AVODA FOUNDATION

TIMELINE

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1991: While living in a rural village in Tak province, Raimund receives his calling into the Christian mission: "Help the poor out of poverty and let them understand spiritual truths."
The first Bible study groups focus on how to apply biblical wisdom to everyday life.

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1992: The mission works need funding. A deodorant stone manufacturing unit exports to Europe and the USA to generate income and funding for the mission work.

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1993: A traditional women-waving group provides income for poor villagers.

1995: More small projects, like, clay pottery and wood furniture production and export, follow. 

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1998: BURMESE MIGRANTS

Challenges: Burmese migrants in the slums of Maesot have no opportunity to receive needed education and have difficulty finding suitable work. 

Solution: We register a Christian Burmese migrant school in the border town of Maesot, Thailand.

About 150 migrant children from the infamous Burmese slum environment receive essential Christian and academic education.

 

2005: THAILAND'S SEA NOMAD COMMUNITIES

The program started after the deadly Tsunami waves in 2005.
Challenges: Children and teens of the impoverished sea nomad communities in south Thailand, Khaolak, Phangnga province, lose out on education. The lack of interest in education is the addiction to social media. Some teens spend nights glued to their mobile phones, chatting or playing online games. Parents are powerless against this shift in social behavior. 

Solution: The Avoda foundation applies the proven strategies from work with the Iu Mien community in 2012 in northern Thailand by establishing a child-sponsoring program that allows regular counseling and teen camp activities. As of 2022, up to 60 teens are participating in the program.

 

2007: TAK CHILDREN'S HOME

Challenges: Some children grow up in extreme poverty and are in grave danger of being exploited and mistreated.

Solution: We open a Christian children's home in Tak, Thailand. About twenty children with challenging backgrounds find refuge, love, and training.

 

2007: IU MIEN HIGHLANDER COMMUNITY

Challenges: A Iu Mien highlander community in Chiang Rai province (in the infamous Golden Triangle) suffers heavily from drug abuse, drug trade, and related crimes. Especially children and teens became targets of unscrupulous criminals.

Solution: We establish a Christian congregation with Sunday School and daily after-school supervision in north Thailand's infamous Golden Triangle.

Up to 60 children and teens received daily training and counsel. As of 2020, most of the children and teens in the village are drug-free. As a result, even non-Christian parents send their children to the Avoda evening training.

2012: ESTABLISHING THE AVODA FOUNDATION
(Link: Impressum) 

 

2020: JOB CREATION

Challenges: Most rural people seek employment in Thailand's capital Bangkok. The lifestyle change from rural living to the 10 million people city of Bangkok is too much for most villagers. As a result, rural people fall easy victim to the unscrupulous human exploiter or harmful city vice. 

Solution: The Avoda Foundation creates and mentors job creation programs in Bangkok. Newly arriving villagers stay in a supportive community and receive job training and daily counseling.

As of 2022, seven teens are studying and working in Avoda's first job training program in the capital of Bangkok. 

 

2022: ACUTE HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION

Challenges: The civil war in Myanmar forces hundreds of Thousands of Burmese to flee for their lives. Many refugees hide along the Thai-Myanmar border. Because of their illegal status, refugees cannot seek legal work and income. The results are devastating, as most refugees suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

Solution: The Avoda Foundation distributes free food aid to suffering refugees. In 2022 Avoda fed 1'110 refugees, and the goal for 2023 is to support 2'000 refugees with healthy food aid.