EMPOWER ASIA was established in 1990 and now operates in several Asian nations. Some of these nations include; Cambodia, Thailand, Bhutan, Kolkata (India) and Nepal. Around 294 teenagers receive 24/7 care while residing in one of our 18 safe-houses so that they may receive nutritious meals, come to grow in their knowledge of God and also attend school (or tertiary institutions). This is all carried out in a loving family environment.
Empower Asia is the key project of Empower International Trust which is a New Zealand government registered charity holding Certificate of Incorporation number 894963. The Empower Asia board members operate under the supervision of the trustees of the Empower International Trust in accordance with the registered constitution.
Empower Asia was founded from New Zealand and has been working in Asia since 1990. Whilst the organisation is Christian based there is no affiliation to any particular group, church or denomination. The vast majority of funds are sourced from private individuals, families, small businesses and churches.
“Having spent over 20 years living in Asia and working for one of the world’s largest international development organizations in developing countries, we have seen hundreds of organizations at work in the field. It is clear that some are making a huge impact in the communities they are working in, and others less so. One of the reasons we financially support Empower Asia is that we believe in the basic development paradigm that underpins their work: individuals are valuable, have potential, and can only be changed when one is prepared to invest in them long term and in a holistic way. Empower Asia does this, and is making a difference in many lives. We have confidence in the leadership team at Empower Asia and have confidence in the work they do and the impact they are making.”
- Greg Foster – Past Area Vice President for Africa & Middle East
The Future is Ours.
Dr. Sovan Kong
Sovan is now 36 years of age and is a medical doctor. He came to us 17 years ago. This was as a result of his father tragically being killed. Sovan’s mum then could no longer care for her eight children. In fact Sovan missed two years of school during this period. Eventually Sovan’s family had to split up with his siblings being sent out to other people. Sovan was sent to his aunt who, as it turned out, could not care for him. And then EMPOWER ASIA Cambodia discovered him.
Now he is one of our board memebrs. Our work in Cambodia is registered as a Local NGO with the Royal Cambodian Government and is known there as Smart Youth Cambodia.
MARY
"Mary" was a child of the opium fields. Now she has graduated university with a degree in history. She came to live at our girls' preventative prostitution home more than 14 years ago. Her life has been particularly difficult because her home village is adjacent to a civil war zone and the opium fields. Her father has been an opium addict which left her mum to toil away alone in the opium fields earning only about US$1/day. Mary now works at our house caring for and pastoring the younger ones. In addition to being a wonderful cook she assists the house parents in selecting new candidates to come into the home.
Dr. Santi Watiroiram
Dr. Watiroiram ("Bawm") came to us as a 12 year old boy. His academic ability was clear, eventually graduating with a PhD in biology from one of Thailand's top universities. Now he is a teacher/researcher at a Thai university.
A Brief History: At age 3 years he was bitten by a cobra. It changed his life. His foot and leg became severely infected, swelling up so that eventually the doctors recommended that they amputate below the knee. But his parents would have none of it. He writes, “Instead, they regularly cleaned and cared for my foot and leg. They cut a hole in our wooden floor upstairs next to my sleeping mat so that in the middle of the night I could maneuver myself over the hole and ‘go to the toilet,’ aiming into a bucket placed a few metres below me on the bottom floor. Each day my mum would clean up the mess! I could not walk. My parents had to carry me everywhere. Eventually, I got better but I could never really play and run around like other boys."
Santi now directs our Thai and is also Vice-Chairman of Empower Asia Thailand.