The NightLight outreach team maintains a presence in the red-light district of Nana Sukhumvit, building relationships with women and children, and offering them a way out of their situation. In Bangkok, the NightLight outreach team meets hundreds of women and children every year through bar visits, street-level interactions, beauty shop outreach, and medical clinics. These women and children come not only from various parts of Thailand, but also from many countries across South America, Africa, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.
Women receive paid vocational training and employment through NightLight Foundation and NightLight Design, learning to produce beautiful products for NightLight Collection. Women can work in a variety of areas, including jewelry, apparel, screen-printing, baking, our coffee shop, and our childcare center. As women develop their skills, they are given the opportunity to branch out into additional areas such as technology, accounting, purchasing, management, marketing, networking, and public relations. Salaries are above minimum wage, and raises are given annually based on performance evaluations. NightLight also provides medical insurance and a savings plan, and scholarships are given to those who choose to continue their education. NightLight also has a small child care center for the children of the women employed at NightLight.
In addition to vocational training and employment, NightLight offers emergency shelter and crisis intervention (as needed), childcare, life skills training classes, educational scholarships, and spiritual development opportunities. Each week, women employed by NightLight are involved in small group sessions for personal healing and development. As part of our restoration program the women come together in the Thai and International program centers to participate in many of these activities as a community.
A growing number of internationally trafficked women are arriving on the streets in Bangkok. NightLight provides rescue and emergency relief for women and children at risk in the Nana/Sukhumvit area and engages in local and international advocacy on behalf of women and children working in the sex industry. NightLight partners with both governmental and non-governmental organizations for safe and successful repatriation of each woman.
In July 2014, we began a coffee shop to be a presence of light and hope in the midst of the red-light area. We partner with The MST Project (Men and the Sex Trade) to offer friendship and alternative entertainment options to other members of the community, including sex tourists, local business owners, etc.