Plan Thailand’s Country Strategic Plan aims to help marginalised children, families and communities - particularly ethnic minorities, the stateless, and migrants - realise their rights.

 

Children living in Thailand face many challenges. Their right to participation has been ignored and most marginalised children, especially girls, are excluded from contributing to family and community matters.

 

Many children, especially those of vulnerable populations such as ethnic minorities, migrant and stateless children, cannot exercise their right to protection. They have no access to government services. Child trafficking, abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation and labour are on the rise.

 

The quality of education, particularly early childhood education, is poor. The incidence of HIV and AIDS infection is increasing among youth. In the rural North and Northeast, people cannot earn sustainable livelihoods, access government services or mobilise the resources to which they are entitled.

 

To address these issues, Plan Thailand’ has set the following goals:

  

• Promote child and youth participation, and build relationships.
• Strengthen child protection systems.
• Improve the quality of education.
• Improve family and community response to HIV and AIDS.
• Boost household economic security and build community capacity to access and mobilise resources.
• Mobilise local resources by promoting corporate social responsibility.

 

Thailand has achieved most, if not all, of its United Nations Millennium Development Goals well in advance of the 2015 deadline. The proportion of poor people fell from 38% in 1990 to 11% in 2004, net primary school enrolment is over 97% for boys and girls, and the annual incidence of HIV infection has decreased by more than 80% since 1991, the peak of the epidemic.

 

Plan Thailand has been a key agent in these successes as resource mobiliser, programme operator, policy advocator and community participation facilitator.

 

The impact of our programme interventions has been profound. For example, marginalised children have formed at least 10 child clubs, and many stateless people now have birth registration. Most of our target schools have achieved national standard accreditation, target youths are aware of HIV and AIDS education, and women in hill tribes have formed microfinance cooperatives to develop sustainable livelihoods.

 

Plan Thailand will continue to advocate for the government to scale up best practices.