Trafficking happens in many ways in all parts of the world, and devastatingly, the story of a mother attempting to sell her own daughter out of survival is not a new one. The only difference in this case was that Alexa and Hannah happened to be there, and happened to be in Thailand for just this reason. 6 months prior they had had parted ways with a Nepali anti-human trafficking NGO and decided to start their own initiative. They booked a 3-week trip to Thailand and Cambodia- classified by the 2010 TIP Report as two of the worst countries in the world for trafficking- to do research, and see if their idea was even plausible. It was during the last week of their trip, early one morning, that their translators alerted them to an unusual translation request- a man asking them to translate his purchase of a woman’s daughter.
They immediately knew they had to do everything in their power to stop this sale from happening. And after a long discussion aided by translators, the mother agreed not to go through with it. But there was no real triumph here, the girl would remain just as vulnerable the next day as she had been that morning- much more than a conversation had to be done for this girl’s life to be in her own hands. So Alexa and Hannah decided to reach out to all of the anti-trafficking organizations they had just spent weeks meeting with- surely someone could take her into safe custody. But it was then that they realized the scope of the real problem— no one would take her.
Either she didn’t qualify for their program because she hadn’t already been trafficked, or she didn’t qualify because her parents were illegal migrants. The girl and her mother were of the Shan ethnic minority group from Myanmar, and were in Thailand seeking work and safety from civil war. But without proper immigration paperwork, Burmese refugees like them who flee conflict and genocide in Myanmar are simply classified as illegal aliens. Therefore for an NGO to take her in, it would jeopardize their foundation’s legal status.
Dismayed and angered at the injustice of the situation, it was in that moment they realized what they had to do: find a way to work with the most vulnerablized population - ethnic minority girls from Myanmar and rural Thailand- and help give them opportunities that would prevent them from ever being in this situation in the first place. And thus, the idea for Daughters Rising was born.
Program Director
Sandar Win is a proud graduate from the Daughters Rising Scholarship Program. She graduated with honors from Asian University for Women with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a double minor in Development and Gender Studies. Sandar is originally from Yangon, but grew up in Umpheim Refugee Camp, having fled there with her family at age 14. Her dream is to help refugee women like herself access education and lift their families out of poverty. She has a passion for human rights and working towards a more equal society. In addition to being the director of Daughters Rising, she is a mentor for refugee youth through the Prospect Burma and WEDU programs.
Co-Founder + Volunteer Executive Director
Alexandra Bay was working as photographer in NYC when she met a girl being trafficked in Chiang Mai. She dropped everything to move to rural Thailand and create a safe house and job training center. Her passion for humanitarian work has propelled her on adventure throughout the world for the past decade working with nonprofits from Germany to Nepal. She spearheads Daughters Rising initiatives, develops RISE Workshops and runs our training and educational programs at the Chai Lai Orchid.
Co-Founder + Associate Director
Johannah Herr is an artist and designer, holding a BFA from Parsons and and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She is based in Brooklyn, where she and Alexa met and bonded over their shared passion for women’s empowerment projects many years ago. They started Daughters Rising after the experience of witnessing a girl being trafficked in Chiang Mai. Hannah helps with overall program management, graphic design, fundraising, and spearheaded the RISE shop in which she designs and develops products with indigenous craftswomen for sale online and in our Chai Lai Orchid shop. When she is not in the jungle she is a professional artist having exhibited her work in New York, London, Seattle, Mexico City, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Ulaanbaatar.
Program Coordinator
Malida is a women’s rights advocate, and a leader in our local indigenous community. She serves as a mentor and supervisor for all activities at Baan Sukito, our safe house for at-risk girls. She is also a community liaison, responsible for outreach with local families who report abused or neglected girls in our area who are identified as needing support.
Volunteer Coordinator
Gaynor spent the last decade of her career working in the fields of Speech & Drama and Communication in Singapore and India – as an educator, performer, trainer and writer. She is now a freelance writer living on a permaculture farm in Mae Wang. A dedicated yogini, she is passionate about nature, the power of words to move and persuade, and the fundamental importance of spreading loving kindness. She helps coordinate all on and off-site volunteers.
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