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Chai Lai orchid

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The Chai Lai Orchid is an eco-resort and social business that promotes sustainable tourism, kindness to elephants and prevents sex trafficking.

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Inspired by one to help many

It was Thanksgiving day on their annual fall trip to Thailand. Alexa Pham, the program director of Daughters Rising, and her translator were busy meeting with nonprofits in Chiang Mai and were heading back to their hotel after a long day. When they arrived, they came across a scene that Alexa would never forget. Sitting on the picnic table in front of the hotel was an old European man with a full grey beard, who must have been in his 60’s, and Naing, a beautiful teenage girl on the verge of tears. This old man was there to procure the services of the translator so that he could finalize a contract to buy this young woman from her mother. He was to pay $2000, a motorbike and a gold necklace to own her, for life. Alexa was able to intervene and the deal didn’t go down that day, but Naing was far from safe. Her story was the same as many of the girls Alexa spoke to on the streets and in go-go bars. Naing was Shan, an ethnic minority forced to flee Burma, trying to eke out a living to support her family but with little education and unable to speak Thai.

That day Alexa saw a gaping hole in the fight against sex trafficking. There was virtually no support for at-risk girls Naing’s age. And since she was not yet a victim of trafficking, the NGOs were not interested in “rescuing” her. Yet, if Naing could be given the slightest opportunity she could rescue herself and prevent a tragedy.

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Sex trafficking in Northern Thailand

One of the most profitable forms of modern day slavery is sex trafficking — the illegal sale of humans for the purpose of sexual exploitation. With widespread poverty across the world, there is no shortage of victims or accomplices to feed this enterprise. In 1809, at the height of the transatlantic slave trade, the average price of a slave was $40,000 (adjusted for inflation). Today it’s just $90. With the cost of a human life so low, these girls have become disposable assets; bought and sold easily, abused and discarded easily. Sex trafficking is now also the fastest growing criminal industry, only second to drug smuggling in terms of profits. Unlike selling an AK47 or a bag of heroin, traffickers generate huge profits by selling a girl hundreds of times. It tends to be a relatively low risk black market trade, as traffickers can always claim the girl is a willing prostitute to avoid jail time.

The civil war in the jungles of Burma has forced ethnic minorities such as the Karen and Shan to flee to Thailand to escape ethnic cleansing. Decades of conflict have left Burma one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. In Thailand, many Burmese migrants and hill tribe people are considered illegal and excluded from education, health care, and employment. UNESCO has identified this “lack of citizenship” as the major risk factor to be trafficked or, otherwise, exploited. Burmese and hill tribe women are the most trafficked population in Thailand.

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Flipping the tricks of the traffickers

One of the most common tricks that traffickers use to lure young women away from their families is to trick them with the opportunity of employment. With widespread poverty, the idea of being a maid in a big hotel, earning a few dollars a day is an irresistible temptation. Many leave their villages only to find themselves in the clutches of traffickers and held against their will or told that their children will be killed if they try to escape or fight back. It’s an all too common story told time and time again by rescued victims from brothels.

These women clamor for the urban jobs in hospitality because they’ve seen how tourism has grown and it has redefined success. It’s time to turn the tables on the traffickers and harness the vitality of Thailand tourism industry to empower at-risk girls and women rather than exploit them.

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Finding answers on the top of a mountain

The Chai Lai Orchid is a new social business located on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Thailand. This nature retreat sits next to the Mae Wang river on the side of a mountain surrounded by a lush, emerald-green forest. There are eight rooms that range from luxurious western-style rooms to private Thai-style bungalows. The whole resort focuses on sustainable tourism and most importantly, provides opportunity and hope to the most vulnerable women.

Each year, young mothers and at-risk girls will go through the program at the Chai Lai Orchid. They will learn every position in a hotel so when they graduate, they can find stable employment in Thailand’s growing hospitality industry. They also attend English and computer classes, and seminars on women’s health, nutrition, trafficking and their rights. Because most of the women are living below the poverty line,

they cannot just spend their days attending classes when there are mouths to feed, so the Chai Lai Orchid pays each one an apprenticeship salary.

Unlike training programs from nonprofits that rely on donors to operate, the training program at the Chai Lai Orchid is completely sustainable. A percentage of the profit covers apprentice salaries while they learn in a real world environment. With a cascading leadership program, the graduates will return to mentor and inspire the newest apprentices.

With the ability to earn a living, confidence in their newfound skills, knowledge about their rights, and the support of others; these women are empowered to escape poverty, to live a life of dignity and see a future filled with hope and opportunity. These are the first steps to undermine the traps of trafficking.

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Supporting the values you believe in

The Chai Lai Orchid works to give back to the community by employing locals in the training program. Candidates chosen are usually young teenage mothers who have been denied education through circumstance and are the most at-risk of being trafficked. Ecotourism at its best can also help empower local communities, foster respect for different cultures and human rights. The Chai Lai Orchid is majority owned and operated by local women.

The Chai Lai Orchid strives to educate guests about elephants, inspire activism and promote fair and kind treatment of this endangered species for tourism. The resort shares the mountain with the Putawan family of elephants and has created a unique day-long package where guests can buy the elephant’s

whole day and experience interacting, playing, feeding and bathing an elephant. This is the first step to proving that there is a market for enjoying elephants in a relaxed natural environment.

And finally, the Chai Lai Orchid works to ensure the resort is ecologically responsible and does its best to preserve the natural beauty of the mountain. The resort buys local sustainable products whenever it can and utilizes renewable building materials such as bamboo whenever possible. Details like the herb garden, compost, biodegradable toiletries and solar lighting demonstrate the Chai Lai Orchid’s commitment to keeping the little piece of paradise just that.

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About us

Alexandra Pham and Laksanara Kaewduang have worked together since discovering their mutual passion for empowering at-risk girls in 2010. Together they developed and implemented one of Daughters Rising’s key programs, the RISE Workshops, which grants scholarships to girls and teaches media literacy, confidence, computer, English and other leadership skills.

Alexa is the program director of Daughters Rising and has been involved in nonprofit works for more than ten years. Her work to fight trafficking was featured on the president’s blog at whitehouse.gov. Alexa’s favorite elephant is two-year-old Dong Dee because she is little and clumsy and makes everyone laugh.

Laksanara is a native of Chiang Mai and runs the RISE Workshops in the city center with underprivileged girls. She has a decade of experience managing a hotel and owning a tour company. Her favorite elephant is Chok because he is good at being bad.

The Chai Lai Orchid was named for the stunning orchids found in Thailand and around the resort. Chai Lai is also Thai girl’s name meaning “beautiful”. The resort launched in the December 2012.

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Contact

Alexandra Pham [email protected]

chailaiorchid.com facebook.com/ChaiLaiOrchid

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On the outskirts of Chiang Mai, in the northern mountains of Thailand. Up a winding road and across a suspended footbridge over the Mae Wang river. Nestled within the untamed, lush emerald-green forest sits a one-of-a-kind nature retreat, the Chai Lai Orchid.

Spend your days caring and interacting with elephants — playing, bathing or feeding them a tasty banana snack. Cool off with an afternoon swim in a fresh mountain water pool. Ride down the river in a bamboo raft, or simply float away in a tube without a care in the world. Picnic in a bamboo jungle, eat fresh fruit right from the tree and lazily swing in a hammock. Go trekking on endless trails that lead to beautiful vistas, hill tribe villages and secret waterfalls unreachable by car. And at the end of the day, come gather around the fire pit and experience local hill tribe music and dance performances that date back generations while gazing at a sky full of stars.

Accommodations include deluxe and standard western-style rooms with all the comforts, Lanna rooms inspired by traditional Thai family homes, and cozy eco-hut bungalows. Escape to nature and experience the harmony of the mountain spirit. Unplug. Reconnect.

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