Life Development Center

About us

Life Development Center was established in March 1994 by a couple of Lisu people Mr. Manop Yangja and Mr. James  Fish while HIV/AIDS epidemic was spreading dramatically among the Thai society. In initially, LDC focused on HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns among vulnerable tribal labors who were working in various workplaces in Chiang Mai city and nearby, by giving information, providing training and assisting in fundamental needs of Aids patients. While we focusing on tribal labors who were working in the city for a couple of years we discovered that many HIV/AIDS infected people and Aids patients occurred in many tribal communities and scaring people in rural areas due to people don’t have proper understanding about the disease, they don’t even know how to taking care of Aids patients. Most of HIV virus contracted people and Aids patients are encountered social pressured and stigma, their families’ members and community people also scaring. We also discovered that most of HIV virus infected people were contracted from workplaces in the cities and spread to their families in the community.   In 1997-2001 illicit drugs, especially Amphetamine Type Stimulant spread widely among ethnic minority communities and had been a very serious problem for them and the whole country. HIV/AIDS problem is also related to many other social problems for instance poverty, illicit drug, prostitution or human trafficking as well as education problems. All these problems are social chain’ problems.

LDC has been serving civil society especially vulnerable marginalized ethnic minority groups as a non profit organization for over a decade. LDC had initiated various alternative development projects among hill tribe communities for preventing HIV/AIDS, illicit drug, commercial sex, as well as deforestation. Currently LDC working with more than fifteen hill tribe communities in the north of Thailand. LDC also has a wide range connection with Lisu people in Myanmar and China. LDC is supporting several tribal community groups and network groups. LDC is a member of Center for the Coordination of Non-governmental Tribal Development Organization, Christian Organizations Network, Internationals Indigenous Alliance. LDC is also cooperating with local Thai government authorities and many other Ngos. We mobilized by CBOs, FBOs etc. with participatory development approach. We are very concerned about gender equality, human dignity and involvement of community people in project implementation and evaluation with appropriate methodologies with slogan “Involving People Evolving Behavior Change/Development”.

LDC vision

We would like to see vulnerable underprivileged ethnic minority communities strong and be able to cope with their own problems effectively and remains in solidarity.

LDC Mission

Enhance quality life of vulnerable tribal people by raising their knowledge, competency, integrity and creating opportunities for their development potential.

LDC Aim

To promote community health care, self-reliance and solidarity with holistic development approach.

Philosophy

• We respect to human dignity and equal rights for receiving social security.
• We believed that human beings are God’s creatures, and his images. He would likes every one to be saved and free from all the bondages trapped them both physically, emotionally/soul, economically, socially and spiritually.
• He maintains everything in terms of global interdependency or cosmic system.

Objectives of LDC

• To prevents avoidable communicable diseases among vulnerable tribal community
• To enhances vulnerable ethnic minority people’s living conditions/livelihood
• To facilitates and enable development and collaboration dialogue
• To provides technical and financial support for community health care and Environment friendly incomes generation projects or alternative development initiatives