The orphanage and church are located in the middle of mountain valleys about 30 miles north of Chiang Rai. Khaodee Orphanage was founded by a native pastor named Simoon Chaiwangyen in 1998. In 2001, Khaodee was in the verge of closing due to lack of support and land lease that expired. Elijah Foundation visited Khaodee in 2001 and God immediately connected us together. Elijah Foundation purchased the land for Khaodee and provides on-going support to operate the orphanage and staff. Currently, there are 100 children who live at Khaodee Orphanage. Many of these children are orphans, abandoned, or so poor and destitute that we accept them into our orphanage. Almost all of the children are from nearby hill tribes (including Akha Tribe, Karen Tribe, Mong Tribe etc.), and most of them are not considered to be Thai citizens. These children are vulnerable to many kinds of exploitation including sexual prostitution and other forms of human slavery. Many churches and individual supporters have committed to partnering with Elijah Foundation and Pastor Simoon to make an impact for God's Kingdom by participating in "Missions through Orphans" in Thailand.
Chiang Rai is located about 200 miles north of the larger city of Chiang Mai. It is very close to the border of Burma and Laos. In fact, it is only a 30-minute car ride away from the infamous "Golden Triangle". It is the 3rd largest city in Thailand with about 2 million people living in the region. Khaodee Orphanage is located further north of the city of Chiang Rai.
Pastor Simoon (Pastor/Head of Orphanage) along with 12 other staff and few widows live in the orphanage and care for all the children. They provide physical and spiritual care and leads them in a very loving and disciplined manner. It is a delight to see the staff interact with the children because it almost seems like a parent/child relationship. Staff are in need of prayer as they go through emotional ups and downs of raising 100 children.
khaodee girls (for Internet Explorer users, please
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khaodee boys (for Internet Explorer users, please
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More about Khaodee Orphanage:
- To view snapshot view around Khaodee Orphanage, Click Here.
- To view blog posts about Khoadee Orphanage, Click Here.