Today, we are celebrating five years of partnership with The Transparent Fish Fund and the Ping and Amy Chao Family Foundation. Together, they have supported half of our student scholarships in Chiang Rai province. This partnership directly benefits hundreds of students, their families, and their communities. We couldn’t do this important work without them.
About Our Partners
“At the heart of both foundations is a belief that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential, regardless of where they are born or the circumstances they face,” says Mimi Chen, who serves as the program manager for The Transparent Fish Fund and The Ping and Amy Chao Family Foundation.
“We seek out organizations that address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability rather than simply treating symptoms. We believe lasting transformation happens when communities themselves are empowered to lead solutions that are culturally appropriate, sustainable, and deeply rooted in local relationships.”
The Transparent Fish Fund empowers local, high-impact NGOs to become sustainable and transparent while alleviating poverty in East Asia. The Ping and Amy Chao Foundation works to improve the health and well-being of children in economically disadvantaged regions worldwide.
The heartbeat of both organizations resonates with ours: empowering locals to transform their schools, homes, and villages.
Their investment in our scholarship program has a ripple effect not just on students but on their families, communities, and future generations.
A Shared Commitment To Tackle Root Issues
Many organizations respond to trafficking after exploitation has already occurred. What drew The Transparent Fish Fund, The Ping and Amy Chao Foundation, and The Freedom Story together was our commitment to stop the cycle of trafficking at its source.
“The Freedom Story recognized that one of the most powerful ways to protect children is to address the vulnerabilities that place them at risk in the first place,” says Chen.
“By investing in education, mentorship, family support, and community relationships, The Freedom Story creates pathways of hope that help children stay safe and remain in school.”
The Students This Partnership Serves
In 2025, the Transparent Fish Fund and the Chao Foundation helped us support 99 scholarship students in Chiang Rai, impacting 396 family members connected to them. With their help, we welcomed 30 new students into the program that year, 80 percent of whom were considered to be at the highest level of trafficking vulnerability.
The students we serve come from some of the most vulnerable communities in the region:
- 88 percent of their families live on less than $1 per person per day
- 65 percent have a family member who was a victim of human trafficking
- 96 percent live without one or both of their parents
- Only four percent of their caregivers graduated from high school
- 36 of our scholarship students are stateless
The scholarship students in our program have overcome these vulnerabilities and become leaders in their communities who help and empower others to stay safe, build resilience, and thrive no matter the circumstances.
“Over the years, we have watched students who once faced significant barriers remain in school, develop leadership skills, pursue higher education, and become role models within their communities. Those stories remind us that investing in one child can create ripple effects that impact entire families and future generations,” says Chen.
“The greatest encouragement has been seeing children grow into confident young adults who are now shaping their own futures.”
What Five Years Have Made Possible
Our scholarship program is about more than education; it builds a stable support system around a child, one that keeps them safe at home, at school, and in their community. With five years of partnership behind us, here’s what that has looked like in the last couple of years:
More students reached. We welcomed 33 new scholarship students in 2024 and 30 more in 2025. Each of these students was identified through our risk assessment and selected because of their high vulnerability to trafficking.
Stronger families. In 2025, our team completed 484 home visits and 2,054 mentorship sessions with students and their families. This consistent presence contributed to a 21 percent decrease in family relationship risk factors — one of the seven indicators we track to measure vulnerability to trafficking.
Improved student well-being. Across 2024 and 2025, we saw a consistent decrease in stress and depression among our scholarship students. When children feel safe and supported, it shows.
Local Leadership Sustains Transformation
The Transparent Fish Fund is known for going beyond funding programs to empower communities to lead their own long-term protection. Our shared belief in local leadership has been a core value since The Freedom Story began.
Our prevention work is led by local Thai staff who come from the same communities as our students. In 2021, our team launched Prevention Partners to equip local leaders with our proven prevention model. Through resources and training, we help churches, teachers, and grassroots NGOs protect their communities.
From student leaders to Prevention Partners, we deliver trafficking prevention training across communities so that the youngest and most mature leaders alike can transform vulnerability into resilience against exploitation.
“We are particularly inspired when young people who have benefited from a program go on to become leaders and changemakers themselves,” says Chen. “Love truly passes forward.”
Expanding Protection Into the Future
Five years in, we are more committed than ever to this work, and grateful to have partners who are, too.
In 2026 alone, we are working to expand protection by:
- establishing six new locally led safe zones
- integrating our trafficking prevention curriculum into nine additional schools
- providing access to education for more than 460 students
- equipping 25,000 people to recognize trafficking threats and stay safe
Mimi Chen put it this way:
“We hope that even more children will have the opportunity to stay in school, pursue their dreams, and live free from the threat of exploitation.
We also hope to continue deepening the systems of support that surround children and families so that prevention becomes even more effective and sustainable. Most importantly, we hope to continue learning from one another and growing together as partners.”
To The Transparent Fish Fund and The Ping and Amy Chao Family Foundation: Thank you for five years of investing in the children of Chiang Rai. Your partnership shows up in every home visit, every scholarship, and every story where a child builds a future free from exploitation.
We’re grateful and honored to continue working together!
Want to help surround vulnerable children with the support they need to stay safe? Join The Freedom Chapter as a monthly partner today!
