The Life Skills Development Foundation (TLSDF)

The Life Skills Development Foundation (TLSDF) is a registered Thai non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to improve the quality of life for vulnerable children and their families in northern Thailand. TLSDF’s mission is to empower and build the capacity of the individuals and groups responsible for ensuring the basic rights of children (survival, protection, development, and participation) in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

TLSDF was founded in 1998 as part of the Save the Children USA’s transition strategy when it closed down its operational presence in Thailand. In 1999, in collaboration with Thailand’s Office of National Primary Education Commission (ONPEC), UNICEF, and Save the Children, TLSDF played a lead role in the initiation, development, and introduction of the ‘Child Friendly School Program’ concept in Thailand. This concept has since been expanded to over 1,000 schools throughout Thailand and 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific region through a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and Save the Children (USA).

To ensure project sustainability, as well as the interests and personal agency of children as rights holders, TLSDF employs community-based collaborative frameworks between governmental and non-governmental organizations with a focus on empowering community members. Most of TLSDF’s projects work with indigenous, minority populations situated in areas affected by high HIV prevalence rates, serious poverty, issues of statelessness among other challenges. The projects engage with all phases of childhood, from before the child is born (working closely with expecting mothers throughout their pregnancies), to early childhood development, through elementary and secondary school, and up until the age of 18.

In 2017, TLSDF operated in 8 districts in northern Thailand: Muang, Sankampang, SanSai and Hangdong of Chiang Mai, Pang Mapha and Pai of Maehongson, and Pasang of Lamphun. Our headquarters are based in Chiang Mai, and we have satellite offices in Pai and Pang Mapha. Our program key results are in the followings:

1. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), a program that focuses on working with volunteer community health educators, daycare centers, kindergarten teachers, and young mothers, to ensure that mothers and children age 0-6 have access to quality healthcare and that children receive developmentally appropriate care and a holistically supportive quality education. The project provided care and support to 35 pregnant women 351 very young children (0-6 year) through 36 parenting volunteers and community working ;  
2. Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC), which uses social protection strategies to work with community groups, government officials, and families to implement child protection mechanisms to serve children facing physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, and neglect. The project provided addressed problems and needs of 224 vulnerable and at risk children through network of youth leaders and the community action groups (CAG).

3. Reaching for Improved Access to Services and Employment Opportunities for Shan Domestic Workers in Northern Thailand (RISE), is a program that works with Shan migrants in five districts around Chiang Mai to help establish response centers and career advancement centers with trained migrants who can provide care and support for migrants in need. Number of beneficiaries are in the below table.

4. Eliminating All Physical and Humiliating Punishment, EAPHP, is a project that strives to eliminate all physical and humiliating punishment against children in Thailand, through a combination of legal reform, and educating parents, teachers and caregivers about positive discipline. The project campaigning reached out to 800 audiences in 4 sub-district in 2 provinces community collaboration and 150 audiences participated in EAPHP National Forum, and 80 parents attended positive discipline training.

5. Pediatric and Family Cardiac Program, which provides life-saving cardiac surgeries for children and adults who lack the resources to pay for the healthcare they need, and builds knowledge amongst the public and health care personnel on heart disease. This project provided funding assistances for heart operation to 28 patients.

6. The Living Fund is a program which provides urgent funds for food, clothes, school supplies, and healthcare for vulnerable children on a case-by-case basis. In 2017, TLSDF public fund provided living funds for 88 children.

7. Contact Us   

8. The Life Skills Development Foundation

9. 114/19  Ban Jed Yod, Phuak, Chiang Mai 50300 Thailand.

   Tel & Fax : +66 53 212 757, +66 53 212 758 

   E-mail :

   Web site :