On Thursday morning October 9th 2025, SWECHAM took the opportunity to host the official presentation of its “GIVE BACK-initiative” at the Swedish residence in Bangkok.
SWECHAM’s Executive Director Ms. Anna Olsson Moore, welcomed the guests and introduced this morning’s speakers, starting with Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, who is Swedish and her currently position is UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand. Michaela was appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in September 2024.
She is the UN’s highest representative in Thailand, responsible for coordinating all UN agencies working in the country and for supporting Thailand in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN-Thailand Cooperation Framework. In her presentation, she pointed out how important it is for Thailand, that we all go together, companies as well as the private sector, to contribute to make it possible for girls to recive a decent education. Far too many people in Thailand lack access to education, and only education can move the country forward.
The UN’s work in Thailand is carried out by 21 UN entities including the well-known UN agencies like UNDP, UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF and UNHCR. Michaela’s role is to bring the different agencies together to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). During her presentation, she highlighted the tremendous development journey that Thailand has undertaken over the past decades. The poverty rates have gone down from 34,1% in 1988 to just a 4.9% today, quite remarkable. It demonstrates Thailand’s progress in improving the Thai people’s lives.
At the same time, she underlined that some of the most important and challenging areas remain as the country pursues its ambition of becoming a “high-income country” by 2037. If Thailand should be able to reach the SDGs by 2030, Thailand will need to invest approximately 1.4 trillion bath every year. This is not possible to reach by the government alone, nor by the private sector or other financial institutions (IFIs). It requires a combined national effort if Thailand should be able to achieve a sustainable and inclusive prosperity.
The key priority areas identified by UN include “gender equality” (SDG5) and “Quality education” (SDG4). Too many students today are leaving school without adequate literacy and numeracy skills. For most girls, these challenges are compounded by social issues: it’s hard to believe, but as many as 17% of girls in Thailand are married or in union before the age of 18.
Multidimensional poverty looks beyond access to income and includes factors such as education, health, and living standards. It says that 22% of children in Thailand live in multidimensional poverty.
12.5% of children are stunted, even as Thailand experiences a rapid increase in obesity rates. Obesity is very often linked to unhealthy diets and very limited knowledge about the importance of nutrition and healthy food choices.
Before Michaela returned to Thailand, she served as UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, and now we are blessed and happy to have her back in the land of smiles.
After Michaela’s presentation followed the story by Ms. Jane Mc Bride from the non-profit organization “Friends of Thai Daughters”.
The founders of “Friends of Thai Daughters” are Ms. Jane Mc Bride & Ms. Patricia (Patty) Zinkowski. Today only Ms. Jane was present.
Jane told us that in year 2002, she and Patricia were travelling in northern Thailand when, they encountered a group of vulnerable girls living in an abandoned school in Doi Luang area.
Before Jane and Patty started focusing on their non-profit work, they were entrepreneurs: they ran a business-jet charter service and both had leadership roles. After their trip to Thailand their lives took a completely new turn.
They couldn’t forget those girls, so they decided to do something.
The organization “Friends of Thai Daughters” (FTD) was founded in 2002 and officially registered in 2005. Its main mission is to protect and empower girls from northern Thailand’s “hill tribes” who are at a very high risk of human trafficking, forced marriages or exploitation. Slowly but surely, they built their organization and today the FTD runs two purpose-built residential homes “Sunflower Farm” in Mae Chan and “Jasmine Farm” in Chiang Khong, both in Chiang Rai province.
Each home supports up to twenty girls, providing safety, education through college, and long-term support to help the girls to become independent and self-sufficient adults. The campuses also include study rooms and pickleball courts, plus organic gardens, fish ponds and chicken coops, which supply food for the table and surplus for sale. The “Daughters” help out and learn to appreciate healthy, good food.
FDT also supports “Rainbow House”, a youth outreach center in Songpinyang Village near Chiang Khong, and runs Rainbow Road workshops for children from the surrounding area from its main campuses. So far this year, the workshops have hosted more than 800 local girls and boys who learn about teambuilding, gender equality, a healthy diet and much more.
FTD has recently partnered with the boutique tented retreat, Tantawan Tented Camp, next to the Sunflower Farm in Mae Chan, to provide high-quality job opportunities for graduate “Daughters” where they are able to put their education and language skills to good use. The Chiang Rai airport is not more than a 30-40 minutes’ drive away.
We also had the pleasure to meet Ms. Sarah Jowett, FTD’s Director, of Strategic Partnerships, who had just completed a five-months visit to Thailand to spend time at the farms. Sarah introduced khun Mee, who was among the first group of young girls that Jane and Patty came across in Doi Luang.
FTD supported khun Mee through school and university in Chiang Rai. From there, she helped set up and run FTD’s first Sunflower House and today she has become FTD’s in-country manager, overseeing all the organization’s operations in Thailand.
Khun Mee told us her touching story and many of us had to look for a handkerchief to wipe our tears. Sarah also read a letter written by a 13 years old girl from Laos, who wanted badly to get an education and to become a better life than her parents have. She decided to leave her home and fight for her dream.
The FTD took her under its wings. A letter that made us all very emotional.
There are so many young girls who are bright and destined to become something great if they get the opportunity to study. Some of the previous FTD girls have become dentists, teachers, nurses, just to mention a few professions.
Recently FTD introduced the Golden Triangle Pickleball, a brand new enterprise startup where Play meets Purpose!
The two first pickleball centers are at the Jasmine Farm and the Sunflower farm in the north. These two centers will partner with clubs both in Thailand and overseas.
If you think it sounds interesting and fun to try out Pickleball, you are warmly greeted at Golden Triangle Pickleball. They will offer tours and with the income support the FTD mission.
www.goldentrianglepickleball.org for more information.
After the very informative presentations by Ms. Michaela, Ms. Jane, Ms. Sarah and khun Mee, a delicious brunch buffet, by hotel Lancaster was provided and we guests, got to talk a bit more to each other. Representatives from SWECHAM, SWEA and several other organizations and companies were attending this very informative and emotional event.
Now it’s time for us to reach out and support this very important organization that changes life for so many young persons.
Together we are strong!
