Long-range plan

When it comes to the future, we spend a lot of time thinking about who is involved today and the things we would love to see tomorrow. Each year Opeanid is growing; both in size and in scope. We are excited to see our plans come to life with the many amazing people who support and are involved in Openaid’s work.

LOCAL PEOPLE (or RELATIONSHIPS)

Collaboration and dialogue are the foundation of Openaid’s work, thus we are very focused on building and nurturing relationships at the grassroots level in Southeast Asia. Our approach is one of invisible support; empowering locals to implement projects and initiatives in their own communities and providing guidance and support for this to occur. Ultimately, being involved with so many communities and families requires strong people with the right skills and character to ensure that we don’t lose our way. Our investment in these people is crucial to Openaid’s success and our long term plan will reflect our dedication to these relationships.

MEKONG RIVER RESOURCE CENTRE

We anticipate the beginning of a completely new resource centre in the far northeast of Thailand, on the Mekong River. This centre will provide young women with access to counselling services and offer opportunities for education, career development and employment. This initiative will dramatically change the lives of young women in the greater Mekong sub-region by offering them an alternative path to the sex industry and equipping them with the tools to evade traffickers. Bright and early every day, the team in Thailand will dedicate themselves to ensuring that these girls are given the support and direction that the need to change the face of this region from one of abuse and exploitation, to one of health and happiness.

PATTAYA

Many people are asking us about the infamous Pattaya and our plans for the area. Our current work involves strategies for identifying and supporting at-risk girls in surrounding communities, right through to caring for girls involved in sex work in town. We intend to continue to expand on and develop this work, with Justin putting a lot of energy into exploring new strategies and relationships. The sex industry is deeply imbedded in this area, and despite the fact that change is slow and small, Openaid will continue to invest in Pattaya and the elimination of sexual exploitation.

AUSTRALIA

In regards to the internal structures of the organisation, there is much more work to be done. We have a long-term plan to create a more effective board and leadership structure as to ensure that our core values are reflected in all of Openaid’s actions and decisions.

We intend to invest more in the technologies that will allow us to better inform and communicate with our supporters of the decisions we make. Our Website, Facebook and Twitter accounts have been created to inform the public on how we are moving on things like our projects with schools in Mahasarakham, HIV education in Chaing Rai, refugee support along the Thai-Burma border, director’s appointments and so much more. You have the right to know what is happening and which projects are being delivered and why. We want you to judge and provide feedback on our work and our approach. We are keen to explain our strategies and our long-term vision, and we hope that through these online resources, you will assess our work and continue to invest your time and money in what we do.