Freedom Restoration Project

I started Freedom Restoration Project (FRP) in 2017 with the vision of building a world without violence. My vision began with: identifying the needs of Burmese migrant women, developing gender-based violence support programming, and building my own team of social workers and local collaborators. My next challenge is offering a path to freedom from violence for women across Asia, and the The Elevate Prize is the ideal partner for this journey.

I’m especially excited about:

• Media Expertise: With your coaching, I can build FRP’s brand identity and drastically expand our reach.

• Mentorship: With guidance, I want to improve my organizational sustainability and outcomes-focused policy impact.

• Cohort of Leaders: My passion for this work surpasses my business knowledge, so I’m excited to learn from other leaders while also amplifying their work. 

Having worked with marginalized minorities, specifically women and children, I’ve seen how migrant communities can often be overlooked by the local governments that depend heavily on migrant labor. Through Elevate’s program, I hope to use my leadership role as Director of FRP to create systemic change in migrant worker communities. With your support, we can ensure that these victims of domestic violence have a voice that is heard.

Growing up, I saw men in my community, including my own father, abuse their wives and children. No one would intervene. My mother, who only spoke Akha (language of the Thai minority group), couldn’t reach out for help. I assumed our situation was normal. And that’s what’s driven my life’s work.

Back in 2007, I became a volunteer social worker in Maesot. I combined counseling and gender-based violence through a Master’s in Clinical Social Work in the US, then returned to the Burmese-Thai border to establish Freedom Restoration Project (FRP) in 2017.

My vision is to eliminate gender-based violence and empower victims through sustainable, survivor-centered programs that focus on prevention, response, and advocacy. I want women, like my mother, to have somewhere to turn and find an ally. As a leader in Maesot, I give survivors a voice, working with local NGOs and government agencies to serve victims of violence.

Looking ahead, I plan to expand FRP’s reach across Thailand (and other countries), such as collaborating with the Thai government on ways to strengthen the relationship between Thai industry and their essential migrant workforce. I’d also love for my Burmese staff to someday return home and start FRP Burma/Myanmar.

Of the estimated 3.9M migrant workers (documented and undocumented) in Thailand, 68% come from Myanmar. With Myanmar’s political unrest, Burmese people continue to escape into Thai border towns like Maesot. 

Domestic violence in Thai and Burmese culture comes with uphill cultural challenges. Undocumented victims fear deportation and won’t seek help. When a victim reports domestic violence, local authorities typically encourage women to return home to their abusers. With government intervention, abusers may be arrested and deported back to Myanmar; then, the abuser usually illegally returns to Thailand days later and the domestic abuse resumes. 

There’s no government shelter for GBV survivors anywhere near Maesot. COVID-19 created new obstacles (lockdowns, curfews, language barriers, visa constraints), and distant government shelters were either overcrowded or closed completely. 

FRP supports victims who have been abused, trafficked, or currently live in at-risk situations, specifically from the marginalized migrant community along the Burmese-Thai border. Our programs include: 

• Peer support groups and one-on-one counseling

• Parenting and family violence elimination classes 

• Short-term and long-term shelter 

• Mentorship for abusers on what is and isn’t acceptable

• Resources for education, healthcare, and essential needs through partnerships in Maesot 

• Advocating for systemic change with policy makers

FRP is a survivor-led, locally-led social worker team that speaks Burmese and Thai and has a deep cultural understanding of Thailand’s migrant border situation. We deliver globally-recognized counseling practices, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Trauma-Informed Care, to underserved communities.  

My team knows firsthand about Thai and Burmese gender roles, especially in high poverty areas where women have few rights. As I experienced myself, the abuse is ongoing—yet women are stuck, and children grow up thinking men have ultimate authority at home. As FRP’s name suggests, we lead survivors on a path towards freedom and restoration. It’s about empowerment, resilience, and self-reliance. The healing process targets the root cause of the problem, which means creating alternatives for women escaping violence and/or mentoring the abuser to restore the family unit.

Additionally, after 15 years in Maesot, I’ve built relationships and gained leverage as a direct connection between the Burmese migrant community and local government agencies and police. Working on the ground with victims helps me take their stories to those who control when and where resources are allocated. With a voice that Thai authorities will listen to and Burmese migrants trust, I believe I can slowly change the larger system.

To me, the work of FRP is about systemic change—transforming beliefs, behaviors, and policy in Maesot, Thailand, and beyond.

For many survivors or even abusers, it’s their first time learning that there’s an alternative to violence. Our parenting classes focus on positive discipline and violence prevention. I counsel women struggling with poverty about financial freedom, helping them become more self-reliant. FRP is about changing culture, one community at a time, letting people know that violence in our homes and communities is not ok. We’re changing the way people see themselves and others—replacing violence with compassion. 

Apart from counseling, I think it’s essential to engage with local government and advocacy groups that can impact the health and safety of migrant communities. Access to healthcare, school, and basic needs can feel impossible for women bearing the weight of domestic violence, and FRP’s partnerships can provide resources to move forward.

Freedom Restoration Project’s purpose is to eliminate gender-based violence and empower survivors through sustainable, survivor-centered prevention and response that turns fear into safety, helplessness into strength, and isolation into hope. Safe living should be a human right, and through FRP, I hope to be a catalyst for changing the systems around domestic abuse.

We currently serve 150 people total in various capacities. In the next year, we are projecting to serve over 1,350 people as a result of our 2021 growth, which includes three new hires for FRP’s team and program expansion to fulfill the increase in requests we’ve received during the pandemic.  

Current and Projected:

• Shelter for women and children: 15 currently, 75 total anticipated for next year 

• Peer support group counseling: 22 women with 30 kids currently, 42 women with 65 kids anticipated for next year (adding 2 additional groups of 12)

• Parenting class: 24 women, 75 anticipated for next year (adding 2 additional groups)

• Partner GBV Trainings for Maesot-area hospitals: 40 currently, 80 anticipated for next year (adding new sites for training)

• Safe and Unsafe Touch Training at Migrant Learning School: 1,000 children anticipated for next year

• Male Intervention Program: 20 men anticipated (starting soon)

This fall, I'm eager to lead more gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response trainings for professional groups through Maesot-area collaborations, which may increase my projections. I’ll also share my curriculum for gender-based violence professional training (peer counseling, violence elimination, safe and unsafe touch, male mentorship, etc.) with organizations beyond Maesot. 

My greatest ambition is to eliminate gender-based violence (GBV), which is reflected in FRP’s Impact Goals:

1. Prevention: Raising awareness to end violence against women. Includes: Classes on parenting, violence prevention, male mentorship, and safe & unsafe touch. (SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities) 

2. Response & Protection: Support survivors through rights to protection and access to services. Includes: Peer group counseling, shelter services. (SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being) 

3. Advocacy: Stand up against systems that enable violence against women, changing beliefs and behaviors. Includes: Promoting equitable policies, partnering with NGOs for greater impact. (SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities) 

Measurement framework includes: a) quantitative surveys, b) qualitative interviews, and c) active monitoring and observation. Knowing that better reporting requires strong evaluations tracking systems, I’m teaming up with a university research team later this year to help develop GBV and gender equality research. 

Achieving our impact goals at scale will transform the systems that undermine women and champion policies that ensure their protection. But by starting our impact from the bottom-up, I can give each woman a voice and include the entire community as FRP reshapes the landscape of women’s rights and empowerment.

Funding: Since Covid-19 began, more Burmese migrant women than ever have requested our support. Our ability to serve more women is dependent on increasing our funding and staff. 

Professional development: I believe continued education around GBV is essential to align with best practices (new approaches and research) as well as leadership growth. Grant funding will support professional trainings and language lessons for each member of the FRP team, but my hope is that Elevate can help me connect with more people doing similar gender equality and human rights work. Elevate’s cohort and connections will help me build our network and seek collaborations that can better prepare my team as advocates for gender equality.

Specialized mentorships: My expertise is in social work, not business. I’ve learned from mentors in Maesot and hope to find future partners that can coach me on business development, operations, and outreach to build capacity for long-term impact.

With Elevate, I’ll have expert resources for business development, brand strategy, and marketing to sustainably scale FRP. We're at a tipping point for growth, and with Elevate’s resources, I’ll be equipped to grow strategically and build a brand around ending violence against women.

Gender-based violence isn’t only in migrant communities—it happens everywhere. I believe awareness about violence against women, which pervades all societies, should become a part of public discourse. I want to spotlight this issue, since it’s often taboo or simply uncomfortable to discuss. As an activist for ending GBV, I hope to empower women to use their voice, and Elevate’s incredible network of connections and support will help me reach a significantly larger audience.

I dream of building a brand identity around gender-based violence prevention, response, and advocacy, and the Elevate Prize would allow me to make my vision into a reality. If awarded, here are some connections I’ll pursue:

• Join Conveners.org’s Impact Ecosystem to find mentorships in capacity building

• Rebrand FRP with the help of Hive’s brand strategy consulting

• Identify potential speaking engagements through the CAA Foundation’s strategic partnerships

• Access microfinance loans through Grameen Foundation

• Pitch research-based submissions on GBV to media such as Fast Company and CBS

• Collaborate with Trevor Noah to build GBV awareness with his 74 million viewers

FRP is not just the story of Burmese women fighting for their freedom—amplifying our message to an international audience will connect women beyond borders.

As someone who was raised within the Akha ethic minority group, I grew up learning to embrace diversity through language, ethnic culture, and religion. My leadership team includes Karen hill tribe women who have lived in refugee camps, immigrated into Thailand, experienced life as an undocumented migrant, and eventually obtained an international passport through working with FRP. Our team wants to build a more inclusive, equitable world—and that is an intrinsic part of FRP’s mission to bring gender equality to migrant women in Maesot.

Our team goals include:

• Support women’s leadership and ensure participation of women in decision making

• Invest in business skills, technical training, and financial literacy that lead to gender equality for both our staff and clients

• Partner with relevant public and private stakeholders, such as government agencies and NGOs, to advance gender equality through policy making

• Advocate for respect of human rights and the elimination of all forms of violence

• Undertake initiatives to empower vulnerable, marginalized/underrepresented groups to become more hireable for local jobs and equip them with skills for entrepreneurship.

To monitor our progress, I lead quarterly Leadership Team Retreats that include self-assessments and team discussions to evaluate our diversity and inclusion goals.

FRP’s team of GBV specialists offer backgrounds in GBV research and social work. Our 21 years of collective experience includes:

• Members of the Karen and Akha minority groups

• Thai and Burmese citizenship

• Language skills in Thai, Burmese, and English

• a Master’s degree in Social Work (Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA)

• Clinical supervision experience

• Crisis and psychosocial counseling experience

• Research experience in human trafficking 

• Child protection, foster care, and adoption agency experience

In addition to social work, our team has a deep understanding of Maesot’s culture and politics, and we empathize with what these women are up against. We’ve each overcome difficult personal experiences, such as being a survivor of GBV or a Burmese immigrant, that help us relate to the women we serve. We deeply understand historical gender roles, local government’s approach, language barriers, lack of shelters, undocumented status, and ongoing abuse our women return to at home. Living in Maesot, we’ve also witnessed firsthand the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar both due to the political situation as well as Covid-19, which has closed the border more permanently. (100% of our clients are Burmese.)

This background gives our team a strong foundation to provide female-focused, survivor-led, survivor-centered GBV programs.

An undocumented migrant woman once requested my help in filing a report of domestic violence to the Thai police. I became her advocate and translator, since she couldn’t speak Thai. At the police station, they encouraged her to not report anything but instead return home and make amends with her abusive husband. In Thailand, that’s the typical response from local authorities, including police, community authorities, or religious leaders. 

My heart breaks for these women experiencing gender inequality on multiple levels: male policy makers deciding victim’s rights and cultural male-first hierarchy at home. These gender stereotypes permeate our everyday lives, and most women often don’t even realize they have been marginalized by the system itself—which was why she thought the police would protect her.

I designed FRP’s survivor-centered programs to give every woman a voice. I’ve witnessed how women are rarely asked what they want and are expected to submit to male directives, so I created FRP to center the woman in the decision-making by asking her what she wants to do, giving her power to make her own decision, and reminding her that she has rights. Despite dealing with local authorities, these women know I will be their advocate.

1. UN Women - Hand Over The Mic series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yue4oGa8RZ8

2. Equity Talks - 16 Days of Activism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTy4PqME_jc

3. Dragonfly Bangkok WoMen Summit 2019: https://youtu.be/IRQyqKCPEng?t=1158

4. Azusa Pacific University Speaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X---CGnstq8

5. TV documentary series for the Australian ABC (upcoming - TBD)

While leading Freedom Restoration Project, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring social work students, speaking as an activist at Equity Talks, and sharing my story through UN Women. And with each step towards gender equality, I’m faced with a familiar obstacle: required funding to scale our reach to more survivors.

I see The Elevate Prize as my pathway to scale FRP. If selected, I genuinely cannot wait to grow FRP’s impact by elevating GBV awareness and driving action to prevent violence against women. Here are my specific goals:

1. Expand the size of FRP peer group counseling programs and shelter services, so we no longer have to turn down requests from women in need

2. Allocate resources for a media and communications strategy (i.e. rebranding, hiring a full-time communications specialist, launching campaigns, etc)

3. Invest in the development of FRP's future social enterprise Metta Studio, finding personnel for business management, staff hiring/training, and product design/production.

I believe that when everyone has the chance to reach their full potential, the entire society is uplifted. Elevate would make my dreams of eliminating gender-based violence possible, helping me build a safe community for the women who are often overlooked and further my advocacy for women everywhere.

Medical support:

1. Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU): Referral partner offering healthcare. I also lead professional GBV trainings for their staff.

2. Maesot General Hospital: Referral partner offering healthcare. I also team up for joint social work case conferences for clients.

3. Maetao Clinic: Referral partner offering free healthcare for refugees and migrant workers.

Educational programs:

1. Smile-lay Club: Referral partner offering skills training and after-school activities for migrant children, teaching about violence prevention, democracy, anti-racism, and human rights. 

2. Help Without Frontiers/Rays of Youth: Referral partner that educates FRP children on knowing your rights, health, and personal hygiene.

Legal advocacy:

1. Global Alms Incorporated: Advocacy partner offering emergency shelter and police interference. They recommend clients for counseling or long-term shelter. 

2. SHero: Referral partner focused on eliminating domestic violence in Thailand.

3. Maesot Labor Law Clinic (Human Rights and Development Foundation): Provide legal consulting for FRP women.

Fundraising partners:

1. Global Child Advocate: Fundraising platform for international donations.

2. Compasio Global Child Advocates: Fundraising platform for international donations. (I was their co-founder before starting FRP.)

Capacity Building:

1. Suwannimit Foundation: Mentorship and referral partner, teaching FRP leadership team strategies for financial accounting, legal compliance, administrative best practices, etc.