access to education. By taking a holistic approach to the complex socio-economic issues at hand, we aim to achieve sustainable change and empower Karen communities across the province to improve their own lives.
As a community-led organisation, KHT’s model starts and finishes with the Karen people of Northern Thailand. Our unique approach is based on the expressed needs of target communities and involves their local knowledge in all stages of our projects. This includes project design, implementation, maintenance and evaluation. Not only does this approach guarantee our projects have a positive impact in the community, it ensures community ownership and supports long-term sustainability. This creates impactful, cost-effective projects that promote sustainable outcomes for some of the poorest communities in Thailand.
Since 1986, KHT has provided over 55,000 people with clean drinking water and improved sanitation facilities, brought 2,000 acres of farmland back into production through the construction of flood-resistant irrigation systems, and increased accessed to education for over 17,000 children and young people through the provision of school meals, transport and accommodation, and higher education scholarships.
How can you help?
KHT’s aim is to provide a positive change to the lives of Karen people in Northern Thailand. KHT has been in operation for over 30 years and over time has established a number of corporate partnerships to support this aim. So how can you help create positive change?
We can offer you the chance to create positive change through becoming a supporter of KHT, a regular donor, or funding entire projects in one of our three programme areas – Health, Livelihoods, Education.
Through supporting our work, you can not only help improve the lives of Karen communities across Northern Thailand, but also work towards achieving the global UN Sustainable Development Goals. By partnering with KHT you are therefore also investing for a better climate, for a clean planet, for a fair society, for every last drop of water, for sustainable goods and for everyone’s future in this world that is impacted by them.
What can we offer you?
In return for your support, KHT can provide various forms of updates and promotions through reports, photos, videos, stories. These communications can help you share your social responsibility with your own clients, partners and supporters, helping you to demonstrate the ethical nature of your company.
We can also provide you with the opportunity to give groups of your employees the opportunity to take part in the activities of the projects you support. This can benefit you in many ways through acting as team building exercises or by improving employee satisfaction and morale. We think this is a unique opportunity to be able to offer and a wonderful experience for you employees.
Through supporting KHT, we are offering you the ability to empower vulnerable communities, increase marketing materials and publicity, and increase employee satisfaction and retention, all whilst becoming a more ethical company!