Maehongson Travel Agency 1.57

While working as NGO's and guide for Maehongson Tours, Mr.Parinya Kannika observed many problems in the hill tribe villages of Maehongson Province. This group was formed to create an organization working to assist these people. The organization’s methodology would be to work with the people to solve their own problems, offering permanent and self-generating solutions.

none contributions came from donations by foreign tourists that trekked or went sightseeing with his agency. Items such as warm clothes, towels and blankets were donated and distributed to the remote Thai and Thai hill tribe villagers in the provinces of Maehongson and Tak as well as in the nearby provinces of Chiangmai and Chiangrai.

Until now, the organization has been funded by limited foreign donations and supplemented and distributed by Mr.Parinya Kannika’s personal income as a guide as well as from businesspeaple from Japan, Spain, Netherlands and another countries.

Mr.Parinya Kannika’s approach to the villagers’ problems has been to help them build infrastructure and educate the people so that they can become self-sufficient. The Thai hill tribes have begun to work with Mr.Kannika and attempted to find solutions to their fundamental problems in the village, for example regarding basic human rights, health, water supply, sanitation, kindergarten, school, food bank, fecal disposal as well as the protection of the enviroment and their culture. Until now, operations have been funded through non-profit sources.Non governmental Organization [NGO]

Because the organization’s support comes from different countries, we changed the name from ‘Maehongson hill tribe extension & improvement programme’ to ‘International Cooperation for Thai Hill tribe Development foundation [ ICTDF ]’ in order to commemorate all of the support from past to present.

The vision and mission of the International Cooperation For Thai-Hill Tribe Development Foundation is to assist the Thai, local, hill tribe and Burmese people along the border of Northern Thailand in Tak, Maehongson, Chiangmai,Chiangrai, Lampang, Lampoon, Phrae, Nan and Payao Province to preserve traditional customs while minimizing effects on the environment. This will help prevent further deforestation of the jungle of northern Thailand. To achieve this mission, ICTDF focusses on the following issues for each of the villages being assisted.

1. Preservation of the traditional culture.

1.1. Encourage local people to work in their area

1.2. Encourage the conservation of local culture by themselves.

1.3. Promote the conservation of artifacts and places.

2. Agricultural advice including on irrigation. Development and installation of drinking-water systems for the villages. Provision of guidance in the identification of permanent farming sites in order to limit the impact on the environment.

2.1. Promote organic farming. Do not use chemicals.

2.2. Promote farming at a fixed place. No shifting cultivation.

2.3. Encourage the people to have clean water to use.

2.4. Encourage people to have a sanitary latrine. Do not use the forest as a toilet.

1.5. Encourage villagers to have a career to rise revenue.

3. Kindergarten, Children Dormitory and school-Building. Scholarships, supplies, provision of guidance in the identification of problems in AIDS Prevention and women’s rights to education.

3.1. Foster children to have the opportunity to attend school

3.2. Promotion of rural children in child care centers when parents go to work in their field.

3.3. AIDS education in the rural villagers

4. Protection of the Human rights.

4.1. Study of Basic Human rights for people in rural areas

4.2. Helping disadvantaged children along the border so that their basic human rights are protected

“You are important to our success, we can’t do anything without your help "