“You can’t give what you don’t get. If no one ever spoke to you, you can’t speak; if you have never been loved, you can’t be loving.” (Bruce D. Perry in What Happened to You? – Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing)

“You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4 NLT).

What does it look like when a child doesn’t feel loved? What if they have never heard an attuned caregiver say to them, “You are precious to me”?

Sombhat is a fifth-grade student. We regularly provide life skills and English education at his school, as well as lay counseling services for teachers and students. Over the past year, we have observed that Sombhat often disturbs his classmates or exhibits aggressive behavior towards them. Sombhat frequently coerces his peers to help him bully smaller or weaker students. He will enlist a classmate to hold another student down while he physically assaults them. Numerous teachers have reported difficulties establishing consistent boundaries with Sombhat, as he frequently disregards them. They have tried talking to his parents and grandparents, but it has not seemed to help much.

Sombhat has deep emotional wounds that often show up as anger and fear. His father is currently incarcerated, which has had a profound impact on Sombhat and his younger sister. His mother resides in another region of Thailand and has rarely been involved in her children’s lives since birth. She recently arranged for Sombhat’s younger sister to live with her; however, she decided she does not want Sombhat to stay with her, nor to be responsible for him. It seems that for her, her son is more trouble than he is worth. At the very least, she is unequipped as a parent to meet his needs.

Sombhat’s story is not unique. Many children here in northeast Thailand carry unseen burdens—and without timely care, the cycle of pain will continue into the next generation. That is why your support matters so much. Your prayers and financial gifts allow us to walk alongside children like Sombhat and equip caregivers with the tools to bring healing through attuned, compassionate care. For most families in this region, such support would be unimaginable without someone stepping in.

We believe that unconditional love and compassion can transform lives and even reshape communities. But we cannot do it alone. We urgently need partners who will stand with us. Will you be one of them?

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