One of the primary reasons many children are relinquished from families and placed into orphanages and institutional care in Thailand is because of financial hardship. Therefore, a goal of BSF is to help all of our families become financially sustainable over 18 months so they can provide good care for their own children.
Two of BSF's key family strengthening components are Income Generation Assistance (IGA) and parent/caregiver trainings. Through IGA, families receive livelihood assistance tailored to their skills and interests so they can become more financially sustainable. To compliment and support IGA, families also participate in BSF training on Money Management and Budgeting and are also regularly monitored and supported by their project coordinator.
In Chiangmai Thailand, BSF families recently took part in one of these money management trainings. During the day, they were given the opportunity to prepare a family budget and examine their income and expenses. There were a lot of surprises! Plenty of discussion took place about ways to reduce debt and unnecessary costs and increase income and savings for the welfare of the family.
And the day wasn't just all about the adults! While parents were learning how to reduce debt and save money for the family, the children also had their own exciting activities to learn about money management. The were having fun making money boxes to start saving, and using a budget with pretend money to purchase toys from a little shop.
At the end of the training day, each family also received a savings box to help put aside a little extra each month for their family. They left the training better equipped to manage money and to plan more wisely to save for their children.
We are grateful to all of the volunteers, trainers, and BSF project coordinator for making this training day possible. And a special thanks to all of our donors and supporters who enable us to serve these families together.
To partner with BSF in building stronger sustainable families, please click here: DONATE Thanks for any support you can provide.
BSF is a partner for project J1079 & J1102 with Australian NGO, Global Development Group. Donations to BSF through Global Development Group are tax deductible in Australia, NZ, and the USA.