I just arrived in Chiang Mai. A woman named Nicci who works at COSA (Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia) picked me up from the bus station and drove me to the shelter for girls who have been rescued from human trafficking. From what I have seen of the shelter so far it seems like an amazing place. A small stream, brimming with fish runs behind the shelter and just beyond the stream is a large organic fruit farm. They also have a few mushroom huts as well as some chickens.

Photographer Mickey Choothesa and his wife, Anna, founded the shelter after witnessing the human trafficking of young girls among the Northern Thai Hill tribes. Currently there are 18 girls between the ages of 5 and 18 living here. COSA is unique in the way they address human trafficking. They work directly with the communities who traffic their children. Every other month, Mickey connects with the traffickers to help show them that educating children is a much more sustainable practice than exploiting them.  

When the girls arrive from school they are excited to meet me. I help lead the craft project and work on learning all their names. Despite what they have been through they are all smiles! In school they are learning English and I find that I'm able to communicate with them quite easily. They even teach me a few Thai words. The older girls who are more proficient English speakers want to know what life in the States is like and if I like the Spice Girls and One Direct. I laugh and tell them that the Spice Girls are no longer together. They are shocked by the news and inform me that they are really big in Thailand. I don't realize how big until I go into the girls bedrooms and see the posters lining the walls. Life size cut outs of the Spice Girls all decked out in 90's fashion. 


Total HR: 44