We see the forest as a living organism, eager to collaborate with humanity in a harmonious way.

The Heart to Heart Foundation began as a grassroots initiative to strengthen local communities in Thailand by building connections among farmers who produce safe, environmentally-friendly food. This effort expanded into a network for sharing knowledge about family support, childcare, and elderly care in collaboration with local businesses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when families faced the challenges of working and studying from home, children in Loei province struggled to adapt. Many came from families unable to support them through this transition, so the foundation stepped in to provide temporary shelters and activities for at-risk children. This critical work continued through 2021 and 2022 with scholarships and foster home placements for children in need.

While working with children from Na Khok village who collected garbage during the COVID-19 lockdowns, we noticed that some children were helping their parents collect trash on the streets because they couldn’t manage to study at home. Although their lives were challenging, the children in Na Khok village still had homes, electricity, running water, and could attend a nearby school. 

However, the children living at the Khok Sawang landfill are in far more concerning conditions, requiring urgent intervention. These children are often not attending school because their parents lack stable employment. The parents work in daily wage jobs, starting early in the morning, and don’t have time to ensure their children go to school.

An even more troubling issue is that when income from the landfill decreases or the trash piles are flooded, parents often move their entire families to different provinces to find work. In these cases, children who are of school age, such as those we have supported with scholarships are unable to attend school and must instead live in tents at the work sites with their parents. The main jobs their parents take are cutting trees on contract, including rubber trees, eucalyptus, and teak.

As we expanded our outreach, we learned that while foster homes can provide temporary relief for at-risk children, they often create disconnection from the children’s families and communities, posing challenges for both the youth and the foster homes. Scholarships and essential support help, but they don’t address the root causes of these challenges.

Many schools offer meals, uniforms, and transportation, but children still drop out before completing primary education. At the Heart to Heart Foundation, we believe the key to lasting change lies in building positive relationships, fostering trust, and offering career planning for the family. This requires time, specialized tools, and a dedicated team committed to creating genuine community engagement and sustainable change.

Through these efforts, we became increasingly aware of deeper issues within nearby communities. We realized that empowering marginalized individuals and fostering self-reliance could enhance local resources. This led to our official registration as the Heart to Heart Foundation in late 2023, with government approval granted in September 2024. Our mission is to drive community development collaboratively, ensuring long-term sustainability and support for those in need.

We aim to improve the overall quality of life, especially for the elderly, who have worked hard their entire lives. We also seek to build stronger relationships within the community to address other visible social issues, such as the welfare of women, the elderly, drug abuse, violence, and child welfare.