Twelve years ago, Ampapawn and Piyawaet, ages 5 and 6, were brought to Abundant Life Foundation (ALF). Their mother had committed suicide and their father was dangerous. Their grandparents heard about ALF, a safe place for children. Neighbors volunteered to make the five- hour journey from this remote village to bring the children to ALF. Little Piyawaet was an avid tree climber, he would climb trees and hide. It wasn’t until later we learned of the fear that he lived in…trees were his safe place. Ampapawn was a sweet little girl and quickly adapted to her new environment. The loving care of the house parents eased the fears of these precious young children.
When we registered the children in school, we were told they had no identity. It turned out the father had sold their identity to child traffickers. A long drawn-out legal battle began to restore the children’s proper identity. This made it impossible for the children to return to their village as their father had been caught and was irate.
Long story short … Abundant Life Foundation was their new home; this was their family. They grew and developed, excelled in social skills and studies as well as athletics. Ampapawn begins her first year of college this year and Piyawaet will finish his final year of high school before pursuing his higher education next year. ALF is able to fully care for these children through the generous support from Mai Thai Coffee.
Last year we got word that the father had taken his own life. Ampapawn and Piyawaet barely remembered the man, but they longed to return home to visit their grandparents, aunts and uncles. We arranged the trip; a beautiful reunion between Ampapawn, Piyawaet, their grandparents and other extended family members brought everyone to tears. Twelve years was a long time, the kids only had faint memories of their grandparents. The grandparents helped us rescue these children twelve years earlier; they had not seen them since.
Mai Thai Coffee was established as a business to help support Abundant Life Foundation. Both the coffee business and the foundation were founded by Charlie and Cathy Milbrodt. Their work with children in Thailand began back in 1989 when they found a set of abandoned twins only 10 days old. That day changed Charlie and Cathy’s lives forever. They adopted the twins and raised them in Thailand. Both Jason and Jeremy and their families work with their parents to provide great coffee, but most importantly, to help orphans and at-risk children find a new life. Mai Thai Coffee donates 10% of all sales to ALF as well as various fund-raising events that help sustain the wonderful work of ALF in Thailand. The coffee you enjoy is helping save lives.